Upward Stars Basketball is blessed to be the largest basketball club in Middle TN, operating hubs in both Williamson County & Sumner County. The club provides year-round basketball opportunities for 3rd - 12th grade athletes (boys & girls), through team play &/or developmental programming (camps, clinics, 3-on-3 play, etc.). Their mission is “Promoting the Discovery of Jesus Christ Through Sports.”
Fiscal Year Ending 9/30/17:
Expanding Our Reach (Growth): Upward StarsBasketball experiencedcontinued growth in 2017. The club expanded to 37 spring tournament teams & formed 11 summer teams that competed in area summer leagues (compared to 26 and 10 teams, respectively, in 2016). Over 700 athletes attended tryouts in 2017 (510 in prior year). Upward Stars Nashville connected with 1,200+athletes in 2017 (900 in 2016).NOTE: The club awarded $23,000 in financial assistance needs to athletes/families as the mission of Upward Stars will always win!
Focus on a “More Than” Experience: The club attributes the aforementioned growth to placing a high priority on providing a “More Than” experience. Upward Stars has the desire to impact athletes mentally, athletically, spiritually, and socially. This impact is seen both ON and OFF the court.
One way in which the “OFF the court” impact is accomplished isthrough spoken character lessons. Their coaching staff has shared approximately 850 character lessons with its participants over the past two years at team practices and/or at clinics/camps. These lessons are based on Scripture and correlate with sports and every-day life. Character lesson topics, just to list a few, have included: Teamwork, Wisdom, Leadership, Perseverance, Effort, Discipline, Integrity, Courage, Commitment, and Service.
Another way in which the “OFF the court” impact is accomplished isthrough team service projects(giving back to the community). Teams and athletes have volunteered many hours for various organizations in the last 24 months, including: YMCA Full Circle Program, Room in the Inn, Second Harvest Food Bank, Youth Villages, and The Cooper Trooper Foundation.
Putting a Strong Product on the Court: From a sports credibility perspective, the club's 2017 spring/summer tournament teamscompeted at a high-level, winning 30 Championships, earning 42 runner-up finishes, & 44 semi-final appearances in national/regional/& local tournaments (compared to 20, 27, and 30, respectively, in 2016, while primarily competing at the local level).