Episode 19 - Keith Beckett

The vice principal and interim athletic director at Takoma Academy in Maryland shares some of the rich history of TA basketball, going back to a 1964 game with Pine Forge Academy. Eventually because of concerns about competition, TA got away from playing other Adventist schools and instead began to play non-Adventist schools. Keith credits Coach Bob Paulson with building a strong interscholastic basketball program in the 1980s that set a foundation for the future. Influential in establishing that culture was Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wooten’s annual camp, hosted at Takoma Academy, where TA students got to attend and work the camp, playing with some of the best players in the area.

Keith lists off his greatest TA teams and players of all time, and the coaching tree that has come out of the school. He talks about the wealth of talent in the greater DMV area, and how TA’s proximity to other great programs has provided opportunities for non-Adventist players to enroll at Takoma over the years. He shares why they continue to return to the Southwestern Adventist University Hoops Classic each year, and how the girls and boys teams are looking for this next season.

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