Truett McConnell Basketball Teams Return from Mission Trip to Poland

Photo Credit: Radio Strefa FM

CLEVELAND, Ga. — The Truett McConnell University men’s and women’s basketball teams recently returned from a mission trip to Poland, where student-athletes spent more than a week using basketball, service projects, and personal relationships to share the love of Christ with communities throughout the country.

Partnering with local churches and ministries, the team took part in a wide range of outreach opportunities designed to build relationships and create openings to share the Gospel.

TMU men’s head basketball coach Jon Yeh said the trip is as much about long-term relationships as it is about the week itself. “Our goals when we go are to love on the kids and families we meet and connect them to our Polish church-planting friends, to establish trustworthy relationships for fruitful ministry the other 51 weeks of the year,” Yeh said. “I love going back, because our relationships with the kids and families expand each year.”

The trip began in Piotrków Trybunalski, where the team helped assemble an outdoor basketball court used for community ministry. Throughout the week, the court became a gathering place for children and families as students coached basketball clinics and encouraged young athletes.

For rising junior Preston Tuggle, the trip marked a return to a community he’d built relationships with on a previous visit and a chance to see that growth firsthand. “It was good to come back to Poland,” Tuggle said. “Something I found fun this time around was seeing the growth from a local girl named Wiktoria. Her basketball had improved so much from the last time I saw her.”

Team members also competed in the annual Piotrków Streetball Tournament and connected with local residents through sports. Ella Ward, a member of the team, said the community’s openness stood out immediately. “It was interesting how quickly the people of Piotrków got involved with the 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 games, and how willingly they welcomed us,” Ward said.

One of the week’s primary ministries was Jordan Basket, a basketball camp that welcomed more than 50 children, many attending for the first time. Through basketball instruction, games, and daily devotionals, TMU students shared biblical truths and personal testimonies, with messages centered on passages including Proverbs 3:5-6.

Ward said that even without many direct conversations about faith, she saw God at work in the smaller moments of connection with the kids. “We might not have had many God conversations, but God showed up in the way we coached the kids individually, joked with them, and brought smiles to their faces,” Ward said. “Sally and I had the youngest kids, and they really came out of their shells when we did zig-zag ball-handling drills, which encouraged them to be creative on their own. I think that means more than we know to the kids.”

Beyond athletics, the team demonstrated Christ’s love through acts of service. Students spent a day restoring a neglected Jewish cemetery, helping excavate and catalog gravestones and clean the historic site in remembrance of a once-thriving Jewish community devastated during the Holocaust. The team also assisted with Hype Games II, a community-wide field day involving students from five local schools, while continuing evening basketball activities and fellowship events hosted by Tomy Church.

Later in the trip, the team traveled to Gliwice for exhibition 3-on-3 basketball games before visiting Auschwitz, a solemn opportunity to reflect on one of history’s darkest chapters. The final stop included time in Kraków before the team began its journey home. Despite significant airline delays that complicated the return trip, the team remained united and encouraged.

The Poland mission trip reflects Truett McConnell University’s commitment to preparing students to impact the world for Christ, combining athletic competition with meaningful service and Gospel-centered ministry.

Truett McConnell University is a private Christian liberal arts and sciences university located in Cleveland, Georgia, and has been ranked by Best Value Schools as the #1 Christian College in Georgia. TMU offers 80+ different programs of study including baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The University boasts a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio, while 100% of incoming students receive financial aid. For more information about Truett McConnell University, visit www.tmu.edu