WARSAW – Elementary school classrooms just got a lot bigger this morning. As part of the service aspect of the NCCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to be held this week at Grace College, the 16 programs comprising the fields took to the area Tuesday to give back.

Lee University guard Madison Lee helps Leesburg Elementary students with art projects as part of the NCCAA service projects each team does in the Warsaw community prior to the basketball tournament. (Photos by Mike Deak)

The basketball programs from around the country began the morning with a group meeting at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center on the campus of Grace College and then split up per team to its off-site destination or on-site prep activities. The area service locations included nearly all of the Warsaw-area elementary schools, Lakeland Christian Academy, Kiddie Kollege, as well as the Heartline Pregnancy Center, the Salvation Army, Combined Community Services, Miller’s Merry Manor and Grace Village retirement homes.

Each of the 16 locations participated in the service projects last year, and according to coordinator Andria Harshman, that was a key factor in continuing the intent of serving.

“I think having the same groups working with us is a testimony to how impactful this is for the community,” said Harshman, who is the assistant athletic director at Grace as well as the head volleyball coach for the Lancers. “But this is exactly how we want to impact the community. We want these teams out there working with the different organizations. The players love being out there working with the community.”

Grace College center Adrian Makolli is introduced to a classroom at Madison Elementary. Makolli and his teammates were split into different rooms to help the students with the topics of the day.

Many of the schools Tuesday had players in classrooms helping with homework, reading to students, working on art projects or just lending a hand wherever and however needed. A few teams took to the basketball court to show off some skills, even having a free throw contest at Madison Elementary. Rec rooms at the retirement communities were busy, playing cards and having conversations about basketball and life in general.

The men’s basketball team from Grace College descended upon Madison Elementary in the morning and were split up into over a dozen classrooms. Remarked one first-grader at the sight of Adrian Makolli, a seven-footer, “Holy cow, he’s as big as a house!”

The Grace women will head to Claypool Elementary later this afternoon.

The Southern Wesleyan women’s team drew Heartline, where the joy of holding newborn babies brought a completely different aspect to the table.

“You should see some of the faces of the girls who help out there,” Harshman said. “That is one location we get asked about each year. A lot of the teams put in requests for it.

“This is such a positive thing in the community,” added Harshman. “This is the seventh year Grace has hosted the NCCAA tournaments and we have 16 teams excited to be a part of it. It’s so much more than just basketball. To be able to help out in the community, to see the joy in the kids faces, the people impacted, and to hear so many testimonials from the players who do it, this is so worthwhile for everyone.”

Tuesday’s NCCAA activities will continue tonight with the banquet at Warsaw Community Church at 7 p.m. The banquet will include awards for men’s and women’s player of the year as well as guest speaker Dave Bliss, former NCAA basketball coach, taking the stage to deliver his message of redemption.

The NCCAA men’s and women’s tournaments will begin Wednesday and continue through the championships Saturday, all at the MOCC at Grace College.