First Church of Seventh-day Adventists, Washington, DC

In the minds of the young people in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Saturday nights in the early 1950's were a night of complete disappointment and an uneventful time. There was nothing exciting for the young children and young adults to do other than a church social here and there. In other words, by today's standards, Saturday nights were boring. Mr. Lorenza Best a native of New Bern, North Carolina, knew that there were young members in the Church who played in the Washington DC city recreation leagues that were very talented basketball players. He believed a Christian basketball league would be a good outlet for young people on Saturday nights and decided to inquire if there was interest in forming a basketball league within the Church and the Alleghany East Conference. He met with the First Church of Seventh-day Adventists (affectionately known as "First Church") activities leaders and youth society regarding forming a Seventh-day Adventist basketball league amongst the churches in the Alleghany East Conference (AEC).

The Seventh-day Adventist Church balked and frowned upon competitive sports within its denomination at one time. There was a kickback; but as he pursued this idea of church league basketball, more and more interest arose. Though there were many doubts and disagreements, the idea was moved forward. Mr. Best, being as driven as he was, decided to go forward and present the idea of forming an SDA Church basketball league to the Alleghany East Youth and Athletic Leaders.

As the pioneer in this endeavor, and one of the Youth and Activities Leaders of the legendary First Church, Washington, DC, Mr. Best was instrumental in ensuring this league became a reality.  It was circulated by many that the first game was in the fall of 1958; I was only 4 years old. With representatives from the Allegheny East Conference present, including many who balked at the idea of competitive sports, Mr. Best as Coach, presented his team, the Washington Eagles, of First Church. They were fully decked out in uniforms, including warmup jackets, for the first game.

Everything just took off from there. At the time, there were only two DC churches involved in the league. Later, in the early 60's, the Alleghany West Conference became a part of the success. It was a traveling league. Teams were involved all up and down the east coast. Richmond, and Newport News teams in Virginia, Philadelphia teams; Trenton, Camden and Newark, New Jersey teams; and Baltimore, MD teams. He also started a JV Division in the 70's that groomed players to participate at the adult level. Both teams were put into YMCA leagues to keep them ready for stiff competition in the Alleghany East Conference church league.

In terms of fellowship, it was a very different era back then. Visiting churches would sometimes come into town. After a day spent worshiping and dining, sometimes at church members' homes, they would return to church for MV (now called AY). Sometimes the visiting Church would participate in evening vespers for MV. It was very different because churches were very connected to one another even though there was great competition. Everyone would be anticipating the big game that Saturday night.

There were times when travel to visit opposing teams would start late on Saturday evenings. Players would meet at a location just near I-295, to travel to cities north of Washington, DC and as far as Boston, MA. On more than a few occasions, Mr. Best's entire team would be loaded into just two cars along with his wife, his biggest supporter, Mrs. Rosa Lee Best. Sometimes players would be squeezed into cars as small as VW Bugs. He was so invested in the success of the church youth that he provided roundtrip transportation funds to those who had no other means to make it across town to games as well as load his vehicle up with players beyond capacity to get them home safely. There were also times when only five players went on a road trip to compete. Those were the times when Lorenza Best would tell His players, "We are going to do like God told Moses. Use what you got! ", and come out victorious. Yes, with only five players.

There were two teams from DC in the league during the 60's, First Church and Dupont Park. Later, during the 70's, an Alexandria, VA church joined. During those years, because of the number of teams involved, there were Northern and Southern Divisions. The Northern Division champs would face the Southern Division champs, best 2 out of 3, for the Allegheny East League championship. Trenton, Camden, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, to name a few, were all powerhouse teams. With great perseverance, First Church (coached by none other than Lorenza Best) would prevail many, many times. There were 18 consecutive division championships and a great number of league championships - many resulting in back to back to back dominance. There are members from those teams, great players still living in the DC area that I watched and learned from. They are now in their 70's, 80's and 90's - phenomenally talented legends of the game. Some with such great talent that they could score 50 points in a game. Yes, even without the present-day 3-point line. I witnessed it and was blessed enough to be on the court when it happened. I believe they deserve a great deal of honor and should be sought out and recognized.

After its inception, the league grew exponentially. More local church teams joined the league in the 60's, 70's and 80's as interest increased in the Washington, DC area. In the late 80's, coaches decided to separate from the AEC and function independently. Today, that independent League is called the Metro Area Adventist Basketball Association - MAABA. The newly created league had been in existence a little over 10 years, but as the 1994/1995 season approached, it seemed it would fold because there was no active League Commissioner. Mr. Best had sons who played on his team and a grandson who played in the JV division.  So, he preferred to just enjoy coaching his sons, with no perceived conflict of interest.  And though he did not want the responsibility which required a commitment of time and much energy, Mr. Best stepped into the Commissioner role with the intention of only serving for one year. This ensured that the league would continue that season. He coached other teams, helping to establish Friendship SDA, Washington, DC church team. He also coached the Breath of Life (BOL) team which is currently in the MAABA League. His last season coaching BOL was in 2005/2006. There are now approximately 60 teams in various divisions in this region that participate in this league.

Mr. Lorenza Best was my Dad. My two brothers and I played in the league and were on many championship teams with Him. His last championship was in 1990, coaching the Cougars, an independent team comprised of players from various SDA churches. It was the last championship with his sons. Most recently, my brother Gerald Best (player/coach) and I and played with the "Best Thunderbolts" ("T-Bolts"), winning the MAABA League Championship in 2017, keeping Our Dad's name (Best) alive. His grandson, Timothy II, won a championship in 2016.  His daughter also played. Yes, there was a short-lived women's division in the late 80's & early 90's! His great granddaughter and great grandson play today. He'd be really proud that the league is what it is today and continues to grow. My Dad perished in an automobile accident in December 2011. At his memorial service, former MAABA Commissioner, Mr. Leslie Bridges, represented the MAABA and eloquently recognized his efforts, accomplishments and energy throughout the years in the SDA church basketball league. For that, the Best family graciously and humbly thanks Mr. Bridges and the MAABA.

Basketball, a game many deemed too competitive, shunned especially within the Seventh-day Adventist Church and in Seventh-day Adventist Schools, is very much alive today. Thanks, Dad. Thanks, MAABA. May the league, prayerfully, continue to grow.

I am sharing this with great honor for a league that exists some 60 years later.

Family of Lorenza Best who have played or are presently playing in the MAABA League:

Lorenza Best, Jr. - Son
Timothy D. Best - Son
Gerald A. Best - Son
Tanya R. Best - Daughter (Women's Team)
Timothy D. Best II - Grandson
Timothy Best III - Great Grandson
Dazjah Best - Great Granddaughter

Timothy D. Best

Head Coach, Girls and Boys Basketball Teams Vienna Adventist Academy

Other past MAABA Commissioners:

• Larry Vaughan
• Alfred Mitchell Sr.
• Aaron Belcher
• Danny White