|
Spenser Bland says that one of the best decisions of his life was to attend Heritage Christian Academy.
Spenser had attended public schools through 8th-grade, but desired Christian education and a smaller learning environment. He says that HCA “gave me the opportunity to flourish and be comfortable with who I was and where I was going.”
It worked out great for Spenser: he graduated in 2014 with plans to PLAY basketball in college and later to COACH basketball. Reconstructive ankle surgery cut short his playing career, however, but accelerated his coaching aspirations. He earned his BA in Media Communications in three years at Bethel U, while picking up coaching experience at metro area high schools (Blaine, Totino Grace) and in AAU (D1 MN, where he coached a nationally-ranked Boys’ team). Of the boys he coached, 20 have played or are playing Division 1 basketball and THREE are in the NBA.
Spenser proceeded to MN State Moorhead. There, he coached the Men’s basketball team for three years, first as a graduate assistant, then as a full-time assistant, as he completed his Master’s degree in one year (Educational Leadership). And, this past summer, Spenser was appointed as the top Assistant Coach at University of Sioux Falls, a DII school in SD. It’s been a meteoric rise for a guy 24 years of age, but Spenser attributes it to “God putting really good people around me to help guide me and take me under their wings.”
In fact, Spenser says that the biggest way he’s seen God’s faithfulness to him is actually “the faithfulness of the community He provides around me. From my family to friends to mentors and coaches in my work and my faith, there are so many people who’ve positively impacted me.”
The best memories of HCA for Spenser are the friends AND teachers in the Heritage community. “I created life-long friendships with people I still talk to every day of my life. Most of my ‘stories,’ though, probably involve Joel Virshek in some capacity.” They are still best of friends.
Spenser’s life-goal is to continue the coaching journey to which he feels God has called him. “I love basketball, but every sport is also a medium to relate with others and have the ability to positively influence a group of people. My biggest mission is to continue to do it for God’s glory and not my own, as well as to make my family and friends proud of me.”
The latest development: Shannon Schlee has agreed to become Spenser’s wife! She grew up in Big Lake, they met at Moorhead, and he popped the question on Sep. 17th.
| 
