KANSAS CITY, Mo—The Spurgeon Knights men’s basketball team secured their first regional championship victory on February 28, earning the Spurgeon College team a spot in the NCCAA DII National Championship Tournament for the second consecutive season.
The regional championship victory came against Kansas Christian College with a final score of 90-81.
“I want to say a hearty congratulations to our Spurgeon Knights Men’s basketball team as they won our first ever regional championship,” said President Jason Allen. “I could not be more proud of our coach and team for the incredible season they have had. To go from starting our program just a few years ago to already winning the regional championship is quite a feat. We are looking forward to rooting on our guys at the national tournament next week.”
The Knights’ upcoming national tournament appearance will mark the second by a Spurgeon College team in the 2024–25 year and the third national tournament appearance overall since Spurgeon College launched its athletics program in 2019. The men’s basketball team made the school’s first national tournament appearance in the historic 2023–24 season, placing third.
Matt Risher, director of athletics at Spurgeon College, reflected on Friday’s regional championship win, saying, “We are beginning to reach the potential of what our athletic program can be. When I became the director of athletics in 2020, I set the vision that we would produce top-level teams in the NCCAA while maintaining a faithful Christian testimony. The win Friday night to capture our first regional tournament championship is the beginning of what we hope will be many more to come.”
Sharing Spurgeon College’s vision to develop Kingdom-minded student-athletes who excel on the court and in discipleship, he went on to say, “We work hard, we discipline our bodies, and we compete with a higher purpose in mind. The men’s basketball program is a great picture of that.”
He expressed his gratitude for men’s basketball head coach Billy Livezey in bringing this vision to fruition. “Since day one, Coach Livezey has sought to build a program that honors our Savior,” Risher said.
He continued, “Coach Livezey has created something special in our basketball program. We have back-to-back national tournament appearances. We have once again led the NCCAA in points per game. We play a fun and exciting brand of basketball. Most importantly, we have great young men. Coach Livezey recruits young men of God and disciples them, growing them in their walk and passion for the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Knights played an impressive 2024–25 season, becoming the nation’s highest-scoring team and earning the top position in the power rankings for the second consecutive season. Friday’s win extended the Knights’ historic winning streak to 13 games.
Livezey shared how the players’ Kingdom-mindset has contributed to making the 2024–25 season special, saying, “There are a lot of God-honoring teams and a lot of winning teams out there, but there are not a lot of teams that are doing both. And these men have done that. They love Jesus, they compete hard, and they give Him all the glory in the ups and downs.”
Celebrating the accomplishments of his players, Livezey noted, “Captain Drew Middleton scored his 1,000th point this season while earning 1st Team All-Region. Joseph Allen earned 1st Team All-Region as well, while Jack Chamberlin earned 2nd Team All-Region this year. We have had eight different guys averaging above 10 points per game at different parts of this season.”
Livezey shared what Friday’s historic win meant to the team. “We were all just so thankful in the moment for all God has done through this program. We spontaneously started singing ‘10,000 Reasons’ in the locker room after the game.”
Reflecting on the upcoming tournament, Livezey shared, “We look forward to competing again in back-to-back years and pursuing a national championship this time. The guys have set their goals high this season, and I am excited to see them continue to work for it these last couple of weeks.”
Livezey also commended the Spurgeon College campus community for their support, recalling the 2024 national tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where many students, faculty, and staff traveled to cheer on the Knights.
He added, “Be praying this year that God is glorified through this wonderful game and that we honor Christ in all our ways as we compete for another championship run.”
The 2025 NCCAA DII National Championship will be held on March 13–15 at Crown College in Minneapolis.
