Last month, Wright State women’s basketball seniors Abby Jump and Breanna Stucke joined the Athletes in Action team on a tour of Germany. Athletes in Action is a Christian-run sports organization based in Xenia.
On the tour, they made stops through Germany and the Czech Republic playing against teams from each nation. While there they got to know players from each team and invited them to join their Bible studies. They were also able to connect with the other players and teach them things both on and off of the court.
Jump, a native of Union, Ky., got involved with the organization during her freshman year at WSU.
“I started going to a Bible study with one of the coaches then joined the team.”
Jump later introduced Stucke, a native of Tipp City, who joined Athletes in Action as well.
Although they were able to teach the players from Germany a lot about basketball, they also learned a lot. For Jump, it was a lesson in dealing with adversity.
“It was a huge culture shock for me,” said Jump.“When we first got there they did not want anything to do with us, but by the time we left they were begging us to stay,” Jump said.
Stucke said she was able to gain a lot from the experience.
“The biggest thing I learned is stay focused on why your playing and what you do it for,” Stucke said.
The trip seemed to be a success for the both of them on and off the court. They are hoping to keep the momentum going and have a successful senior year with the Raiders. They are coming off of a record season in which they finished 26-9 and captured the Horizon League title.
They both discussed the high expectations for this year and how much the bar has been raised after last season.
“We’re coming off of a great year, but there is a lot of work to be done,” Jump said.
