Bruins Beyond the Court
Illustration by Breanna Newburn
Article by Lea Olivares Raudes
NEWBERG, Ore. – In the summer of 2025, George Fox University (GFU) basketball players took a service trip to the Dominican Republic. They immersed themselves in 104 degree heat and a culture new to most in order to build a basketball court as well as bond as a team.
Outside of Puerto Plata in a little town, 24 student athletes from both the men and women's teams created a basketball court.
Even on their breaks, the weight of hauling gravel was replaced by the weight of children on their backs, begging for piggyback rides. Days were filled with resilience and laughter that covered their exhaustion.
Athletic Director Adam Puckett observed a deeper meaning and significance to the trip than simply building a basketball court. In collaboration with Court for Kids, the basketball court would serve as a new form of connection to the local community in La Grua.
“Every three or four years we can do what’s called a foreign tour through athletics,” explained Men’s Head Coach Maco Hamilton. “The NCAA allows us to go overseas to play games but we wanted to do a service trip. It was kind of a perfect storm for us.”
The idea to combine both programs ultimately became one of the most impactful aspects of the trip. For Hamilton, the goal of the experience went beyond basketball.
“We wanted our kids to experience something that was a little bit different and to be stretched,” Hamilton said. “I think that helps them to grow in who they are as human beings.”
This challenge was not just the physical demands but a unique immersion into a different culture. Players were asked to step into a lifestyle that lacked many comforts they were used to.
“The cool thing about this trip is it stretched all of us,” Hamilton said. “We were in a community that was going to not have the same amenities and luxuries that we have here. It creates a unique appreciation for what we have.”
Court for Kids operates on partnership instead of charity. When in La Grua, that meant the local community prepared meals and housing. The team spent most of their time sleeping, living and eating at a school reshaped into housing. The athletes slept on air mattresses and relied on bucket showers.
“I think what’s unique about this trip…is how we are immersed when we’re there,” Hamilton said. “You are living the life of the local community members… and I think that’s a very humbling experience.”
“It just puts it in perspective,” added Women’s Head Coach Lauren Howard. “It’s easy to feel like you don’t have enough but this [trip] was an eye-opener.”
Each day began early with breakfast prepared by local families before long hours of labor under intense heat and humidity.
“We would go eat breakfast… and then we’d start working on the court from early morning until late afternoon,” Hamilton said. “It was strenuous work but we were working hard.”
Despite the conditions, the focus never shifted from connection within the teams and the overall community. “The most memorable part…was seeing both the men’s and women’s players and their connections,” Hamilton said.
Connections that began on the worksite expanded into evenings filled with games, reflection and relationships that would carry the teams through their seasons. Every person on that trip was impacted and teammates became more than just people on the same court.
“I feel like it made our team closer,” Howard said. “The bond that they built in the Dominican Republic was prevalent during the season.” Hamilton agreed, emphasizing how the impact carried on long after the trip ended.
Even though the trip was not formally coined as a mission, faith played a quiet but meaningful role. “Anything that was spiritually based was within our group, " Hamilton said. “We believe what we did—our service, how we showed up—reflected what a Christ-like mission looks like.”
“Serving the Lord and having a higher power is the meaning behind it,” Howard said. “Being able to revisit that…and show our student athletes is what matters.”
The team left behind a space to kindle memories in La Grua’s community for years to come. In turn, La Grua granted this to the players, who were able to recall memories and get younger players excited for future trips.
“It would be phenomenal for anyone… to be in a space like that,” Hamilton said. “You can see God’s presence in places you would never imagine.”
