Basketball Superstar Prays: ‘God Give Me Courage’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Three years and two schools later, Badgers basketball star John Tonje is about to make his second NCAA Tournament appearance, and he relied on God to get him there.
Tonje began his college career at Colorado State; he would soon transfer to Missouri and before finally landing in Wisconsin.
His status as an All-American candidate for Wisconsin sees him in a much different place than when he last appeared in the NCAA tournament as a junior part-time starter for Colorado State, Sports Spectrum said.
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Wisconsin seems to be the best fit for the athlete. During just his fifth game a Badger, he earned a career high of 41 points.
After the game, Tonje told NCAA reporter Andy Katz that his faith in God that helped him.
“It’s hard to put into words. I just prayed before this game for God to give me courage, and I guess He did that and more,” he said. “And I was looking up at [Kaminsky] as the game was going on and I’m like, ‘Ah nah, he came all the way out here, we appreciate him being in the building, so we’re going to leave it at that and let him keep that record.’”
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Tonje uses his social media platform to express his faith in Christ.
After that legendary performance, he posted, “Stories get good when God is the author.” He wrote, “Jesus is King” in another post.
Tonje’s All-American status and NCAA Tournament berth is something he is grateful for but also something he is still trying to grasp.
“Sometimes it’s hard to believe,” he told the media during the Big Ten Tournament. “Last night, I was reading an article about being All-American, which, I mean, doesn’t even look right. But, with work and my belief in God, I think anything’s possible.”
He’s grateful he found a school that “wants” him.
“Just being at a place that wants me,” the basketball player said. “Just being at a place that you see yourself fit, and you know, from Day 1, they really embraced me and just showed me that I can thrive here and keep growing and keep getting better.
“It’s just a steady progression throughout the year. I wanted to keep improving,” he added. “And, teams have really tried to adjust to me throughout the year, and I’ve had to kind of play a little bit of a chess match throughout the year, and I’ve got great coaches on my side to help me do that.”
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