Alumni Perspective - BJ Moon '09

With this past weekend's celebration of our great nation, it only seems appropriate to spotlight a well-deserving Trinity Basketball alum, BJ Moon. When asked "how he was doing" and "what Trinity meant to him", BJ responded from a very uncommon location. We are extremely proud to call BJ a part of our Trinity Basketball Family and look forward to seeing him back in San Antonio in the future. BJ - it is US who should be thanking YOU!



Attending Trinity University was a last minute decision that I made a few months prior to school starting. I was worn out and after dealing with a hostile basketball environment in high school, I thought my basketball career was over. Luckily I decided to give it one last chance, and from 2005-2009 I was given the opportunity to become a student athlete at Trinity University and it would forever change my life. From day one Coach Cunningham helped create a great team environment that built on the idea of trust and respect between one another. He was a coach of few words, but he knew how to lead by example and he brought the best out of all of us. The assistant coaches were extensions of Coach Cunningham and they always pushed us to look for ways to improve ourselves. We were all from different parts of the country and there were distinct differences in personalities, but over time we had created a bond and team chemistry stronger than any other team I’d been a part of. I knew that if I ever needed these guys whether it was on or off the court that they would be there in a heartbeat. Although we did not realize it at the time, the coaching staff as well as Trinity University helped instill values including loyalty and integrity that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.

After graduating from Trinity University with a BA in Marketing in 2009, I accepted a job at USAA doing Insurance. It wasn’t my first choice of jobs, but I needed to gain experience and USAA has a great reputation for doing what is right for the military community. As time passed, there was something missing now that I was no longer part of the basketball team. I realized that I had a need to accomplish something bigger in my life and what better way to do it than to serve my country. In 2011 I decided to join the Army Reserves and after 6 months of training I was commissioned as a 2LT. There is a unique bond that is built between each member within the military community due to the trials and tribulations we go through and the core values that are instilled in us. The values and drive to achieve success I had learned from my days at Trinity made the transition into military life much easier. I am currently serving as an Intelligence Analyst in Afghanistan in support of the special operations community. It has been an amazing experience thus far being able to see firsthand the dedication and heroism these soldiers put forth on a daily basis. Becoming part of the military community was not an easy task, but thanks to all of the support and motivation from my family, friends, and coaching staff at Trinity University, I have been able to achieve my goals and I will continue to improve myself as a person. I am extremely happy with my decision to attend Trinity University and I would not be where I am today without the guidance I received in my days as a student athlete. Thank you for everything!


BJ Moon '09

July Recruiting Period

This July recruiting period should prove to be a very busy one for the Trinity Basketball Coaching Staff. With the open recruiting periods for Division I schools spreading out this upcoming month, a vast majority of the nation's high school talent will be playing in various events all across the country. Be on the lookout for Trinity Basketball at the following events:

June 30-July 1 - Hoop Mountain Elite Student Athlete Prospect Camp (San Diego, CA)
July 10-12 - Hoop Mountain All Academic Showcase (Boston, MA)
July 12-14 - NW Premier Summer Showcase (Seattle, WA)
July 12-14 - Adidas Invitational (Indianapolis, IN)
July 17 - Textbook Academic Academic Showcase (Dallas, TX)
July 18-21 - Great American Shoot Out (Dallas, TX)
July 24-27 - Adidas Super 64, Las Vegas Fab 48, and Bigfoot Hoops Classic (Las Vegas, NV)

If you see any of our coaches at these events, be sure to say hi!

Sportsmanship

This is an overdue "congratulations", but a very necessary one. Congrats to, now alum, John Boxberger '13 on being selected to the 2012-13 SCAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

While the All-Sportsmanship Team is a fairly recent recognition from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, it stands for everything that is right with Division III. The SCAC is filled with student-athletes that strive to succeed in the classroom and in the sport of their choice. Our last post was a great example of how dedicated our student-athletes are to "getting it done" in the classroom. The All-Sportsmanship Team provides recognition to those who COMPETE in athletics "the right way". SCAC student-athletes are competitive. The drive to win for their school is just as strong as any other level and they have dedicated their lives to bettering themselves as athletes to be able to enjoy success in a sport they love. They compete hard, but they respect the game and each other. It is always amazing to see how well our student-athletes interact with one another. Sure, they want to do everything they can to earn the victory - it is a battle on the court, but once the game is over, win or lose, the level of respect and sportsmanship displayed is inspiring.

John Boxberger was the perfect selection for the All-Sportsmanship Team. Few showed as much emotion for their team than Box. Whether he was in the game or on the bench, Box's energy was always felt. Gifted with a powerful voice (which we all experienced first-hand in Italy), it was hard not to hear him from anywhere in the gym. His vocal encouragement helped carry us through many strenuous situations this past season. It is hard to say anyone wanted to win more than Box. Even with that drive and competitive spirit, there was never an instance where Box represented Trinity University in a poor manner. We were fortunate to have such an example of what it means to be a student-athlete.

Academic Standard

Winning back-to-back Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships is a tremendous accomplishment, but what is even more extraordinary is being able to succeed on the court WHILE maintaining the highest academic success in the conference. Yesterday, the SCAC announced the Spring 2013 Student-Athlete Academic Honor Roll, which acknowledges student-athletes that achieve a 3.25 or higher semester GPA. This year, Trinity Basketball placed 11 student-athletes on this list (the most for a men's basketball team), while holding an overall team GPA of 3.22 (far above the average male student's GPA at Trinity). We would like to congratulate, AND THANK, the following student-athletes for their dedication to succeeding at the highest level, both on and off the court -

John Boxberger
Jimmy Clark
Jacob Cukjati
Matt Holmes
Robert Kitzinger
John LaVanway
Zach Lambert
Craig Saltarelli
Matt Selling
Joe Shotland
Jonathan Wilt

As a whole, our Athletic Department simply out-performed the rest of the conference, with 141 student-athletes making the honor roll - 32 more than the second highest total. This is a testament to the type of student-athletes we attract here at Trinity. These are highly motivated individuals that are here not just to compete on the court/field, but more importantly, to earn a premier education. If anyone says that college athletics has lost its meaning, we would love to invite them down to San Antonio to experience what it means to be a true student-athlete.

Alumni Day 2013

This past Saturday, January 19, we had a great turnout for the annual Trinity Basketball Alumni Day. With events taking place all day, our alums and family were able to reconnect with one another and catch up on old times.

The first event of the day was the Alumni Game, which matched up the young alums (5 years and under) against the old alums (5+ years). It proved to be a very exciting game, with the "fresh" legs of the young alums coming out victorious by 2 points! Our current Tigers stuck around to watch the old guys in action and some even helped officiate and run the scoreboard. An important aspect of Alumni Day is for our current players to interact with alumni and gain a sense of the Trinity Basketball Family they will always be a part of. This year was particularly special as a majority of the parents from the 2008-09 team also returned to campus. What a special group of friends and family!

After the Alumni Game, we hosted our second annual Alumni Happy Hour at Bombay Bicycle Club. This was an opportunity for all alums and families to catch up over drinks and hors d'oeuvres. A special thanks goes out to Bill, for having the group!

To finish the day, the alums and family headed back over to Sam's Gymnasium to watch our Tigers host SCAC rival Southwestern University. As players, the guys never got to experience the joys of being a "heckling fan", therefore it always seems that when our alumni return to campus, they become the most boisterous! It is always great fun to see the guys in the stands, supporting our guys to victory. (please note the matching fan-attire)

We would like to thank all of the alumni and family that came back to San Antonio. We understand all of your busy schedules and appreciate the time you take to continue to be a part of the Trinity Basketball Family.

Click here to see some pictures from Alumni Day 2013.