Herzog Foundation Releases Documentary Featuring Sunrise Christian Basketball Team

Smithville, MO (March 30, 2022) – The Herzog Foundation released a new documentary spotlighting Sunrise Christian Academy and its highly successful basketball program. Sunrise Christian Academy was founded in Bel Aire, Kansas in 1983 with only one teacher and six students. Today, the school is home to over 500 students and the number one high school basketball team in the country. 

“Too often, parents and students think they have to choose between a Christian education and extracurricular programs, but that’s simply not the case,” said Herzog Foundation Chairman Todd Graves. “Sunrise Christian Academy proves that students can receive a quality Christian education and participate in great extracurricular programs simultaneously.” 

Sunrise has produced over 100 NCAA division one men’s basketball players in recent years, including current NBA star Buddy Hield. This year alone, the school’s basketball team includes Gatorade National Player of the Year and McDonald’s All American, Grady Dick, who is heading to the University of Kansas in the fall. Another McDonald’s All American, Mark Mitchell is heading to Duke University. They’re joined by two more ESPN top 100 players, Baylor signee Dillon Hunter and Florida State signee Cameron Corhen. 

While the basketball program attracted them to play for Sunrise, Grady Dick and Dillon Hunter both speak of the positive impact their Christian education has had on them personally.

“Just the fact that we get to learn about Christ and read the Bible and study different topics within the Bible every single day – we start early and then every Wednesday we have chapel also,” Dick said. “It’s like they’re feeding us like every day.”

Hunter compared his experience at Sunrise to other schools he attended. “It’s built my faith a lot. My old school, we never really got into it,” he said. “So it’s actually helped build my faith. So being here actually made me become a better person.”

On Thursday, March 31, Sunrise Christian Academy’s basketball team returns to the Geico Nationals, the premier invitation tournament for elite high school programs. Last year’s number two seed, they lost in the championship game. They also lost most of their players to graduation. This year, they will enter the tournament as the number one seed. The Lion, an online publication by the Herzog Foundation, will provide updates on the tournament and Sunrise Christian Academy’s bid for a national title.

Watch the Herzog Foundation’s documentary on Sunrise Christian Academy below. 

About the Stanley M. Herzog Charitable Foundation  

The Stanley M. Herzog Charitable Foundation is a charitable foundation dedicated to catalyzing and accelerating the development of quality Christ-centered K-12 education so that families and culture flourish.  

Learn more at HerzogFoundation.com 

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