Never on a Friday Religious Beliefs Prohibit Village Christian’s Brown From Playing on Sabbath

Cheerleaders nervously chew their fingernails and check make-up as the gym at Village Christian High fills on a Friday night.

In the locker room, players lace high-tops in silence, then stretch, pregame nerves rattling. Crusader Coach Mike Henzie outlines last-minute instructions as the team awaits the conclusion of the junior varsity game. And John Brown, Village Christian’s 6-foot-6 junior center, is praying.

But not in the locker room.

Brown is with his family.

In church. In La Crescenta, some 16 miles away.

Brown, who averages 23 points and 11 rebounds a game, is kneeling in church. The team’s dominant post player has no intention of playing basketball on this Friday night.

Or any Friday night, for that matter.

John Brown, on Friday nights, has a higher object of concentration than the one that hangs 10 feet above the floor at both ends of a basketball court. John Brown is more than a talented basketball player with hopes of playing in college: He is a Seventh-Day Adventist.

At a time when many teen-agers have ambiguous feelings about religion, John Brown is a 17-year-old walking, talking and dribbling anachronism.

“I was brought up to do what I thought was right,” he says, “and I really think it’s right that I keep this day holy for the Lord.”

“This day” spans from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. That is the Sabbath, a day that Adventists believe should be set aside to honor their God.

As Brown’s father, John, says: “We are reminded in the Ten Commandments that we are to keep that day holy for God . . . and we believe that the Ten Commandments are something that are eternal. And at the very heart of that is the Fourth Commandment, which says remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

“And to that end, we do not do any personal sports on that day, or anything like that.”

The Seventh-Day Adventist religion stems from a Christian evangelical movement that developed in the 19th Century as an outgrowth of a general spiritual awakening that swept the country. It was formally organized in Battle Creek, Mich., in 1863 and is distinguished by the observance of the Sabbath as a memorial of God’s creation and by faith in the imminent, personal return of Jesus.

Adventist membership exceeds 2 million, according to Encyclopedia Americana, and supports nearly 450 colleges and secondary schools and nearly 4,000 elementary schools.

But at nondenominational Village Christian in Sun Valley, the younger Brown’s religious views are greeted with curiosity. Those views drew increased interest when the rest of the student body learned that Brown can, put plainly, fill it up.

Brown is ranked seventh among Valley-area players in both rebounding (11.0) and scoring (23.1). But he can’t--and won’t--play basketball on Friday night. Village Christian plays six Alpha League games on Friday nights; the other six are scheduled as mid-week games.

It was a long shot, however, that Brown even made the team. On arrival at Village Christian, he was advised by wary administrators that sports may not be an option for someone who would not play on what is the most active high school sports night of the week.

But Brown has pushed through those fears. Now, it seems as if the team can barely get along without him. The Crusaders are 5-7 with Brown, 0-4 without him.

The players, of course, know it. But that doesn’t stop teammates from teasing him, which is about as serious as the fallout gets.

“Yeah, we tease him about it,” says point guard Matt Henzie, the coach’s son. “We’re at practice and we say, like, ‘We’re going to play great Friday night, right, John?’ And then we go, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s right.’ You know, put a little guilt on him.”

Mike Henzie is the man in the middle. He watches Brown in practice Monday through Thursday rain three-point shots, carve his way to the basket from the high post, and dribble coast-to-coast.

And then he watches Brown fit his lanky body into his mother’s car on Friday afternoons and drive off; the team’s leading scorer and rebounder heads home to worship. Still, Henzie greets the situation with respect and humor.

“Oh, sure, we’ve got a decent team,” he says with a smile, “ when we’re all there .”

The Crusaders have seven games left, and Brown was scheduled to play in three of them. However, he contracted chicken pox this week, causing him to miss one more mid-week game. That leaves only two games for Brown, unless the Crusaders advance to the playoffs.

But there’s always next season. And more Friday nights.

“A lot of the kids don’t quite understand (Brown’s religion) because it’s a different doctrine than most Christians really hold to,” Henzie says. “I don’t think they’re upset about it.”

The coach laughs. “I think they’d all like to see him change .”

There will, of course, be no changing, although the Browns recognize the dilemma. Their son loves basketball and it’s difficult to explain to a boy hooked on hoops why he has to exchange the hardwood for the stained glass.

John’s parents even remember when he suggested an amendment to the rule about the Sabbath. Couldn’t they cut the Sabbath short at noon on Saturday, he asked, so he could play in late afternoon games on the junior varsity?

“My father pointed out to me, showed me the Bible, took time with me, where it said that from sunset Friday night to sunset Saturday night was the Sabbath. And that really satisfied me for what I believe,” Brown says.

The situation evokes memories of Eric Liddell--the Scottish sprinter featured in the Academy-Award winning film “Chariots of Fire.” Liddell passed up a chance to win an Olympic medal at the Paris Games of 1924 because his race was scheduled for a Sunday, and as a devout Christian, he felt he should honor God on that day in lieu of seeking personal glory.

The situation is the same with the Brown family. Only John wishes that the games were on Sundays. Then he could play ball.

John would not have had to worry about playing competitive basketball had he stayed at Seventh-Day Adventist schools. But, for personal reasons, he transferred to Village Christian.

There, administrators told John that he still need not worry about competition, because he would never play a varsity sport.

“Because of my religion and Friday night, they said I’d never be able to play a lot of the games,” he remembers.

There are some things, of course, that you don’t tell teen-agers. If you tell a teen-ager that he or she cannot do something, consider it done.

“Them telling me that I’d never make it on a varsity sport was just them setting my goals,” he said. “They’re telling me that I can’t do this, so why not just go for it?”

After a brief stint with baseball in the eighth grade, the rapidly growing freshman tried out for the freshman basketball team. At season’s end, he was chosen most valuable player.

John’s father recalls with pride the suddenly different reaction his son drew from coaches.

“When John took off with the freshman team,” his father says, “the JV coach said, ‘Mmmmm, if I could have just had him on my team. If he’d have just played on Friday night.’ ”

At season’s end last year, he was chosen most valuable player of the junior varsity.

Soon, Henzie sought Brown for the varsity. Sure, he was going to miss some games, but the times he would be there, it was becoming apparent, he would be an asset.

Chalk one up for perseverance.

“I told him, ‘See? God will work with you,’ ” his father says. “You don’t have to give up your beliefs. Don’t let other people set your goals for you.”

Now, rival coaches are the ones who can’t believe it. They just hope they are fortunate enough to play Village Christian on a Friday night. Not that Brown is the entire team. But who would mind if the opposition had to replace its 6-6 center?

Montclair Prep Coach Howard Abrams was fortunate enough to catch Village Christian on a Friday night. His Mounties thumped the Crusaders, 87-40. But Abrams was aware of his good fortune. “We’re just hoping there’s not a solar eclipse that day,” he deadpanned before the game. “Or a sun storm.”

L. A. Baptist Coach Maury Neville wasn’t so fortunate. His team met Village Christian on a Tuesday night and lost, 45-44. He believes that Brown is good enough to play in college--but recognizes his limitations as well.

“He definitely can shoot,” Neville said. “He could play forward at a Division III-type school. But it’s gonna be tough if he can’t play Friday nights.”

Brown understands, knowing his chances of playing in college hinge upon a coach willing to accept the Sabbath rule.

“I’d love to play basketball at a college,” he says with a trace of awe. “That really sounds exciting.”

He knows there are obstacles. That’s nothing new. He has known obstacles--much more so than the average 17-year-old athlete. And, sure, there will be obstacles in the future. But for now, Brown can take heart in the fact that he has tackled his biggest goal.

“I just wanted to show them that I could play basketball,” he said.