Rising Stars: Meet Michael Loney

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Loney.

Hi Michael, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in a small town in northeast Iowa. From an early age, God gave me the desire to share His message, and see people have their lives changed by Him. Additionally, I have always loved basketball.

Growing up, I spent most of my free time in the gym. My love for basketball took me to walk on to the South Dakota State basketball team as a freshman in college. I eventually earned a scholarship and spent my collegiate career competing for SDSU. During my time in college, my desire to devote my life to ministry grew, as did my desire to integrate basketball into that dream.

I moved to Kansas City in 2010 and taught and coached for 8 years, at both Kansas City Christian School and Eisenhower Middle School in Kansas City, Kan. It was at that time teaching that my dream began taking shape.

In the spring of 2014, Kevin Cacy of Freedom Fire Urban Ministries and I ran Saturday morning Bible study and pickup basketball at a local community center. There were high and low moments, but I loved it all. Six middle-school-aged boys kept showing up week after week, hungry for relationships and for something to be a part of that was bigger than themselves.

In 2015 these boys approached me about forming a basketball team. In the summer of 2015, we competed in several tournaments. Each year we have added more teams and different aspects to the ministry such as job shadows, service projects, ACT prep, operating fireworks stand, attending summer camp, and pairing youth with adult mentors. I wanted to find ways to impact these young men as whole people, not just as athletes.

In 2018 I left teaching to dedicate my full-time efforts to see young men transformed by the gospel of Jesus. As our numbers continued to grow, we needed help so in May 2019, we hired our second full-time staff member giving us more focus on discipleship. In 2020 we spent significant time on Mission, Vision, and Operational Values and refocusing on our purpose of discipleship. In 2014 we informally saw six kids per week and in early 2020 it grew to 60 kids each week.

There are so many things I love about what I do: seeing young men compete on the basketball court, sharing meals with them and listening to them share their stories, watching youth and adults learn from and encourage each other, seeing older kids invest in younger kids, listening to the questions our youth have about God, opening the Bible and studying God’s Word with them, training volunteers to be mentors, I could go on. I’m so thankful to do what I do.

We continue to cultivate disciples…on the court and 1-on-1 with many young kids and families. God continues to bring more and more young men and families to minister as we play basketball on the courts in Kansas City. I get to do what I’m passionate about on a daily basis, and I’m so grateful to God that He weaved all of the events of my life to bring me to where I am today.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Working with youth in the inner city brings a unique set of challenges. The inner city can be a very transient community. Many kids that our ministry has invested in have moved out of the city, sometimes abruptly. Our desire is to walk with youth over the course of several years, but that can’t always be a reality.

Sometimes something as simple as transportation can be a major barrier to a youth being involved in our programs. We also deal with losing youth to other competitive basketball teams in the city. We struggle to find leaders who are willing and able to disciple our young men. Our desire is to pair mentors and youth 1-on-1 but that is not always possible.

And anytime you are involved in working with people, you’re going to face your fair share of heartbreak.

I have fielded phone calls and written letters to young men behind bars, some of who are coming to terms with decade-long sentences. I have attended funerals for youth who have lost their parents. I walked through a school parking lot just minutes before gunfire broke out. And I have grieved with one of our teams as we lost one of our own to gun violence.

Despite all of that, we see lives being changed and an impact is made. So we keep going.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the founder of Freedom Hoops, a registered 501(c)(3) in Kansas City, Mo. We serve youth in the inner city of Kansas City and specialize in providing basketball programming and mentorship for boys in middle and high school.

I’m most proud that God continues to humble me. He shows me that despite my efforts, my zeal, and my sacrifice that this is ultimately His ministry. He will provide exactly what is needed. He will get the glory.

He continues to amaze me, and I’m in awe of how God continues to change lives through Freedom Hoops.

What sets us apart from other basketball programs is our emphasis on mentorship and caring for the whole person. We know that one day the ball will stop bouncing for each youth, and they need to be prepared for life after basketball.

What does success mean to you?
Courageous Disciples of Jesus who are… Mentally Wise: to articulate the gospel, have a relationship with God, and regularly respects boundaries.

Emotionally Equipped: to be self-aware, ask God to meet them with their emotions, listen, and practice empathy.

Spiritually Mature: to participate in the life of a church, share their salvation story, and read the Bible and apply it to their life.

Vocationally Confident: to courageously pursue their God-given calling in a career.

Contact Info:

• Website: freedomhoops.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedom.hoops/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedomhoops
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR17CDLfzsRqc4924Z71EQQ

Image Credits
Renee Saulsbury, Eric Frizzell, and Rylie Swain