On the first day of Revere’s 2002-2003 Youth League basketball program, DJ Bettinger exuded excitement. The memories of playing with his Little Tikes basketball hoop in his family’s kitchen for hours on end flooded into his joy for the sport that he loved. Eventually Bettinger came face to face with Dean Rahas, Revere basketball coach who had just taken over the Youth League that year. Rahas did not know at the time that the young athlete would eventually end up on a nationally recognized team.
Bettinger played on the Revere High School men’s basketball team as a point guard and eventually decided to attend Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU). This year, Bettinger and the IWU men’s basketball team worked hard enough to earn the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes Division II National Championship.
Jeff Clark, the basketball coach at IWU described the transition from the semi-final game of the championship to the final game of the championship and how the team prepared for the final match.
“The championship game was only 24 hours after we were victorious in the semi-final game, so we did not have a lot of time to prepare.  We immediately sent our players back to the hotel to get a good meal and to get off of our feet.  The coaching staff spent time organizing the scouting report for Midland, and then we had a team meeting to talk about the tendencies of our opponent and the game plan.  Before we presented this to the team, we had a time of prayer and worship where each player spent time praying for a teammate,” Clark said.
Clark explained the work the team put in to earn the national title.
“Our players work extremely hard year round.  We typically give them two weeks off after our season and then they are in the weight room and gym daily for the next 11 months. Our coaching staff was so proud to see our players celebrate the national championship knowing how much work they had put in to make it happen,” Clark said.
Bettinger talked about the teamwork that helped the team to earn the national title and the effect the team’s “I Am 3rd” motto had.
“Our team motto is to be ‘I am 3rd.’ We put God first, others second, and ourselves third. We try to have this philosophy play out on the court.  Our team is extremely tight knit. We grow together on the court and off. We challenge each other to grow spiritually and closer to Christ. We do a lot of things together as a team such as prison ministries and missions trips,” Bettinger said.
Clark added that the team demands players live the “I Am 3rd” lifestyle. Clark described what the team does to grow closer and as a whole.
Clark voiced that he found it amazing to see each player on the team play with an “I Am 3rd” mindset in the biggest game of their lives.  Clark said it was amazing to be a part of a group of players who were not overly concerned with their own statistics.
Bettinger talked about the skill level of the basketball players within the league in comparison to high school basketball.
“Everyone is much better. They are bigger, faster, stronger and more skilled. Everything must be done at a much higher level. Everyone in our league was the best or probably second best player on their high school team, so it is a collection of a lot of talent,” Bettinger said.
Bettinger added that to prepare for the skilled competition, he practices a lot of three-point shots and pull-up jumpers. He tries to get at least several hundred shots in every night. Sometimes, especially during the summer, he will try to get close to a thousand shots in.
Clark described his initial impression of Bettinger.
“DJ came in as a guard who could shoot the ball at an incredibly high level but needed to add some strength like almost all incoming freshmen do.  He also immediately fit into the culture of our program,” Clark said.
Bettinger voiced what he does to contribute to his college team.
“I strive to work hard every day and make the program better. We were all handed a heritage and we want to leave a legacy. On the court, it’s all about making your teammates better. I do that at IWU and I tried to do that at RHS. The mark of a good basketball player is how well he can make his teammates around him better,” Bettinger said
Rahas explained how he thinks Bettinger was a good fit for the IWU men’s basketball team.
“He’s a very skilled guard. He handles the ball well, he shoots it well, defends well, does everything well that you need a point guard to do, and he knows how to win. He makes the guys around him better,” Rahas said.
“One of the best bonding experiences our team has is when we go on missions trips.  Last August, we took a trip to Auckland, New Zealand.  It was a great opportunity for our players to get out of their comfort zones and share their faith in Jesus Christ.  They all came together in special ways while on this trip, and it showed throughout the season and national championship run,” Clark said.
Bettinger, on top of his basketball career, double majors in Finance and Business Administration at IWU. Additionally, Bettinger is on the leadership team for the basketball squad.
Bettinger functions as the Indiana Wesleyan University men’s basketball team’s point guard, and trains to sustain the position with many workouts such as 3-point shooting. Indiana Wesleyan University beat Reinhardt University, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Friends University, Southeastern University and Midland University to win the National Championship. The team finished the season with a record of 31 wins and 6 losses.