Over a year ago the phone rang in the Saints office. A former missionary-athlete was interested in starting something similar where he now lives. After a lengthy conversation, the determination was made to launch a new Saints team rather than try to start something from scratch.
God moved in men’s hearts to build a team and, on January 10, 2026, the Saints Prison Ministry’s AZ basketball team played the first game of their 2026 Inaugural season at the federal prison in Phoenix. 150 men came out to witness this new team play against the prison’s varsity squad. The game was a spirited contest but the Saints team prevailed. More importantly, at the halftime Gospel presentation, 12 men made the decision to claim Jesus Christ as their Savior!
The 2026 season still has three more games remaining: two at the federal complex in Tucson in February and a return visit to Florence West with the “official” team in March. Please continue to pray for this new team, even as you are lifting up the existing teams during their seasons.
