Aug. 9, 2007

AMHERST, Mass. - Tim Maloney, UMass' associate head coach in men's basketball, will serve as the head coach of the Christian organization Athletes in Action on their tour of Germany. Maloney, who is in his third year at UMass, will coach 10 Division I players against German professional teams on the tour.

Maloney will serve as head coach and Jason Hawkins of Valparaiso will assist. Players will include Trent Meachman and Richard Semrau (Illinois), Tweety Carter (Baylor), Stuart Creason (Colorado State), Chris Kramer (Purdue), Alex McLean (Liberty), Brandon McPherson (Valparaiso), Mitch Platt (Oregon), Anthony Smith (Liberty) and Dwight Thorne II (Colorado).

Previous to departure, the team will undergo a three-day training camp Aug. 8-11 at Valparaiso University before departing Aug. 13 to Berlin, Germany. The AIA team will then play six games before returning Aug. 19.

As with all AIA teams, the goal of this team is the same: to use sports and well-trained athletes as a platform to share one's faith. While other teams spend half-time talking game strategy, AIA teams spend half-time on the court as one team member shares with fans what God has meant in his or her life.

Coach Travis Ford has seen the combination of faith and sport in Maloney. "Tim Maloney is an extraordinary person," he said. "I'm very lucky and fortunate to be able to work side by side with him every day. He is full of knowledge and vast experiences that I learn from every day. Tim is a man of great faith and modesty. He is blessed with a great sense of humor and thrives to live each day to the fullest by putting God and family first."

This summer Athletes in Action is celebrating its 40th year as a Christian Sports Organization. As of 2007, AIA is active in 75 countries, on nearly 125 U.S. college campuses, and with 35 U.S. professional sports teams. To learn more about Athletes In Action, visit aia.com.