LA VISTA, Neb. (WOWT) – Max Preasha is a hooper at heart.
“I’ve been playing basketball since about three years old,” he told First Alert 6. “My dad really brought it to me first.”
“From an early age we knew that he was going to be a basketball player,” added Marcus Preasha, Max’s father.
He’ll turn 13 later this month and Max’s growth and passion have led to new opportunities beyond borders.
“Twelve years old is crazy for him to be able to experience this,” said Amanda Preasha, Max’s mother. “This is a lot of kids’ dream.”
After standing out at a USA basketball tournament in Kansas, Max earned an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“The coach came up to him and was like, ‘Hey, we really want you to come with us to Brazil and play,’” Marcus said. “It was a shock to us. I was like, ‘Oh man, that’s amazing.’”
“I feel like my defense in that game stood out to him and he just loved it — and my enthusiasm,” Max added. “Going out of the country, showing my talents to different coaches, it’s just very special to me.”
“It’s very surreal,” Amanda said. “It hasn’t even really set in. It’s really crazy. We didn’t ever think this would come about.”
Max has joined Andre White Sr.’s DaWhiteWay USA 12U/13U Global Team. He, alongside Evangelist Scott Lee, have taken other youth programs to Africa and Spain — playing basketball and also speaking to people in those countries about their religious values.
White Sr. and Lee wrote on social media that this saying “perfectly encapsulates” their work: “When God says His will will be done, trust and believe because it will.”
Max is part of a group that will play in the city of Blumenau, Brazil, part of the “Meeting Basketball” BRA x USA Sub-14 International Basketball Tournament between Brazil and the United States.
It’s a move that doesn’t surprise his club coach Andy Beck of AEF Academy, who also uses a strong religious base as the foundation of his core personal principles. It is those values that helped him found AEF, which stands for Attitude, Effort, Focus.
“He’s our vocal communicator, he’s our leader — and he’s our youngest player,” Beck said. “I think the opportunity to play against gritty kids that learn different skills and different mindsets that are not in America, I think it’s going to make him use his leadership skills that he’s developed with us at AEF.”
“The opportunity to go overseas and see different cultures and play against different types of players, I’m real big on that,” Marcus added.
But the value of this experience goes far beyond the court.
“This is my first time out of the country and something I’m looking forward to is just the experience,” Max said. “I’ve heard a lot about Brazil. It sounds like a really special place. I think it’s going to be really fun.”
“Max is a really humble kid, and so I know he’s going to just take in all of the opportunities,” Amanda added.
“He could make friends with a tree stump, literally, he’s just got that personality,” Beck said. “I think that his personality rubbing off onto other people in Brazil is going to be huge.”
Max will also have the chance to showcase what basketball in Nebraska is all about.
“I couldn’t think of anybody, honestly, that I’d want to represent America, AEF basketball, youth sports, then Max,” Beck said.
“Get out of the Nebraska bubble — Nebraska is a small piece of the entire world,” Marcus added. “That’s what I’m really hoping he gets out of it.”
The youth tournament runs Aug. 8-13 and Max’s fundraising efforts are being supported through a fiscal sponsorship with the Foundation for the Common Good, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Nebraska.
This partnership allows all contributions to be processed as tax-deductible donations under the Foundation’s nonprofit status. As such, 98% of every dollar goes directly toward Max’s journey, with just 2% used to cover necessary administrative costs.
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