Sports & Spirituality with Logan Lee

When it came to opening up about his faith and the journey his life has taken him on, Logan Lee was an absolute joy to sit and talk with. The former Texas A&M University basketball star turned collegiate coach currently works at TexAgs as the Director of Sales & Events. I sat down with him to talk about everything from realizing his love for basketball to his love for the Lord.

His love for basketball happened at a young age. Logan’s father was a college basketball player and showed him everything there was to know about the sport. “He never really forced me into doing anything. I actually never touched a basketball, until I was in the third or fourth grade. Once I did, he was all in. He coached me and told me everything I needed to learn and do. I fell in love with it,” Logan said.

Logan went on to play basketball at South Plains College in west Texas for a year before transferring to the University of Hawaii were he played for another season. “It was a little far from home, and there wasn’t a lot of communication with anyone back on the main land […] I saw my family once that year and they were there for four days.”

Knowing he wanted his future career path to include coaching, he knew his networking skills would require an oceanic move back to the mainland. That was when Billy Gillispie, former Texas A&M head basketball coach, offered him a spot on the team. “My dad used to play with Harry Miller, who was the head basketball coach at Baylor, and Coach Gillispie was the assistant basketball coach at Baylor. So, I used to go to a lot of Baylor basketball camps and hang out with coaches. It just came full circle that Coach Gillispie got the coaching job at Texas A&M, and I was looking for a place to transfer back into the state of Texas. It was a perfect fit,” he said.

Logan began his Texas A&M career as a junior in 2004 playing point guard where he backed up former and current NBA players Acie Law and Donald Sloan. “It was a great time. A lot of people ask, ‘How could you leave Hawaii to come to College Station?’ As it happens, one, because I wanted to be closer to home. Family is a big deal […] and then also, Texas A&M set me up for my future. It gave me something to look forward to that might be outside of basketball. It opened a lot of doors, and I’m glad I made that decision,” Logan said.

While his college and future plans were looking prosperous, Logan noticed a shift in his dynamic with God. “From day one for 18 years living with my family in San Antonio, it was church on Sunday, functions on Wednesday, and praying before meals and bed. That was something that was driven home in me, and I have my parents to thank for that. The first time I left [home], I lost all that. I got out of the habit. I was in a different town and didn’t know any of the churches or any of the faith-based parts of the community, and I really didn’t know where to look,” he said.

The unfamiliarity of three new towns in three years combined with classes and a rigorous practice schedule made time spent with God few and far between. “Sometimes we were practicing on Sunday, and I felt like I needed to sleep in to save energy. I lost my way and lost my faith. I always knew I could pray and lean on God, but I didn’t show it in any manner. I didn’t really practice it.”

A devastating blow came during his first eligible year at Texas A&M, when Logan unfortunately tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus in his right knee. It was the first time in his college career he had ever asked God, ‘Why me?’ Within the span of two months, he had back and knee surgery. The rehab was extremely difficult, and it put a strain on his faith.

“I didn’t really know how to rehab. My initial questions were, ‘Why me?’; ‘What did I do?’; ‘Why now?’ Looking back now, I never really got an answer to that question until four or five years later. I realized had I not gotten injured I may have played better basketball, my career path would have gone in a different direction, and I may have been furthered in basketball. I realized now that wasn’t the lifestyle for me. I wanted to get married, plant roots in a community, and have a family. Had that injury not happened, I probably would have been on a completely different career path,” Logan said.

A change occurred not long after his move to College Station. In a town where expressing one’s faith and honoring God openly is not uncommon, Logan found comfort. He and his now wife — who at the time had just begun to date — joined a church and began attending regularly. Together, Logan and Katy — who was also playing basketball for Texas A&M on the women’s team — built spiritual habits together that have lasted ever since.

“We started going to church every week. It didn’t matter if practice was hard or hectic the day before, we still made time for it. I was able to find the Lord again. From then on, I’ve had God first in my life and nothing comes before Him. I can thank my wife right now, because she was the one who really wanted to get the ball rolling again, and I’m glad she did.”

Logan and his wife still attend church regularly and thanks to 21st century technology even occasionally catch sermons via podcast. “It puts an anchor on my life. It never gets too hectic. God has a path for everybody, and He shines a light in the direction we need to go. You just have to have faith, and you have to trust in it. There may be some really hard times when you just want to give up and lie down and not fight anymore, but I think faith and trust in the belief that God will lead you to what He wants in the end is what keeps you going.”

article by Danielle Bishop