Jake Sullivan Heads Home
After 18 years in Iowa, Jake Sullivan — a Minnesota native — is going home.
Sullivan, who played at Iowa State from 2000-2004, and started Kingdom Hoops in 2009, has accepted a full-time position in Minnesota as the head family and youth pastor with Acts 2 Collective, and will be leaving his post as executive director and primary leader of Kingdom Hoops.
He spoke in front of a crowd of Kingdom Hoops families and supporters Monday night at their facilities in Des Moines, and addressed the matter again Tuesday morning with a Facebook Live stream.
Sullivan says former Des Moines Christian coach, Todd Miller, will assume the primary leadership role with Kingdom Hoops.
“I have a peace, and in that peace it is time to turn this organization over the new leadership, fresh ideas and continued clarity over the vision over this organization,” Sullivan said.
“Kingdom Hoops is not going anywhere, I believe we will be stronger than we ever were before.”
Vance Mosley will continue to lead the 4th-11th grade boys program. Sullivan says he’ll continue to be involved with the organization through a board position to be determined, as well as “constantly being available for any need of the organization.”
“The exact time-frame of my transition out will most likely occur over the next six weeks,” Sullivan said. “Prior to the spring/summer portion of the season beginning.”
Over the years, Sullivan has grown the Des Moines-based program to be not only one of the more competitive grassroots organizations in Iowa and the Midwest, but one of the most diverse.
That’s something the Oakdale, MN native says he’s most proud of.
“Without any scientific statistics, it is my belief that we are the most diverse youth organization in the state of Iowa,” Sullivan said. “And walls of racial tension and ignorance have been broken down in this place.
Since we started Prep Hoops Iowa in 2014, Kingdom Hoops has produced top talents such as Jal Bijiek, Drew Maschoff, Douglas Wilson, Keaton Van Soelen, Quinton Curry, Jaylan White and many others.
Sullivan maintained that it’ll be tough to leave it all behind
“Please know that I love you guys like crazy, I’ve been asked to do many hard things in my life since finding the Lord in 2003, but this goodbye over the next few weeks, is without question, the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Sullivan said.
“It really feels like I’m leaving part of my family to go on next to what the Lord is calling me to do.”