The Holy Hoopster

The Odyssey Owls are down by one with seconds to go, and Ryan Cummings prays, shoots... and sinks the winning basket. When he thanks Jesus on the air, reporter Jay Smouse dubs him the "Holy Hoopster," and suddenly the whole town thinks Ryan's prayers come with guaranteed points. Camilla starts praying for her own shots, fans crowd in, and team captain Brad grumbles that all the fuss is wrecking the team. Then Ryan misses the big shot, the Owls start losing, and Jay demands to know why God quit answering. Ryan sticks to what he believes - prayer is knowing Jesus, not a trick for winning games - and his quiet kindness to a chicken-pox-stricken Camilla wins Brad back to his side. The Owls drop the season finale on a half-court heave, but Ryan walks off the court with something better than a trophy.

Found on The Grand Design Album 56 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

1 of 2 0715 The Perfect Church A boy disillusioned with his squabbling modern church travels back to the early days of Christianity, expecting to find a perfectly united congregation.

2 of 2 0716 The Perfect Church When the Imagination Station drops Matthew into the persecuted early church, he discovers that the "perfect" first Christians were anything but - and that their struggles might hold the answer to his own doubts about church.

0717 Great Expectations When a grueling school project makes Emily question her lifelong dream of becoming a judge, Whit takes her on an Imagination Station journey through the dreams - kept, changed, and abandoned - of his own life.

0718 For Three Dollars More When Barrett grumbles about putting three dollars in the offering plate, the Room of Consequence gets three very different chances to show him what his choice could really cost.

0719 The Bible Network On Kids' Radio, Connie tunes in to the Bible Network, where game shows, detective cases, and a boot camp put Scripture to the test as the ultimate source of truth.

0720 Happy Hunting Determined to engineer her own happiness, Penny throws herself into every self-help trick she can find - with painfully mixed results.

0721 The Holy Hoopster When a young basketball player's quiet courtside prayer turns him into a media sensation, he must navigate fame, team friction, and hard questions about what prayer is really for.

0722 The Lost Riddle A stuck locker yields a decades-old puzzle of riddles, hidden ink, and coded messages that leads two kids on a hunt to deliver a message meant for someone else long ago.

0723 Groundhog Jay When Jay tricks his way into a Room of Consequence program meant for someone else, he finds himself trapped reliving the same birthday party until he can figure out what the simulation is trying to teach him.

1 of 2 0724 Home Again Jason returns to Odyssey seeking secret solitude, but a well-meaning secret-keeper, a jewelry scam warning, and Eugene's uncanny resemblance to a wanted thief set everyone on a collision course.

2 of 2 0725 Home Again While Jason wrestles with an unexpected struggle back in Odyssey, a case of mistaken identity lands Eugene in dangerous company at a jewelry store.

0726 Push the Red Button (Live) When Eugene's new master computer program links every invention at Whit's End, one untested red button threatens to blur the line between imagination and reality.

1 of 2 0727 Your Servant is Listening A doubting girl travels back to ancient Israel, where a childless woman's desperate prayer teaches her what it means to hear God's voice.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 5 more roles

5 supporting roles

Ryan Cummings Adam Wylie Nelson Swanson Georgina Cordova Chang Fang Matt Yang King Brad Rowl Logan Charles Evan (a) Tyler Jorgensen

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Marshal Younger Writer Paul McCusker Director Rob Jorgensen Sound Designer Bob Hoose Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

With seven seconds left in a close basketball game, the Odyssey Owls trail Franklin Academy by one point. Coach Fang uses team captain Brad Rowl as a decoy and orders him to pass to Ryan Cummings, who has scored only four points. Ryan silently asks Jesus to help him make the shot, then sinks a three-pointer at the buzzer and wins the game. During Jay Smouse’s court-side interview, Ryan openly mentions that he prayed. Nelson jokingly calls the basket a holy hoop, and Jay turns Ryan into the “Holy Hoopster.”

The nickname spreads after Ryan scores a career-high twenty-five points in another victory. Ryan explains that he wants everything he does to glorify Jesus, but Jay portrays him as claiming divine help for every basket. Brad points out that Ryan was open because the other team concentrated on guarding him, while fans begin treating Ryan as the only player who matters. Camilla Parker is fascinated by the idea that prayer might produce winning shots and begins practicing with him.

During Jay’s radio debate, Olivia argues that Jesus cares about the players, their prayers, and what they truly need, though that does not mean He gives both teams the victory they want. Jay continues provoking listeners by asking whether Ryan is genuinely faithful or merely showing off his faith. The attention increases when basketball legend Lightning Livingston announces plans to attend the last game of the season.

Ryan’s success does not last. He misses a wide-open shot at the buzzer, and the Owls lose. Jay immediately asks whether Ryan has broken a commandment, but Ryan refuses to treat a loss as proof that prayer has failed. After another crushing defeat, Brad publicly complains that Ryan’s fame and talk of prayer have hurt the entire team. Ryan insists that he never wanted the attention to center on him, yet the disagreement leaves the players divided.

Camilla comes down with chicken pox and must miss the final games, including her chance to meet Lightning Livingston. Ryan visits her before the season finale and offers to take her basketball to be autographed. When she worries that another loss will persuade people that prayer does not work, Ryan explains that prayer is a relationship with Jesus, not a method for getting a desired result. His responsibility is to pray and do his best; the outcome belongs to God.

Before the last game, Brad learns why Ryan met Livingston and recognizes that Ryan’s everyday kindness grows from the same faith he displays on the court. He apologizes for attacking him, and they agree to play as a team. Ryan makes two pressure-filled free throws that put Odyssey ahead by one point in the final seconds, but Bloomington answers with a remarkable half-court shot and wins.

Jay demands that Ryan admit the holy-hoop idea was nonsense. Ryan simply thanks Jesus for the chance to play with a great team through an exciting season. He hopes that even in defeat the Owls have shown grace and integrity. The season ends with a loss, but Ryan’s steady conduct shows that his faith has never depended on the scoreboard.