As if winning the PCNAK Basketball Competition once is not difficult enough, imagine holding down the title of champion for three years in a row! The OKC Flight, a team comprised of the best players in Oklahoma, has made this feat look easy. The question on everyone’s mind is “how?” How do these guys do it year after year? The answer lies in the defining characteristics of an extraordinary team. An extraordinary team functions with a clear vision of its desired result, direction and goals. An extraordinary team recognizes and makes use of the various roles and unique contributions that each member brings to the team. An extraordinary team moves with confidence rather than arrogance. The Oklahoma Flight, PCNAK Basketball’s Championship team, epitomizes an extraordinary sports team.

Early years: In the history of Oklahoma basketball tournaments, very few Pentecostals teams played—none of which won. In 2000, under the leadership of Reji Pappy and Stacey Simon, the OKC Flight was formed. Reji and Stacey brought together all the Pentecostal teams and picked the best of the best, forming what we now know as the OKC Flight. Preparation for the team included identifying and molding the talent of each player. The players and their positions are as follows:

Mark Joseph - Forward
David Richard - Guard
Jerine Oommen - Guard
Shawn Cherian - Center
Vinson Yohannan - Guard
Noble Solomon - Guard
Ben Abraham - Guard
Sajan Philip - Center
Stanley Simon - Forward
Saji Pappy - Guard
Jerry Thomas - Forward
Stanley Varughese - Forward
Tom Mathew - Guard

Championship years: Though they came from different churches and sports backgrounds, the players aimed and learned to play in complete unison. Stacey (Head coach) believes that this sense of cohesiveness makes the team exceptional. When asked what he liked most about his team, he couldn’t just name one. He responded with four atributes: their determination to stick together in every circumstance, their skill in playing the game, their hard work, and their respect for each other. He believes that these characteristics enable the team to tackle tournaments almost effortlessly with the added benefit of making his job easy. Iron sharpens iron. Similarly, each player motivates and develops another to play to the best of his ability. Win or lose, the team puts more emphasis on performing their very best. Rather than keeping the focus on acquiring trophies, they play with the objective of becoming winners in a game of champions. Incidentally, this mentality, combined with hard work, leads to the team consistently bringing home the trophy year after year in one tournament or the other.

2000- OKC PCNAK, Oklahoma Malayalee Assoc.
2001- Long Beach PCNAK, Oklahoma Malayalee Assoc.
2002- Oklahoma Malayalee Assoc.
2003- PA PCNAK, Oklahoma Malayalee Assoc.
2004- Oklahoma Malayalee Assoc.
2005- New York PCNAK, Oklahoma Malayalee Assoc.
2006- Dallas PCNAK, Oklahoma Malayalee Assoc.
2007- Florida PCNAK

As the Head Coach, Stacey is assisted by Steven Varughese, who according to Stacey, “is a very valuable asset to the team.”

Steven describes a successful team as one in which everyone has demonstrated their very best both on and off the court, despite the outcome. Most of the team will tell you that Steven’s coaching style is very demanding. Whether it’s conditioning or rebounding in a game, he pushes the players to their limits. Steven is not one for the sidelines though. He leads by example. If he instructs the team to run sprints or suicides, he’s right there running alongside them. He stresses playing with efficiency and constant communication.

An aspect of the team that should and can not miss recognition is the sense of gratitude towards God that each the player and coach wears right on his sleeve. Rather than having a negative view of past and future obstacles, the OKC Flight team trust God to use these obstacles for the betterment of the team as a whole.

When asked what advice he had for other teams hoping to win the next PCNAK championship, Steven Varughese said, "Unite! Every state has their best players, but the problem is that they are all on separate teams. Put them together and make it happen!" On tips for aspiring teams in general, Vinson, team captain, responded, “Keep God the priority in everything – win or lose. Our team prays after every win or loss. Practice. Work on DEFENSE – it’s what wins games. Play hard. COMMUNICATE as a team. SYNERGY. You WIN as a TEAM and LOSE as a TEAM.