BasketballMAUI
basketballMAUI began operations 15 years ago with a young man’s love for basketball and the community of Maui. It was Ben Prangnell’s vision that brought this non-profit into reality. Ben envisioned basketballMAUI to reach beyond the sport and to also instill character development and leadership skills to all those involved. Through the years, this nonprofit has reached thousands of keiki on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai through camps and clinics that bring world-class professional athletes and trainers.
For years, Ben and the Board of Directors had been praying for the right person to take the lead on basketballMAUI and expand it to different sports. In the summer of 2018, an international basketball professional named Josh Duinker was on vacation in Maui and was looking for a court to workout and stay in shape while on vacation before heading back to Japan where he was playing at the time. It was a divine appointment when Ben & Josh got together. Josh had been praying for an opportunity to get into sports ministry full time when he retired. Little did he know, he would retire early from his professional career when God opened the door for him to move to Maui and become the Executive Director of basketballMAUI, now dba Vertical Sports Maui, for over five years. In 2025, Josh moved on to other opportunities and Vertical Sports Maui has grown to include three staff members, led by Executive Director Shannah Jarc.
Every year, Vertical Sports Maui hosts a week-long Sports Camp. This camp occurs in the month of June, and serves hundreds of kids each year, with many different sports to choose from. Many college-level and professional players and coaches have visited us over the years to serve our youth.
Besides Sports Camp, Vertical Sports Maui provides many multi-week sports clinics for kids throughout the year. Our core values of providing world-class programs that are Character Building, Christ Honoring, and Accessible to All, continue to drive our decisions and guide our growth.