“When you see so many people at prayer and it’s so regular, it elevates you. You want to be better, and you want to continue to try and be the best version of yourself.”
Welcome to "Fields Full of Grace: The Faith at Play," casting a spotlight on the devotional practices of college and professional athletes and coaches on and off the field.
By Jay Sorgi
Jonathan Effertz may know how to slither through defenders and find the spot for his jump shot, but the Ave Maria University senior’s most important daily move isn’t on the basketball court.
It happens every day that the 6’1” point guard rolls out of bed, walks the length of a half-court shot, and prays inside the chapel in his residence at the university a short distance from Naples, Florida.
“Being here at Ave Maria, there’s just so many blessings here,” he says. “The ability to walk down my hallway and be at a chapel in less than 10 seconds is amazing. There’s a chapel in every building here on campus.”
Named in Medjugorje
The graduate of St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio wanted to follow in the footsteps of his dad, Scott Effertz, who played NCAA Division I basketball at Kent State from 1995-98.
God used a roundabout way to use basketball as the pathway to lead Jonathan to a collegiate life at a university named after the same Blessed Mother which gave him an identity while he was inside his mother’s womb.
“I was actually named in Medjugorje,” he explains. “My parents, when they went there, didn’t know the gender of the child they were expecting. They asked a nun to pray over my Mom, someone I got to go back and meet a couple of times. Someone said, ‘You’re going to have a son. You’re going to name him John.’ They’re like, ‘What?’"
Jonathan admits his parents were “freaked out” by this Zechariah-like encounter (see Lk 1:57-66). While he was not named John, it was similar. “They’re like, ‘We should probably keep it somewhat close.’”
God paved the way
Jonathan’s path to Ave Maria involved lots of windy, broken roads in the search for a college and the fulfillment of what was his dream at the time, playing Division I basketball. He lived basketball, 24-7. He grew discouraged by a number of rejections, until a friend suggested Ave Maria.
“I flew down on a Sunday in the morning, played with the guys, met the coach, and flew back Sunday night. I ended up committing to Our Lady’s university on Mother’s Day.”
That unexpected, sometimes frustrating journey gave Jonathan the fruit of the truth in the ways God works.
“I really believe that the Lord doesn’t let you miss the big things in life,” he says. “Sometimes we try and make our own paths and our own plans, but He really just kind of paved the way. All those things, those dreams that I wanted, those doors just being shut just led to me coming here.”
Team ministry
Jonathan’s time at Ave Maria has molded his dream from playing Division I basketball to simply being God’s faithful son, and the student with an exercise physiology major and theology minor is living that dream in a university setting that immerses him in what he considers a fully Catholic life.
“Being in conversation with a lot of professors and students who really know our faith, and really know our Blessed Mother, has been really, really awesome,” he says. “Everything is rooted in faith: classes, sports, our coaches, relationships. Part of that comes from me, wanting to build that relationship with the Lord, but I think the university does an amazing job of making that very easy.”
He says that the leadership of Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jamon Copeland further fosters the Catholic faith that has changed the lives of his teammates.
“I’ve seen so many people who have come into the culture, not really close to their faith, or they don’t fully understand our Catholic faith. Coach Copeland’s leadership and how he lives his life have had a huge impact on the guys,” Jonathan says.
“There was a kid on the team wasn’t very close with his faith. Coach Copeland just continued to pour into him, and the community and the university poured into our team. He just got baptized and we all went to his Baptism. He just texted us asking if we could do a Bible study as a team.”
The Ave Maria Gyrenes are having a great season so far, with an 18-2 record, with 8 games left to play.
Completing the cycle
Jonathan spent his 2025 summer break in Medjugorje, a way for God to complete a cycle of understanding the Lord’s work through the Blessed Mother.
“Really learning the true fruit of our Blessed Mother and kind of getting that faith formation growing up, I feel like it all kind of came to fruition this summer going back there,” he says. “Learning as I was growing, and then having three years of Marian formation at Ave Maria, it was really, really cool having that growth in my relationship with the Blessed Mother.”
That relationship includes making 15-decade Rosaries on Sunday and regular stops at Eucharistic Adoration, a routine that is as much a part of his journey as daily basketball practice. Recently engaged to be married, Jonathan is now discerning his post-basketball career. But whatever the future holds, he desires to take away from Ave Maria an immersive life in the Catholic faith.
“When you see so many people at prayer and it’s so regular, it elevates you,” he says. “You want to be better, and you want to continue to try and be the best version of yourself.”
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