Two years in a row? Who are these guys, anyway?

Sure, it's an exhibition game and the loss doesn't figure into Michigan's record, but a loss is a loss. And it when it happens to the same team two years in a row, it makes one wonder - who are these guys who call themselves Athletes in Action?

The Michigan basketball team might also be curious after losing last night to AIA, 95-93, after falling to them, 104-96, in the second exhibition game last season.

For starters, this is no ordinary exhibition team - not a creampuff, not an automatic 'W.' This is a team that is celebrating its 30th year of existence and has won more than 60 percent of its games over that span. AIA has been on Michigan's exhibition schedule a total of seven times, including last night - and the Wolverines hold a slight 4-3 edge.

WARREN ZINN/Daily Senior Maceo Baston dunks in front of a sparsely populated Crisler Arena during last night's loss to Athletes in Action.

But the organization is not just about basketball. AIA is part of the sports ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ that was founded in 1966 by Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ and Dave Hannah, a former punter for the Los Angeles Rams.

And there were Michigan ties right from the start. The first player ever to don AIA uniform was Larry Tregoning, a member of the Wolverines' Final Four squads of 1964 and 1965. The local connection didn't end there. Michigan guards Rob Pelinka and James Voskuil both suited up for AIA for the 1993 AIA season after they graduated earlier that year.

But it's not just the list of players that makes AIA stand out, it's the message. In pamphlets that were handed out to fans and media after the game, the three purposes of their organization were listed as "to promote international goodwill through basketball, to help athletes maximize their mental, physical and spiritual potential and to challenge people to get to know God personally through a relationship with Jesus Christ."

AIA coach Chuck Badger said the way his team played against the Wolverines had all the character of what AIA believes.

"We play to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ," Badger said. "If Jesus Christ was playing, I know that he would have played like we did tonight - tough, never giving up, not worrying about the scoreboard, but just going hard."

Badger forgot to mention AIA's 15-of-29 3-point shooting that were hardly prayers. Landon Hackim, who joined AIA after playing four years at Miami (Ohio), led the charge with seven treys and 26 points.

And then there's David Wood, the prototypical NBA journeyman. A man who has played for five NBA teams including a stint with Detroit since 1988. Wood, who contributed 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting, was just cut by Milwaukee last week. He had options, but he chose to join AIA for his third fall tour.

"I just turned down an offer for $200,000 to play in Spain," Wood said. "I want to continue to learn how to share my faith."

What the players offer, however, is not just the hustle they show on the basketball court. After every game, coaches and players hand out pamphlets detailing their beliefs. At every school they attend, players speak at pregame meals.

Michigan guard Robbie Reid, who transferred to Michigan this August, was impressed with the pregame meal speech an AIA player gave. The 6-foot-1 guard believes in the Mormon faith and just returned last spring from a two-year mission to Greece.

So what AIA is doing is something Reid commends.

"For me, it's nice to see people who have a perspective on life," Reid said. "Going around and having a message above and beyond making 3-pointers and dunking the basketball and trying to serve our savior is a great mission and a great thing."

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