PeacePlayers International (PPI) is best known for bringing young people together with their ostensible adversaries through the game of basketball. In the Middle East, South Africa, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and the like, that means teaching a love of the game of basketball, and then learning over time to share the court happily with those who might otherwise be adversaries. It's a real, hands-on approach to teaching peace.

There's another model working, too, though: to assemble the best team you can, loaded to the gills with different ethnicities and nationalities, and to play harmoniously in front of crowds who can't help to get your message of pluralism.

That's what the organization just did -- entering a serious tournament in Ireland (with the help of San Antonio executive R.C. Buford -- read on) and making it all the way to the title game. Joshua Motenko, a PPI program director in Cyprus explains on the organization's blog:

PPI assembled a team of basketball players who traveled to participate in the 2007 Queens Invitational Tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland in September. The tournament is an annual event -- organized by Dave Cullen, who recently was awarded the Arthur Ashe ESPY award by ESPN -- and is described by the South Belfast News as "the top annual pre-season tournament for the best and brightest players and teams in the North." PeacePlayers International gave the locals some attractive competition with five Americans working in Cyprus and Northern Ireland, an Israeli Arab, an Israeli Jew, a Greek Cypriot, a South African, as well as a Catholic and a Protestant from Northern Ireland.

During a marathon of five games on the final day of the tournament, the PeacePlayers squad was cheerfully greeted by actual marathon runners -- from World Harmony Run -- who brought their cause into the Queens gym to recognize common humanitarian efforts and show support. After a photo-op they had this to say about the PeacePlayers squad, "The guys are pretty awesome players and it was a pleasure to watch them play. Amazingly after the semi-final, they were going to do a coaching clinic for kids, and then play the final - that's dedication for you!"

This dedication was further shown by how quickly and willingly the PPI team adjusted to playing as a cohesive unit under former Irish National Team player and locally acclaimed coach Fergus "Gus" Donnelly, even though many of the players on PPI's team had never met prior to the event. About this adjustment, team captain Harry Morra had this to say, "Rarely does a group get the opportunity to lead by example in such a large capacity. The crowd could see what we represented. Without using words, we defined what PeacePlayers is all about ... Most of the time, other people inspire us. I am 100% sure that we inspired other people." Despite two of PPI's players observing the Muslim holiday of Ramadan by undertaking month-long fasts during daylight hours, the PeacePlayers squad moved through the tournament with relative ease before losing in the championship match to the Tolka Rovers.

It was an especially powerful experience for PPI coaches Roei Smith and Muhammed Issa Jabar from PPI's Israeli and Palestinian communities, whose flights were generously supported by PPI board member and NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs General Manager, R.C. Buford.