Sports Spectrum Podcast

Episode 281 Wayne Simien is a character coach with the Kansas Jayhawks. He played his college ball with KU, where he was a consensus All-America selection and Big 12 Player of the Year in 2005. His success in college led him to become a first-round draft pick in the NBA by the Miami Heat (29th overall). Simien would play two seasons with the Heat and in his rookie season, earned an NBA championship ring as Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal helped Miami to their first ever championship in the 2006 NBA Finals.  In October 2007, Simien was traded by Miami to Minnesota but never played another game in the NBA. He would play a few more years overseas, before retiring in May of 2009 at the age of 26 to pursue ministry work. On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Wayne in Minneapolis at the Final Four about his role as a character coach, his testimony of faith in Christ, the state of faith in basketball, and the biggest spiritual struggle now in college basketball. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 280 Nate Solder is an offensive lineman with the New York Giants. He was selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots and played 7 seasons with Tom Brady and Bill Belichik in Foxboro. In March of 2018, he signed a new 4-year contract that made him the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL at the time. A two-time Super Bowl champion, Nate and his wife Lexi have walked through a difficult season of life with their son Hudson, who is battling cancer. They also share a passion to serve and help others and are involved with Compassion International, in helping end the cycle of poverty with children around the world. On this episode of the podcast, Nate and Lexi join us to share about what life was like adjusting from the Patriots to the Giants, watching their former team win the Super Bowl, why they have a heart for helping children in need, and how God has sustained them during their son Hunter's battle with cancer. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Adam Wainwright is a starting pitcher for the St Louis Cardinals. He’s been a mainstay with the organization now for 13 seasons. He’s a 2-time World Series Champion (2006, 2011), a 3-time All Star and a 2-time Gold Glove winner. Adam isn’t just an elite Major League Baseball player, he’s also a man of faith and has taken his love for Jesus into the mission field to start Big League Impact, a non-profit designed to serve and help those in need both in the USA and overseas. On this Throwback Thursday edition of the podcast, we hear Adam's testimony and how he came to faith in Christ during his pro baseball career at a conference.  You can listen to the entire interview with Adam from Episode 14 back in June of 2017 here.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 279 Judah Smith is the pastor of Churchome and the New York Times Best-Selling author of the book "Jesus Is: Find a New Way to Be Human."  In the sports world, Judah has pastored and counseled many athletes and also serves as the chaplain for the Seattle Seahawks.  Judah, along with his wife Chelsea, have partnered with tech company Seventh Spark to create and launch Churchome Global, a free app-based platform that offers users 24/7/365 access to the Churchome community and programming, The app delivers community prayer, pastor-led groups, meaningful and topical conversations with other users, growth classes, charity opportunities, interactive church broadcasts, daily inspirational messages, and more. You can download Churchome Global, here. On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Judah about why he started the Churchome Global app, how sports played a huge role in his life growing up, what the biggest spiritual struggle is for athletes, how he handles "fame," and how Basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady influenced his decision to become a pastor.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 278 Liam Hendriks is a pitcher with the Oakland A's and holds the distinction of being the first Australian born player to ever start an MLB postseason game. He made his MLB debut on September 6, 2011 with the Twins and then pitched in Toronto, Kansas City before arriving in 2016 with the Athletics. On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Liam about what his experience was pitching in Japan with the A's last month, turning 30 years old, his favorite memory from his MLB debut, and why giving back is a non-negotiable in the Hendriks home. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 277 Jameis Winston just finished his fourth season as quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was selected number one overall in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Florida State by Tampa after a decorated college career that saw him win the 2013 Heisman Trophy and brought a national title to the Seminoles.  In his first season, Jameis became just the third NFL quarterback to ever throw for over 4,000 yards in his rookie season and was named to the 2016 NFL Pro Bowl as well as the NFL's All-Rookie Team for his 2015 season. In 2016, he became the first QB to ever throw for over 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons.  An off the field incident caused Jameis to be suspended for the first 3 games of the 2018 season, but he was able to return and start 9 games and throw for almost 3,000 yards and 19 touchdown passes.  On this episode of the podcast, Jameis shares how his faith in Christ has grown and why it is the number one priority for him in his life. He also talks about having a new head coach in Bruce Arians and why this season is so important to him. 

Episode 276 Pat Williams is a sports treasure. He's spent 51 years in the NBA as an executive and is currently the Senior Vice President of the Orlando Magic. He and his wife Ruth are the parents of 19 children, including 14 adopted children and 17 grandchildren. Pat is a cancer survivor after being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2011 and being given 2 years to live. In 2012, Pat received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He's also an author, having written 110 books including his latest "Character Carved in Stone." On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Pat about his latest book, having Coach K - Mike Krzyzewski write the forward, how the leadership principles in the book parallel the teachings of Jesus, the story of starting the first NBA Chapel in 1978, and the greatest lesson he's learned in his 50+ years of working in sports. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Virginia is in the Final Four for the first time since 1984 and coach Tony Bennett has been a big part of this team's success on and off the court.  We talked to Coach Tony Bennett about his journey of basketball and faith in Christ back on Episode 180 on October 31, 2018 here on the podcast and we revisit a portion of that conversation today on Throwback Thursday. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 275 Caleb Frare was selected in the 11th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Yankees. In 2018, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox. After 6 seasons in minor league ball, Caleb achieved his dream and made his MLB debut on September 2, 2018. He would go on to pitch in 11 games for the White Sox last season. Born and raised in Montana, Caleb never played high school ball because his school didn't offer the sport. Instead he played club ball and impressed enough to earn a selection by the Yankees. On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Caleb about preparing for the 2019 season with the White Sox, how injuries and missing 2 full seasons of baseball tested his faith, what it was like to be traded, his concerns with the lifestyle of a minor league baseball player and the crazy story of how he got called up to the Major Leagues.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 274 Steve Gomez is the women's basketball coach for the 2018-19 NCAA Division II champion Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaps. Gomez led his club to their second title in four seasons after capturing the championship on Friday March 29 in Columbus, Ohio. The championship game was a thriller, with Lubbock Christian prevailing in double-overtime 95-85 over Southwestern Oklahoma State. A former WBCA NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year, Gomez also led LCU to a title in 2015-16, going a perfect 35-0. An LCU graduate, Gomez was a standout perimeter player for Coach John Copeland in the late 1980s, and to this day, he still holds the school record for career free throw percentage at .855.  He graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Mathematics and consistently used his degree to teach in the classroom while pursuing coaching on the sidelines.  Gomez’s career began at Lubbock Monterey High School where he served as an assistant coach in the men’s basketball program from 1988 to 1995.  In 1996, Gomez accepted the men’s basketball head coaching position at Lubbock Cooper High School, where he remained until returning to Lubbock Christian University to take over the reigns of the Lady Chaps in 2003. On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Coach Gomez about winning the Division II championship, what that pressure feels like to be on the sidelines in a double-overtime title game, how his players grew this season in their walk with the Lord, how Christ guides him as a coach and living out that faith everyday. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com