Sports Spectrum Podcast

Episode 182 Jason Eaker joined Oklahoma Baptist as their head men’s basketball coach in April 2018. Eaker, who spent one season in a Bison uniform before finishing his playing days at Hardin-Simmons University, grew up coming to OBU games. His father, Allen Eaker, is an OBU Athletics Hall of Famer who played on the 1966 OBU national championship basketball team. Eaker came to OBU from Mercer, where he has been an assistant coach since 2013. He has 15 years of coaching experience, including nine years as a NCAA Division I assistant coach. He has been in the postseason six times with three different programs and has recruited or developed 16 players that have earned All-Conference honors. Eaker previously worked as an assistant coach at Liberty University from 2007 to 2013 after being director of basketball operations for the Flames from 2005 to 2007. Eaker spent a year as Kelvin Sampson's graduate assistant at the University of Oklahoma in the 2004-05 season and started his basketball staff career as Hoffman's video coordinator at Texas Pan-American in 2003-04. In part 1 of our two-part conversation with Jason Eaker, we learn about his coaching journey, what it meant to him to get his first head coaching job, his biggest adjustment going from assistant coach to head coach, what the grind of recruiting is like and how his faith shapes the way he goes about his job. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 181 Ashley Brewer covers sports in Los Angeles for ABC7 as a reporter and anchor.  Ashley attended the University of Southern California, where she was a member of the varsity women's swimming team and competed in the 2012 Olympic Trials (100-meter backstroke).  After graduating from USC, Ashley became a college football sideline reporter for Cox 7 Arizona. She then became the weekend sports anchor at KGUN-9, the ABC affiliate in Tucson, Arizona. In her two years at KGUN, Ashley covered all professional and college sports, as well as Super Bowl XLIX and the 2016 College Football National Championship game. Her love of sports comes from growing up in a family of five Division-I athletes. Her oldest brother, Charles, was a pitcher for the Diamondbacks, her brother Chase played baseball at UCLA, and her younger brother Connor played QB at the University of Virginia. Her younger sister, Abby, played volleyball at USC. Ashley's mother, Deborah Pyburn Brewer, was also a television anchor in Phoenix for almost 10 years before leaving to start a family. On this episode of the podcast, Ashley shares what it likes to cover sports in Los Angeles, growing up in a sports family of elite athletes, where her faith began to take shape, what Jesus and church looks like in Hollywood  and how she stays grounded in her faith through Matthew 5:16.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Ernie Johnson hosts TNT's Inside the NBA and joined us on Episode 7 of the podcast back in May of 2017.  On this Throwback Thursday edition of the show, we bring back Ernie's story of coming to faith in Christ.  You can listen to the entire interview of Episode 7 of the podcast here.  For more, log on to SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 180 Tony Bennett has been the men's basketball coach at the University of Virginia since 2009. He's led the Cavaliers to 3 ACC regular season titles, and 2 ACC conference titles. In 2018, Virginia was the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after finishing with a 31-3 record. For his accomplishments, Bennett was named the NABC Coach of the Year, the Naismith Coach of the Year and the AP National Coach of the Year.  After playing his college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay under his father Dick Bennett, Tony was selected in the second round of the 1992 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He would go on to a 4-year NBA stint from 1992-95 before a foot injury would end his career.  Prior to Virginia, Bennett was the head coach at Washington State, where he brought that program to the national spotlight by winning 26 game in back-to-back seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Coach Bennett about becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, how he was able to face that adversity with humility and grace, where his faith journey in Christ began, why beginning his day in the Lord is a discipline that he instilled into his life and how he lives his faith out everyday as a prominent coach, and the Bible verse that he is clinging to right now.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 179 Christa Dietzen is a 2-time Olympic Volleyball player with Team USA. She was the co-captain of the 2012 London team that captured the Silver Medal and the 2016 team that won Bronze. She was selected to join the U.S. National team roster in May of 2009. Prior to that, she  led Penn State University to 2 back-to-back NCAA championships. The 2007 Big-10 player of the year retired from volleyball following the 2016 Olympics and is now a public speaker, encouraging and sharing her testimony and story to others. In part 2 of our two-part podcast, Christa shares the emotional journey of her first Olympic experience in London at the 2012 games, returning to the 2016 games in Rio, retiring at the age of 29 and how her platform has led her to sharing and speaking about her faith testimony to others.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 178 Christa Dietzen is a 2-time Olympic Volleyball player with Team USA. She was the co-captain of the 2012 London team that captured the Silver Medal and the 2016 team that won Bronze. She was selected to join the U.S. National team roster in May of 2009. Prior to that, she  led Penn State University to 2 back-to-back NCAA championships. The 2007 Big-10 player of the year retired from volleyball following the 2016 Olympics and is now a public speaker, encouraging and sharing her testimony and story to others. In part one of our 2-part podcast, Christa shares how she came to love volleyball, her time at Penn State and how her drive toward becoming an Olympian actually led her to faith in Christ. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 177 George Schroeder is in his 7th season covering college football for USA Today. Previously, he worked in Arkansas and Oregon before taking the job with USA Today in 2012.  The University of Oklahoma grad is married to Elizabeth and has 3 children, Elizabeth, 18, George, 17 and Christopher, 8.  On this episode of the podcast, we hear about George's work covering college football and where George's passion for the sport began. But the majority of this interview is spent telling the story of George's son Christopher and how God was able to do a miracle in his young son's life. This is a story of faith, trust, hope and love through a difficult season of life for George Schroeder and his family.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 176 Charlie Ward played 11 seasons in the NBA with the Knicks, Spurs and Rockets. He was selected in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft by New York (26th overall) after a stellar college career that saw him shine as a football player. In 1993, Charlie won the Heisman Trophy as college football's most outstanding player. He would lead the Seminoles to the National Championship and 13 years later, would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Ward is the only Heisman Trophy winner to ever play in the NBA and he was a member of the Knicks team in 1999 that made it all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to San Antonio. On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Charlie Ward about the 25th anniversary of that 1993 college football season, deciding to play pro basketball instead of football, what Florida State coach Bobby Bowden taught him about faith, how he lived his life in the NBA as an outspoken follower of Christ and why he decided to start the Charlie Ward Family Foundation.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 175 Kyle Gibson is a pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. In 2018, he set career-highs in ERA (3.62), innings pitcher (196.2), and strikeouts (179). His 10 wins placed second for a club that finished the year with 11 wins in their final 14 games.  Selected in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft, Gibson has been a part of the Twins organization his entire pro career.  He made his MLB debut on June 29, 2013 going 6 inning and getting the win against the Kansas City Royals.  On this episode of the podcast, Kyle helps us preview the 2018 World Series, shares what its like to pitch at Fenway Park, seeing his former teammate Brian Dozier get traded and now playing in the World Series, and what he learned from the Lord this year that was different from other seasons as an MLB player.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 174 Rich Donnelly coached and played professional baseball for 48 seasons. He was signed as a catcher by the Minnesota Twins in 1967 and played for the late, great baseball legend, Ted Williams. He has spent 25 years as a MLB coach with the Rangers, Pirates, Marlins, Rockies, Brewers, Dodgers and Mariners. In 2018, he spent time as a coach with the New York Mets minor league affiliate in Brooklyn. Rich was a member of the 1997 Florida Marlins team that won the World Series. A book on the life of Rich titled "The Chicken Runs at Midnight"released on October 2, 2018 with Zondervan Publishers. In part 2 of our two-part podcast, Rich Donnelly shares takes the story of "The Chicken Runs at Midnight" and shares why his daughter Amy's death helped him as more difficult times entered into his life. Overcoming cancer, the loss of another son and watching two daughters get caught in a mass shooting. Through it all, Rich has remained positive and faithful to God's promises.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com