How God Used Basketball to Shape Two Lives

What happens when two athletes from completely different backgrounds find themselves on the same team—and discover that God has been writing a much bigger story all along?

In this episode of Redeeming the Game, I’m joined by two former players whose journeys could not have started more differently. One grew up in Alaska. The other in Missouri. They came from different families, experienced different cultures, walked through different hardships, and celebrated different victories. Yet God brought them together through basketball and used the game to shape their lives in ways they never expected.

Together, we look back on the championships, the cultural adjustments, the adversity, the unforgettable moments, and the personal struggles that helped form them into the women they are today. We talk honestly about faith, identity, healing, relationships, and how the pressures of competition revealed the deeper work God was doing beneath the surface.

This isn’t just a conversation about winning championships.

It’s about discovering that our greatest identity is never found in a jersey, a trophy, or a stat sheet.

It’s found in being beloved sons and daughters who have been made righteous through Jesus Christ.

Whether you’re a coach, athlete, parent, or mentor, this episode is a reminder that basketball can develop talent—but only Jesus can redeem a life.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How two women from completely different backgrounds found common ground through Christ.
• The challenges of navigating new cultures, expectations, and adversity during their college careers.
• How God used basketball to expose, refine, and strengthen their faith.
• Why championships were memorable—but character and identity became the lasting victories.
• Lessons they’re carrying into marriage, family, and the next season of life.
• Encouragement for every athlete who feels pressure to perform and every coach who wants to lead with purpose.

No matter where your story begins, God’s grace is greater than your past, your pain, or your performance.

Because while our stories may all be different…

We all need the same Redeemer.

Free Resource:

If today’s conversation encouraged you, download my free guide, “The 10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Head Coach.” Inside, I share ten lessons that transformed the way I lead, build culture, and coach from beloved identity instead of performance. The download link is available here: www.redeemingthegame.com/10things

Thank you for listening to Redeeming the Game. My prayer is that every coach, player, and family would discover the freedom of competing from beloved righteousness—not for approval, but from the unshakable identity we have in Christ.

matt@redeemingthegame.com

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Raising Competitors Without Losing the Child

How do we raise children who compete with excellence without believing their worth is determined by their performance?

In this special episode of Redeeming the Game, I sit down with my two brothers and my sister for an honest conversation about growing up as athletes and now raising athletes of our own.

Together, we reflect on what our parents modeled, the challenges facing today’s youth sports culture, and the responsibility parents and coaches have to develop the child before the competitor.

We discuss the pressures of travel sports, comparison, playing time, social media, success, and failure—and why our greatest responsibility is not simply raising successful athletes, but sons and daughters who know they are deeply loved by God and made righteous through Jesus Christ.

Whether you’re a coach, parent, grandparent, or mentor, this conversation will encourage you to shift your focus from performance to identity and from temporary success to eternal significance.

Because one day the games will end.

The trophies will collect dust.

The recruiting calls will stop.

But what our children believe about themselves—and about God—will shape the rest of their lives.

In this episode you’ll discover:

• How to raise competitors without sacrificing the heart of your child.
• Why beloved righteousness must come before athletic performance.
• Practical ways to respond to wins, losses, pressure, and comparison.
• What today’s athletes need most from the adults who lead them.
• Why winning the child will always matter more than winning the game.

If I could go back and talk to my younger self as a coach, these are the 10 things I’d tell him first.

I put them all into a free guide called “10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Coach.”

No fluff. No playbooks. Just real lessons from years of coaching, leading, winning, losing, and learning.

If you’re early in your coaching journey, or you want to coach with more purpose and clarity, grab it for free below.

👇 Free download linked below 👇

www.redeemingthegame.com/10things

matt@redeemingthegame.com

What if your gym is more than a workplace?
What if it’s a mission field?

In this episode, we talk about calling, purpose, and what it means to be sent through the game of basketball.

This conversation challenges coaches to see their influence differently—not just as instructors of the game, but as leaders entrusted with lives, relationships, and transformation.

Because basketball may be the platform…
but people are always the purpose.

If I could go back and talk to my younger self as a coach, these are the 10 things I’d tell him first.
I put them all into a free guide called “10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Coach.”
No fluff. No playbooks. Just real lessons from years of coaching, leading, winning, losing, and learning.
If you’re early in your coaching journey, or you want to coach with more purpose and clarity, grab it for free below.
👇 Free download linked below 👇
www.redeemingthegame.com/10things

matt@redeemingthegame.com

https://subsplash.com/u/-9XZ3X7/give?frequency=once&next_process_date=08/11/2025&fund_id=58054b9c-b5ff-4d59-bc26-24ad56c3193e

Pressure, Surrender, and Trust
Every coach feels pressure.
Pressure to win.
Pressure to perform.
Pressure to carry everything.
But what if we were never meant to lead from anxiety and control?
In this episode of Redeeming the Game, we talk honestly about burnout, surrender, trust, and learning how to coach from peace instead of panic.
Because leadership becomes lighter when we stop trying to carry outcomes we were never meant to control.

If I could go back and talk to my younger self as a coach, these are the 10 things I’d tell him first.

I put them all into a free guide called “10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Coach.”

No fluff. No playbooks. Just real lessons from years of coaching, leading, winning, losing, and learning.

If you’re early in your coaching journey, or you want to coach with more purpose and clarity, grab it for free below.

👇 Free download linked below 👇

www.redeemingthegame.com/10things

matt@redeemingthegame.com

What if coaching was never just about basketball?
In this episode, we explore the deeper responsibility of coaching—not simply developing players, but helping shape people.
We talk about discipleship, relationships, influence, and why some of the most meaningful moments in coaching happen far away from the scoreboard.
This episode is a reminder that players are more than performers, and that great coaching is rooted in connection, presence, and intentional leadership.
If I could go back and talk to my younger self as a coach, these are the 10 things I’d tell him first.

I put them all into a free guide called “10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Coach.”

No fluff. No playbooks. Just real lessons from years of coaching, leading, winning, losing, and learning.

If you’re early in your coaching journey, or you want to coach with more purpose and clarity, grab it for free below.

👇 Free download linked below 👇

www.redeemingthegame.com/10things

matt@redeemingthegame.com
https://subsplash.com/u/-9XZ3X7/give?frequency=once&next_process_date=08/11/2025&fund_id=58054b9c-b5ff-4d59-bc26-24ad56c3193e

What My Parents Got Right | The Foundation That Mattered More Than Sports
Before there were wins and losses, championships and coaching, there were two people laying a foundation.
In this deeply personal episode of the Redeeming the Game Podcast, Coach Matt Sanders sits down with his parents to reflect on the values, lessons, and priorities that shaped his life long before basketball ever became a significant part of the story.
Together, they explore what it meant to raise children with purpose, the importance of character over achievement, and why the greatest gift parents can give isn’t athletic success it’s a foundation of love, faith, identity, and belonging.
This conversation isn’t really about sports. It’s about what matters underneath sports. The things that sustain us when the games are over, the trophies collect dust, and life gets difficult.
Whether you’re a parent, coach, athlete, or mentor, this episode serves as a reminder that our greatest influence often comes from the daily investments nobody sees.
Because in the end, the goal was never simply to raise athletes.
It was to raise people.
If I could go back and talk to my younger self as a coach, these are the 10 things I’d tell him first.

I put them all into a free guide called “10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Coach.”

No fluff. No playbooks. Just real lessons from years of coaching, leading, winning, losing, and learning.

If you’re early in your coaching journey, or you want to coach with more purpose and clarity, grab it for free below.

👇 Free download linked below 👇

www.redeemingthegame.com/10things

matt@redeemingthegame.com

What happens when former players grow into leaders of their own programs?
In this special episode of the Redeeming the Game Podcast, Coach Matt Sanders sits down with two former players who are now head coaches: Coach Zak Kirkman and Coach Philip Parker. One leads a women’s basketball program, the other a men’s program, but both are navigating the same calling—to lead people before they lead teams.
Together, they reflect on the journey from player to coach, the lessons they carried from their playing days, and how their faith continues to shape their leadership. The conversation explores the tension between winning and development, the responsibility of building culture, and what it means to leave a legacy that extends far beyond the scoreboard.
You’ll hear honest stories about growth, mistakes, mentorship, and the moments that revealed coaching is about much more than basketball. Most importantly, this episode challenges coaches to consider whether they are merely building successful teams or helping transform the lives of the people entrusted to them.
If you’ve ever wondered what former players remember most, how coaching philosophies are formed, or how faith influences leadership in today’s game, this conversation is for you.
If I could go back and talk to my younger self as a coach, these are the 10 things I’d tell him first.

I put them all into a free guide called “10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Coach.”

No fluff. No playbooks. Just real lessons from years of coaching, leading, winning, losing, and learning.

If you’re early in your coaching journey, or you want to coach with more purpose and clarity, grab it for free below.

👇 Free download linked below 👇

www.redeemingthegame.com/10things

matt@redeemingthegame.com

In this episode of Redeeming the Game, Coach Matt Sanders ,and Coach Phillip Morrison, “The Basketball Missionary” — answers a powerful question asked by a coach: “Can basketball share the Gospel?”
The answer takes us all the way back to the origins of the game itself. Dr. James Naismith didn’t just create basketball to keep athletes busy during the winter. His vision was far deeper: “to win men for the Master through the gym.” Basketball was born with discipleship, purpose, and transformation in mind.
Coach Phil unpacks how the court can become more than competition it can become a place where identity is restored, relationships are built, and the love of Christ is lived out in real time. From locker rooms to practices to hard conversations with players, this episode challenges coaches to see the game as ministry, not just strategy.
If you’ve ever wondered whether sports can truly impact eternity, this conversation will remind you that basketball has always had the potential to point people to something greater.
If I could go back and talk to my younger self as a coach, these are the 10 things I’d tell him first.

I put them all into a free guide called “10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Coach.”

No fluff. No playbooks. Just real lessons from years of coaching, leading, winning, losing, and learning.

If you’re early in your coaching journey, or you want to coach with more purpose and clarity, grab it for free below.

👇 Free download linked below 👇

www.redeemingthegame.com/10things

matt@redeemingthegame.com

https://www.skool.com/jesus/about?ref=c8a5b341f1164e9c99092c6ac2d95da8