Kyle Mangas in 2021. (Photo courtesy of Indiana Wesleyan Athletics)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
Kyle Mangas just finished his college basketball career after playing four seasons with Indiana Wesleyan University. He collected numerous awards including back-to-back NAIA National Player of the Year honors in 2020 and 2021, as well as winning the Bevo Francis Award in 2020, recognizing the top small-college basketball player in the United States for a given season.
The four-time NAIA All-American was a member of the 2018 Indiana Wesleyan squad that won the NAIA Division II championship. This past season, he led IWU to a 30-3 record and averaged an NAIA-best 29.5 points per game.
On today’s podcast, we talk to Mangas about his incredible college basketball career, what it means to be “third,” how his faith in Christ has helped guide him, and how he has grown into a leader during his time at IWU.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY MATT FORTE, FEATURING MILES MCPHERSON
Miles McPherson was selected in the 10th round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. After being released, he was picked up by the San Diego Chargers, where he would play four seasons as a defensive back.
During his time as a player, McPherson became a follower of Jesus Christ, a decision that would eventually lead him to becoming a pastor. For the past 26 years, he has been the senior pastor and founder of Rock Church in San Diego.
Today on the podcast, Miles shares about the state of the young Christian athlete, his NFL journey, transitioning away from football, the importance of sharing the Gospel, and the importance of “Just 1.”
Nate Ament greets NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Virtually every college basketball program in the country wanted Nate Ament out of Highland School in Virginia. He was ranked No. 4 in his high school class according to 247Sports, and was already projected as a likely lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
That dream became a reality on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, when the former Tennessee Volunteer was selected No. 13 overall by the Miami Heat. Miami was making the selection for the Milwaukee Bucks as part of Monday’s blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
The 19-year-old’s selection made him the highest-drafted Volunteer since Marcus Haislip in 2002.
When asked by ESPN when his dream of becoming an NBA draft pick materialized, Ament thought back to his childhood.
“When I first started playing basketball with my brothers at the park,” he answered. “Just realizing how much the game means to me, but how much it brought us closer together.”
Ament started all 35 games he appeared in for the Volunteers, missing two due to a leg injury. He averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and helped lead Tennessee to the Elite Eight, where the Vols lost to eventual national champion Michigan. Ament was named to the All-SEC Second Team as well as the SEC All-Freshman Team, and his 584 points were third-most ever by a Tennessee freshman.
Along with Arizona star Brayden Burries, whom Milwaukee drafted at No. 10 overall, Ament joins an overhauled Bucks team looking to bounce back after a 2025-26 season that ended without a playoff appearance for the first time in 10 years.
Ament could’ve played his one year of college ball anywhere, but the 6-foot-10 small forward chose Tennessee partly because he shared a common faith with head coach Rick Barnes, who was in attendance for his player’s big moment. In doing so, Ament became the highest-ranked high school player to ever commit to the Volunteers.
During Barnes’ recruiting pitch to Ament, he referenced the Bible verse Matthew 17:20, which says in part, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.”
Barnes then gave him a mustard seed, something Ament plans to keep forever.
“It meant a lot to know that my head coach is super strong in the faith and someone I can turn to when I’m not necessarily feeling well or I have questions,” he told WVLT News in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In a way, it can be said that Ament literally carries the Bible with him on the court; he wore No. 10 as a nod to one of his favorite verses, Isaiah 41:10.
“Earlier in my career, I was always super nervous before games,” he told a group of reporters in March. “I still am now, to be honest. But that verse always calms me down, knowing that God is my strength and He will raise me up with His victorious right hand.
“To be able to lean on your faith in times of trouble and knowing that — win or lose, good performance or bad performance — Jesus is always going to be here with me kind of just allows me to play more free, more confident. Just trusting in God and not leaning on my own understanding.”
No matter the praise or the scrutiny that comes his way in Milwaukee, Ament said that in all things hopes he reflects Jesus, and His words in Matthew 23:12.
“I kind of come back to the Bible verse a lot, ‘Whoever is humble will be exalted, whoever exalts themselves will be humbled,'” he told WVLT. “So for me, I just want to stay humble as much as possible. And I know that in the end, I’ll be exalted.”
Ament’s first chance to don a Bucks uniform will come next month in the NBA Summer League.
Kirk Cousins in 2026 with the Raiders. (AP Photo/John Locher)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY MATT FORTE, FEATURING KIRK COUSINS
Kirk Cousins is preparing for his 15th NFL season after signing a free-agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. The four-time Pro Bowler was originally a fourth-round pick in 2012 by the Washington Redskins, spent six seasons in Washington, then six with Minnesota and two with Atlanta before joining Las Vegas in March.
Today on the podcast, Kirk joins Matt Forte to discuss his new home in Las Vegas, the decision to join the Raiders, being a steward of his football career, prayer in his life, and being a dad to two boys.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY SCOTT LINEBRINK & JASON ROMANO, FEATURING MASON MILLER
Mason Miller is the stud closer for the San Diego Padres. He was originally selected by the Oakland A’s in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft after a college career at Division-III Waynesburg University and one year at Division-I Gardner Webb. He made his MLB debut in April 2023, and in 2024 was named to the American League All-Star team. In July 2025 he was traded to the Padres, and in 2026 he was named to Team USA’s World Baseball Classic roster.
Today on the podcast, Mason Miller joins Jason Romano and Scott Linebrink to talk about throwing 104 mph, his newfound stardom, finding identity outside of baseball, growing in his faith, what “Jesus Won” means to him, and the experience of being traded in 2025 from the Athletics to the Padres.
