THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
WITH JASON ROMANO, FEATURING JEROME TANG
Jerome Tang is the men’s basketball head coach at Kansas State. He joined the Wildcats in March 2022, and in his first season was named the 2023 Naismith College Coach of the Year after leading his club to 26 wins and an Elite Eight appearance.
Prior to joining Kansas State, Tang spent 20 years as a Baylor assistant under head coach Scott Drew (2003-2022), winning a national championship in 2021. Before college, Tang was the head coach of Heritage Christian Academy in Cleveland, Texas, from 1993-2003.
Today on the podcast, we talk to Jerome Tang about Kansas State’s 2022-23 season, keeping his perspective, staying patient, trusting in God’s perfect plan, honoring the Lord, and spreading that love to his players and coaches.
“I'd like to thank my Lord and savior Jesus Christ for this opportunity… My profession is coaching. My calling and my passion is ministry."
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST, FEATURING JOSH LINDBLOM & SCOTT LINEBRINK
Today on the Sports Spectrum Podcast, former MLB pitchers Scott Linebrink and Josh Lindblom discuss the topic of fear and anxiety in sports, but from a Biblical perspective.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Dallas Cowboys have a new word to describe their mindset on and off the field each week: “Godfidence.” It’s a word head coach Brian Schottenheimer brought into the team’s vocabulary as he looks to build a culture of faith, purpose and brotherhood.
For Schottenheimer, his faith in Jesus isn’t merely a motivational tool that he pulls out when things are going well. It’s at the center of how he views his life and his work, and it’s something he’s made clear is the most important thing to him since he took over as head coach in January 2025.
“That’s who he is,” quarterback Dak Prescott said during his press conference after Sunday’s 34-30 win over Houston. “That’s who I am, and that’s who a lot of our guys on our team are. Just trying to be contagious, understanding that we’re all here because of God and we’re all here to serve a greater purpose.”
Prescott has been with the Cowboys for 11 seasons and played under three different head coaches. He said there’s a noticeable difference in the culture under Schottenheimer, especially as it pertains to players feeling more comfortable in expressing and being vocal about their faith.
There usually aren’t many empty seats at team chapels, which Prescott said is also a credit to team chaplain Jonathan Evans and his father, Dr. Tony Evans.
“I’ve been through so much in my life. God’s always been the reason and Who I fall back on and my refuge,” Prescott said. “I can’t thank Him enough and never will be able to thank Him enough. So just to see that transcend throughout our team, starting with our head coach, is special. It’s something we take pride in, but at the end of the day, it’s about giving Him the glory.”
The Cowboys are 2-2 and enter a primetime game on “Thursday Night Football” against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dallas is averaging 30.5 points per game, which is tied for second in the NFL, with Schottenheimer in his second year as head coach and primary playcaller after serving as the offensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy from 2023 to 2024.
Schottenheimer’s message on the field so far this season has been about consistency and finishing. And connecting it all is the idea that they’re one family. Schottenheimer makes no apologies for what fuels him.
“God is the center of everything that I do — as a husband, father, football coach, whatever,” he said in his press conference Monday. “I think it’s very strong among our team.”
He displays that faith with his action, but also publicly on his body. He has five tattoos that he says remind him of his “whys.” On his left forearm is “Jireh” which is Hebrew for “The Lord will provide.” Near that one are three nails in the form of a cross.
When McCarthy and the Cowboys agreed to part ways, there was always a risk that coordinators like Schottenheimer would also be left out of a job if the new head coach wanted to bring in their own hires. At 51 years old, Schottenheimer had put together a lengthy resume as a position coach and coordinator, so he’d likely be able to find work on another staff. But the thought of having to move and start over again elsewhere crossed his and his wife Gemmi’s minds.
Their faith kept them grounded, she recently said.
“If we didn’t have our faith, I think we could’ve crumbled many times,” Gemmi said this summer on the “Twins Take Podcast.” “This is such an unstable life that we live and you never know what’s next. It’s really year-to-year and it’s a lot of uncertainty. But I think we’ve always had this solid foundation of knowing that the Lord’s never going to leave us and He’s never going to guide us in the wrong direction. We may not like it, but I think we know that what we’re doing is exactly what we’re supposed to be doing.”
Whatever his next path looked like, Schottenheimer still hoped that being a head coach would be part of his resume one day. And as it turned out, he didn’t have to move, and his chance to become a head coach also came. Instead of hiring an external candidate, owner and general manager Jerry Jones elevated Schottenheimer to head coach ahead of the 2025 season.
“We were really just obedient in that regard and we were just like, ‘Whatever You have in store for us is what’s meant to be,’ and then it happened,” Gemmi said. “You have to just trust that whatever path you’re on, that’s exactly where God has you and you’re supposed to be there. You never know when something is going to happen.”
Among his many stops, Schottenheimer recalled being a quarterbacks coach under his father, longtime NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, for the San Diego Chargers in 2003. Team chaplain Shawn Mitchell made a profound impact on him and his faith, and the younger Schottenheimer felt led to start a coach’s Bible study. He was just 28 years old and it was about six months before he found out he had thyroid cancer. Meanwhile, Gemmi was three months pregnant with their son, Sutton.
Brian credits that season of life to helping him get much more connected with God personally, and it also helped strengthen his and Gemmi’s marriage and faith walks.
“Some of the things that we’ve been through are bigger than football,” he said on the podcast. “Football is our job. It’s not our life. We love it. It’s what we do, but it all starts with God.”
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST, FEATURING ANNABELLE HASSELBECK, JOSH LINDBLOM & SCOTT LINEBRINK
Today on the Sports Spectrum Podcast, former MLB pitchers Scott Linebrink and Josh Lindblom are joined by “What’s Up” podcast host Annabelle Hasselbeck to talk about the state of youth sports and navigating the balance of young people in athletics and growing in a relationship with Christ.
NEW PODCAST: Brad Mann uses youth basketball as a way to share the Gospel with kids by intersecting his love of basketball with his love of God. Brad's an overcomer, having beat cancer twice and his story is inspiring. Take a listen 👇https://t.co/5YDEbSDzYC
Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Coby White is back in familiar territory. Not only is the 26-year-old point guard back in a starting role, he’s also doing it in his home state of North Carolina. After being traded to the Charlotte Hornets last season, White is taking over as the team’s primary point guard following the offseason trade of LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
A native of Wilson, North Carolina, White returns to the state where he holds the all-time high school scoring record (3,573 points) and where the Greenfield High star was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year in both his junior and senior seasons, and selected as a McDonald’s All-American. A consensus five-star recruit, he stayed in state to play for North Carolina, where he was named to the ACC All-Freshman team and was a second-team All-ACC selection.
He then declared for the 2019 NBA Draft, where he was the No. 7 overall pick to the Chicago Bulls. He eventually became a regular starter and averaged a career-high 20.4 points in 2024-25. But with the Bulls battling through another losing season in 2025-26 and White set to be a free agent, Chicago traded him to Charlotte in February.
In 21 games for the Hornets last season, he averaged 15.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. White felt comfortable enough with the new situation to re-sign with the Hornets over the offseason on a three-year, $74 million contract.
He also told the media that he sees God’s hand in how his career has played out.
“Like everyone knows, spiritually, I’m a believer in Christ, so I think He has a plan,” he said Monday. “If you would’ve told me two years ago that this is where I’d be sitting right now, I wouldn’t believe you.
“But I’m excited. I’m blessed. I’m fortunate. We have a really talented team — a lot of versatile guys and unique players. I’m excited to share the floor, and we brought in some really good vets that I’m excited to learn from. We’ve got a really good team and I’m excited for the opportunity I have. I think it’s on me to take full advantage of it.”
With White in the fold, the Hornets reached the NBA Play-In Tournament last season, winning a game against the Miami Heat before losing to the Orlando Magic. Now, Charlotte is looking to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season. The chance to lead the Hornets there was a big reason White wanted to re-sign with the team.
“I’m excited to see what this year holds,” White said Monday. “This is a different opportunity. I’m in a unique situation, a unique opportunity, and you know it’s definitely one of the main reasons why I did want to come back here was because I knew it would make me a better player. I knew it would be a challenge for the road ahead, and I knew that in order for me to become the player that I strive to be, that I dream of becoming, I have to take on this challenge.”
He’s fully aware of the expectations, especially given his accolades in high school and college in the state, and knows the franchise and fanbase are going to be looking for him to be a leader. He knows it will be a lot of responsibility and weight on his shoulders.
“I think I’m ready for it at this point in my career, maturity-wise, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually,” he said. “So I’m just excited for the road ahead. I can’t tell you what it’s going to look like, but I know that I’m excited to see (it), just like you are.”
.@CobyWhite mic'd up for the first day of training camp 🎤
In the past, White has acknowledged that he may not have been mature enough early in his career to handle such responsibility. Yet he’s seen how God has brought him through those times to make him the man he is.
“I feel with my journey the first four or five years God may not have thought I was ready, that I needed more maturing, maybe more learning,” White told NBA.com in April 2025. “But that was OK. I just wanted to stay patient and continue to be who I am and contribute to work and to strive to be the player who I try to become each and every day. I always give God all the thanks and all the glory because He kind of put me on this journey and He instilled me with the faith and patience to withstand all the trials and tribulations.”
One of White’s biggest examples of how to live a Godly life came from watching his dad, Donald, who was a factory worker in Goldsboro, N.C., and died of liver cancer in 2017 at age 65.
“I was raised to lead with love, raised to put God first and raised to uplift and spread positivity; that’s kind of how my family is,” White told NBA.com. “I look back at my life, growing up in one of the poorest cities in North Carolina. I look back and think, ‘How did I get here?’ I really don’t have an explanation. And then all I can point to is God and my family growing up, my mom, my dad. My dad got on his hands and knees every single night and prayed out loud to God. I saw that every night. He never missed a night, and growing up when you see that stuff as a kid, you start to take home what your parents are doing.”
His faith is big reason why he launched the Coby White Family Foundation, which provides holistic mental health support and scholarship opportunities for Black and Brown youth and families. It also hosts basketball camps and offers educational resources like tutoring, financial literacy and nutritional education.
The foundation is a family affair and guided by Luke 12:48, which says, “To whom much is given, much will be required.”
The Hornets kick off preseason play on Oct. 6 against the Brooklyn Nets, then begin the regular season Oct. 21, also against the Nets.
