New Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
After leading Virginia Tech to is finest men’s basketball season ever, head coach Buzz Williams is off to Texas A&M. Williams is from Texas, coached at A&M as an assistant from 2004-06, and accepted the Aggies’ head coaching offer on Wednesday.
“I am so humbled and honored to return home to Texas A&M, and proud to lead the Aggies,” Williams said in a statement, adding, “This is our home, and we are ready to join with the 12th Man to win championships, graduate our players and represent this world-class university with integrity.”
My family & I are overwhelmed with thankfulness 🙏🏿 and honored to return home 🏡 to Texas A&M ➕ @aggieMBK! 🏀
We are excited about the future, and can’t wait to 👀 the @12thman again tomorrow.#GigEm👍🏼
Said Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward, “We kept our focus on finding an elite basketball coach, a developer of talent, a tremendous recruiter, a tireless worker and someone who fits Texas A&M. Buzz Williams is all that and more. I have no doubt that Buzz will take our basketball program further than ever before and will make Aggies everywhere proud.”
Virginia Tech won a school-record 26 games in 2018-19, and its two wins in the NCAA Tournament matched the program’s previous best. After falling to Duke in the Sweet 16, Williams led a heartfelt prayer over his team’s seniors in the locker room. Before Williams took over in 2014, the Hokies had not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2006-07. Their three consecutive appearances is the longest streak in school history.
Texas A&M fired coach Billy Kennedy after the Aggies finished 14-18 and 11th in the SEC this season. Texas A&M made it to the NCAA Tournament only twice in the past eight seasons.
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 for 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 NCAA Tournament’s 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 Knoxville’s WVLT News in March.
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.
San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
From 2012-2016, Harrison Barnes was a key piece of a Golden State Warriors team that went to the postseason four straight years and the NBA Finals twice. He averaged 33.0 minutes, 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in the 2015 Finals for the squad that won the world championship.
Now at 34 years old, he’s back in the NBA Finals for the first time in a decade, this time with a new team and a much different role. After starting 52 games during the 2025-26 regular season for the San Antonio Spurs, he’s made no starts this postseason and is averaging 8.5 minutes with no points during the Finals. His role now is more as the wily veteran helping provide leadership to a young Spurs team led by emerging stars like 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama, 21-year-old Stephon Castle and 20-year-old rookie Dylan Harper.
The Spurs are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014, and Barnes is grateful to have another crack at winning a title. Though much of the team’s core is young players with the majority of their career still ahead of them, he’s reminding his teammates not to take this opportunity for granted.
“This may be the last time both teams are in the Finals for a while. We have no idea,” Barnes said after shootaround on Friday, via Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.
The Spurs will have to dig out of a 3-1 hole after surrendering a 29-point lead that eventually led to a 107-106 New York Knicks win in Wednesday’s Game 4, the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. If the Spurs are to come back, the leadership from Barnes could be a factor.
His teammates have already noted how valuable his presence is. As they navigate this deep playoff run early in their career, the wisdom provided by someone who’s been there several times is invaluable.
“Shout out to HB,” forward Devin Vassell told the Express-News. “It’s been great for us so far and just his wisdom and his knowledge being in so many different games, Game 7s, championship games, whatever the case may be. He’s been able to just kind of calm us down and just tell us kind of what to expect.”
After a decorated three-year career at North Carolina, Barnes was drafted by the Warriors in 2012 with the No. 7 overall pick and made the All-Rookie Team. He stayed with Golden State through the 2015-16 season, when the Warriors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals. He’s since played for the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings before joining the Spurs ahead of the 2024-25 season. His last playoff appearance before this season was in 2023, when he averaged 28.0 minutes and 10.7 points per game for the Kings during a first-round series loss to the Warriors.
Now in his 14th NBA season, the Ames, Iowa, native is relishing the opportunity to play in the Finals once again. He told KCCI in Des Moines, Iowa, that he didn’t expect to be back in the Finals this late in his career.
“There were a lot of years where we were missing the playoffs,” he said. “…To be here this year where we’re in the NBA Finals, it’s a very unique and special situation.”
Earlier this year, he played his 1,000th career NBA game. He said he attributes his longevity to “having a village and day-to-day work and commitment. Obviously, it starts with my faith, but also my wife, Brittany, being the rock for me,” he told KCCI.
Barnes’ faith in God has been central to his life and career, and he’s been open about sharing how important it is. He calls himself a “devout Christian” on his website, lists the Bible verse Acts 4:12 in his X bio, and writes “#IJNIP” (In Jesus’ Name I Play) in his Instagram bio.
“Money, fame, and talent can be the top priorities for most professional athletes, but for Harrison Barnes, it’s his relationship with God that comes first. He is a Christian,” his website says. “Ever since he was young he grew up in the church. His faith has always been a big reason why he plays.
“On the inside of his shoes he has TGBTG, which is ‘To God Be The Glory’ and he just plays for Him. … He just realizes it is not his work, but His.”
Barnes’ faith began to take shape in high school, thanks in part to attendance at retreats, Sunday School and Bible studies. He even led some of those Bible studies.
“I wanted to leave an impact on the school, and I wanted Christ to be represented there,” Barnes told Iowa State Daily in 2009 after committing to play at North Carolina. “So I wanted to start that Bible study just to get a coalition of believers together and also integrate non-believers in there and just have that fellowship.”
He continued later: “I try to make [God] the center of my life and then just have that infiltrate all other spheres, such as glorifying Him on the basketball floor with all the gifts that He’s given me.”
The Spurs and Knicks continue the NBA Finals back in San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
UNC head coach Scott Forbes, June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
The 2026 North Carolina Tar Heels and head coach Scott Forbes are hoping the baseballs bounce their way in the program’s 13th trip to the College World Series (CWS). North Carolina has fallen short in its previous 12 appearances in Omaha, Nebraska, the second-most appearances on college baseball’s biggest stage without a national title.
Now, with the perennial powerhouse Tar Heels back in familiar territory, Forbes believes this is the team that can finally break through and bring a national championship trophy back to Chapel Hill.
“I’m happy for them, because they get to go. I’ve been to Omaha before,” Forbes said in his postgame press conference Sunday after ousting USC in the super regionals. “I get to see the joy on these guys’ faces of coming back in here tomorrow and preparing to win UNC Baseball’s first national championship.”
North Carolina proved to be one of the best teams in the country all season, earning the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. But after sweeping through the Chapel Hill Regional in three games, the Heels dropped the opening contest of their super regional with the Trojans. They staved off elimination with a 4-0 victory Saturday, but in Sunday’s winner-take-all Game 3, they found themselves trailing 3-1 with only four outs left to mount a comeback.
Two clutch doubles in the bottom of the eighth inning drew them to within one. Then a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth tied the game, setting up the heroics from junior outfielder Owen Hull.
Hull’s walk-off double sent the Tar Heels back to Omaha for the second time under Forbes and the second time in the past three years, the only program in the country to accomplish that feat. The win also marked North Carolina’s 50th win of the season and Forbes’ 250th career win. The longtime UNC assistant was named to the head coaching position ahead of the 2021 season after the retirement of legendary coach Mike Fox.
Since being elevated to head coach, Forbes hasn’t been shy about mentioning his faith in Jesus. He did it once again in Sunday’s press conference.
“I’d written a Bible verse on my card today, that no matter what — everything that I do — just make sure I do it like I’m supposed to do it through my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I’m just thankful that He gave me the opportunity to be here and be around these guys. I’m the one that gets blessed by their presence,” Forbes said.
Moments after North Carolina punched its ticket to the 2024 College World Series, Forbes’ first as head coach, he made sure to deflect all praise that was sure to come his way.
“It’s not them getting me to Omaha, it’s me hoping to get them. That’s been my prayer all year,” Forbes said in an on-field interview with Raleigh’s CBS 17 News. “I changed the thought process of how I coached in 2022 and I made a decision that, if I’m a Christian believer, I’ve gotta coach through that avenue.”
“If I’m a Christian believer I need to coach through that avenue.
In that year of Forbes’ paradigm shift as a coach, he was featured in the Heart of a Coach Q&A in the Spring 2022 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine. There, he spoke about how his faith affects his approach to his job.
“My faith in Christ impacts everything I do as a coach,” he said. “I try my best to make every decision through Him and coach so that others will hopefully see Him in me daily.”
He continued later, “Keeping perspective as to why I coach, I am challenged the most in making sure I remind myself daily that you win in many more ways than just the final score.”
Today and every day we honor and remember the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
North Carolina begins its CWS journey on Friday evening in a matchup with Ole Miss (41-21), which advanced past No. 4 Auburn to get to Omaha. In 2022, the last time the Rebels made it to the CWS, they left with a national championship.
Mississippi State head coach Samantha Ricketts, May 24, 2026. (Photo By Hallie Walker/Mississippi State Athletics)
The student beat the master.
Mississippi State, led by head coach Samantha Ricketts, knocked off perennial power Oklahoma on Sunday with a 6-0 shutout win in Game 3 of the super regional to advance to the Women’s College World Series for the first time in program history.
For Ricketts, the upset came in familiar territory. A former Oklahoma star, she played first base under legendary coach Patty Gasso from 2006-09, setting then-program records for career home runs (48) and RBIs (239). She later spent two seasons as a graduate assistant on Gasso’s staff.
Now leading Mississippi State, Ricketts made history twice in one weekend. Friday’s 11-9 victory marked the first time a former Oklahoma player had defeated Gasso as a head coach. Sunday’s win raised the stakes even higher, making Ricketts the first former player to knock off her former mentor for a tournament or regional championship.
She was quick to give praise to her mentor following the win.
“They’re the standard of college softball,” Ricketts said during her postgame press conference. “What Coach Gasso has built cannot be denied — what this program is and what she’s done. I know, for myself and the relationship to the program, I am so thankful for her and her guidance. I would not be in this seat and in this moment without Patty Gasso.”
Mississippi State took Game 1 of the series 11-9 but lost 7-1 in Game 2. That provided a teaching moment for Ricketts, who’s been at the helm since 2019.
“We talk a lot about perspective,” she said in the press conference. “Even in those tough moments, even after yesterday’s loss when we got punched in the mouth, this is something we get to do. Nobody has to be here. Nobody’s forcing us to be here. We are all very blessed to be in this moment in the wins and the losses.”
The defeat for OU marks the first time in 399 games that it was held scoreless, and this year’s Women’s College World Series will be without OU for the first time since 2015.
Because of Oklahoma’s pedigree, MSU knew it wasn’t expected to win, which allowed the Bulldogs to play from a perspective of just having fun.
“It’s not life or death at the end of the day; it’s softball. And we’re going to go out there and give it everything we’ve got, have fun with our friends, and give glory to God at the end,” Ricketts said in the press conference. “This group, I think, did a really good job of that. We kind of embraced the David-versus-Goliath mentality, and just knew that all the pressure was in their dugout.”
Ricketts has learned a lot from Gasso, but perhaps some of the most important lessons were in how to build a sustainable, winning culture. Much of that has helped Ricketts lead with her faith in God out front and foster an environment where faith is at the core.
“I think what I’ve really learned to do, and starting with Coach Gasso, is just surrounding yourself with people that are strong in their faith, that have the same values and beliefs,” Ricketts said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2021. “Just making sure you have good leaders and mentors in place and strong people of faith for your players to look up to.”
She recalled being at Oklahoma and being introduced to team chaplain and Fellowship of Christian Athletes area director Sarah Roberts. Ricketts started attending Sunday chapels, and eventually it became essentially “a whole team event.”
“Everyone just really loved her and her passion and wanted to start off the Sunday on the right foot,” Ricketts said on the podcast. “That’s something we’ve been able to do here [at Mississippi State]. We’ve got a great FCA program as well.”
Join us today on the podcast for a conversation with @HailStateSB coach Samantha Ricketts (@Coach_Ricketts) for a conversation about on leadership and coaching for greater purpose.
Now a coach, her schedule is every bit as busy as it was as a player, if not more. But she knows she can’t let that be an excuse for her time with God to be put aside. She understands she has to keep her priorities in order and make intentional time to be in the Word, because when she’s busy or tired, that’s usually the first thing that gets sacrificed from her schedule.
“I like to journal,” she said on the podcast. “I use typically the Bible app and the verse of the day. I’ll use that to dive in, just pick a verse, and then from there, journal what that looks like for me, what I think the meanings of it might be, and then use that to spark my prayer over my players, my team, my family.
“But that just helps me stay in a routine as well. That [verse is] something that changes every day and something I know is going to be there that I could use to sit down with and spend 15 minutes, 30 minutes, whatever I have, and just try to stay locked in to what I know my priorities are.”
Ricketts and Mississippi State begin WCWS play on Thursday against Texas Tech at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.
