Ryan Saunders in 2022. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
WITH JASON ROMANO, FEATURING RYAN SAUNDERS
Ryan Saunders is an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets. In 2022-23, he helped lead the team to the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship. Prior to arriving in Denver, Saunders was the head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2018-21. At age 33, he was the youngest coach in the NBA following his hiring with Minnesota.
Saunders began his NBA coaching journey in 2009 with the Washington Wizards at the age of 23, and spent six seasons there before moving to Minnesota to be an assistant coach under his father, Flip Saunders.
Today on the podcast, we talk to Ryan Saunders about the experience of winning an NBA title, his journey of faith, lessons learned from his father, misconceptions on failure, his unique relationship with Kevin Garnett, and how he defines success.
Helping the @nuggets try to reach the NBA Finals for the first time is assistant Ryan Saunders, who says Proverbs 3:5 is one of his life verses.
He says church has always been a part his life, but "my relationship with Christ grew” as he's gotten older.https://t.co/O1gV6Q43Yx
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans smiles during an NFL wild-card playoff game, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko)
Defense travels.
That was certainly the case Monday night, as the AFC’s No. 5 seed — the Houston Texans — traveled to Pittsburgh and defeated the No. 4-seeded Steelers in decisive fashion, 30-6, to complete the final piece of the NFL divisional-round playoff puzzle. It was the Texans’ first road playoff win in the franchise’s 24-year history. Previously, they were 0-6.
Leaning on the league’s stingiest defense built by third-year head coach (and former Texans defensive star) DeMeco Ryans, Houston had built a white-hot nine-game winning streak to finish the regular season. It extended the streak to 10 by doing the exact same thing on Monday.
Houston clung to a tight 7-6 lead entering the fourth quarter, and then came alive. Ka’imi Fairbairn hit a 51-yard field goal with 13:07 left. Then on the ensuing Pittsburgh possession, Texans defensive end Will Anderson hit Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who fumbled. Fellow defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins picked up the loose ball and ran it back for a 33-yard touchdown.
The Texans’ defense forced Pittsburgh to punt and the offense then responded with an 11-play, 87-yard drive capped by a 13-yard touchdown run by running back Woody Marks. But it was the defense, again, which put the finishing touches on Houston’s historic victory.
With less than three minutes remaining, Rodgers launched a pass deep downfield that was intercepted by Houston safety Calen Bullock Jr. at the 50 yard-line. Bullock returned it down the left sideline for the Texans’ second defensive touchdown of the game and their final points in the 30-6 win.
It was a dominant defensive performance indeed, but one that was by no means surprising. The Texans boasted the NFL’s No. 1 defense in 2025-26, leading the way with the fewest yards allowed per game (277.2) during the regular season. They also forced the third-most turnovers (29) and allowed the second-fewest points per game (17.4).
“First and foremost for me,” Ryans said to begin his press conference, “I just want to give all praise, honor and glory to our God, who’s been gracious to us, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“What a game. What a performance by our guys. Guys just continue to let their light shine through how they’re playing.”
On the back of his great defense that shined once again on Monday, Ryans led his team to an incredible mid-season turnaround to reach the playoffs for the third time in his three seasons at the helm. The Texans began this season with three straight losses but finished 12-5, becoming only the fifth team since 1990 to start a season 0-3 and reach the playoffs. Houston is now the first franchise to do it twice, having accomplished the feat in 2018 as well.
Houston’s players and coaches have seemed to rally around the Biblical concept from Matthew 5:16 of letting their light shine as they’ve compiled their impressive winning streak. Ryans expanded a bit about it after a Dec. 27 win against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“The light is shining bright on the Texans, but that light is really reflective of our guys’ belief in the Lord and Savior — our Lord and Savior — Jesus Christ,” he told the media that day. “That’s what’s driven our team, and I’m so proud of our guys and thankful to the Lord for allowing us to allow our lights to shine through Him.
“Just all praise and honor goes to Him.”
Anderson alluded to Matthew 5:16 in the aftermath of Monday’s game.
“First, I gotta give all glory to God,” Anderson told ESPN. “Thank You, Jesus Christ. We have a Scripture saying, ‘Let our light shine before You, God,’ that when people see us play, they glorify Your name. Just a shoutout to Jesus Christ.”
Ryans made it clear from his introductory press conference as head coach that, as he sought to lead his beloved Texans to greatness, he’d never forget to praise God or thank Him for the gift it is to have the opportunity.
“I’m thankful to God that He’s just paved the way for me through everything that I’ve been through in life,” Ryans said in February 2023.
Before the Super Bowl in 2020, when he was a San Francisco 49ers’ defensive assistant, Ryans revealed to Sports Spectrum his deepest motivations as a coach.
“You’ve got to keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s why we’re all here — and that’s by the grace of God,” Ryans said. “Why are we in the position that we’re in? Why are we able to do what we do? That’s by God blessing us with this awesome opportunity to reach back and teach these young men, help these young men, but we have to stay grounded in the Word.
“We can get caught up in our work, a lot of long hours, a lot of long days, but you can’t forget what sustains us, and that’s Jesus Christ.”
Ryans will lead the Texans on the road again in their divisional-round matchup against the No. 2-seeded New England Patriots, hoping for a repeat performance from his defense to earn Houston’s first AFC Championship Game appearance in franchise history. Yet all the while, he will continue to seek to integrate Biblical principles into his coaching, knowing that a win would be in vain if it doesn’t bring glory to Jesus Christ.
Kickoff from Foxborough is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
Jordan Babineaux in 2008. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING JORDAN BABINEAUX
Jordan Babineaux played nine seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans. He was undrafted after playing college football at Division-II Southern Arkansas.
Nicknamed “Big Play Babs,” Jordan played in Super Bowl XL with the Seahawks and made the famous tackle on Tony Romo after a botched field-goal attempt in the 2006 NFC Wild-Card Game between Seattle and Dallas.
Matt Forte welcomes Jordan Babineaux to the podcast to discuss his miraculous journey to the NFL and how he was able to overcome the loss of his dad to achieve success. Jordan also discusses his retirement and transition away from the game, and the importance of pivoting well.
#27 Jordan Babineaux was signed as a UDFA by the #Seahawks in 2004, making 10 interceptions, 7 forced fumbles, 32 PBUs, 4 sacks & a safety in 7 seasons pic.twitter.com/18dak4460x
Arizona forward Tobe Awaka, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Every morning before sunrise, Tobe Awaka’s day began long before most high school students were awake. Growing up in Hyde Park, New York, Awaka chose a high school nearly two-and-a-half hours away by train — Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx — because he knew it would best prepare him for his future plans.
That meant waking up at 3:30 or 4 a.m. to catch the train, go to class, attend basketball practice, then make the long trip home — only to do it all again the next day.
“It was tough. It definitely had its ups and downs, but it helped mold [me] into the person and player I am today,” he said recently on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up?” podcast.
That early discipline, both in academics and athletics, set the tone for his future basketball journey. He didn’t start playing “high-level” basketball until ninth grade, and even then, his approach looked different from many future stars. Instead of structured drills in a gym, he was in his driveway, pretending an invisible defender was in front of him.
“I’d just do a bunch of different combo moves… kind of imagine myself going past them,” he said on the podcast. “I think that kind of helped build my creativity and my love for the game.”
Fast forward to the 2025-26 college basketball season, and that inner creativity and work ethic has helped Awaka become one of the most impactful pieces on the No. 1-ranked and 14-0 Arizona Wildcats. The senior forward is posting a double-double season, averaging 10.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and shooting 59.8% from the floor — numbers that place him among the team’s and Big 12’s most consistent performers this year. And it’s all coming from a reserve role; despite starting 36 of 37 games last season, Awaka has come off the bench for every game this season.
His 18 points against Utah on Jan. 3 matched a career high, and he chipped in 12 rebounds to go with it. But his growth hasn’t only come through box scores.
After transferring from Tennessee following the 2023-24 season — a choice he described as one of the toughest decisions of his life — Awaka leaned deeply on his faith to find clarity. What began as prayer and thoughtful reflection turned into a sense of spiritual peace that guided his decision.
“Honestly, once I got the green light spiritually from God that I was making the right choice and moving in the right direction, it was tough going through on that but I think ultimately it’s been to my benefit and for my good,” he said on the podcast. “Sometimes, as a believer, the unknown can be a little scary. The whole fact of having faith becomes real and true and something you have to put into practice, and that was definitely a moment where I had to.”
Now at Arizona, faith has become something Awaka lives out in community. What started as a personal pursuit of spiritual growth has grown into a space for teammates — and others across campus — to do the same. In one of his early days in Tucson, he visited a local barbershop for a haircut. He noticed his barber had a sermon from pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell playing on a nearby TV, which sparked an organic conversation about faith.
Their friendship grew from there, and the two decided to meet regularly for a Bible study. Other players soon caught wind of what they were doing and asked if they could join. The group quickly grew to six members and has continued expanding as others from across campus have been invited. Some meetings now include 15 to 20 people, Awaka said.
“It’s been really cool just to see how God has moved,” he said on the podcast. “Honestly, it just kind of started with two guys trying to dive deeper into their faith and learn more about it. It’s kind of grown into something cool and special. We’re still trying to grow it, still trying to get more guys on the team interested and bring them along, but it’s been a great experience.”
That boldness in faith wasn’t always instinctive for Awaka. It came through searching, wrestling and earnest exploration of truth. Around his freshman year of college, he found himself digging into every major religion — Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism and more — before landing where he felt alive with conviction.
“I went pretty deep and I landed on Christianity,” he said on the podcast. “I kind of read the Bible like a mad man. I read it front to back, then read through the New Testament again. I felt it deep in my soul that that was the truth and that’s where God wanted me to move. Even before that, it was just a lot of research, a lot of looking things up.”
Away from the court and classroom, Awaka is a big reader, using books to quiet his mind amidst the chaos of basketball and business school coursework. One book that left an impression was “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy, which he said reshaped his mental approach as an athlete. Ecclesiastes is also one of his favorite books in the Bible.
His faith went from something he followed because his parents did it to something he now claims as his. So when the decision to transfer schools came, he said it felt like “peace amongst chaos” when he got that “green light” from the Lord.
“There’s a lot of things swirling, a lot of people in your ear, but internally you have this gravity telling you that it’s going to be OK,” he said. He heard the Lord telling him to follow in His steps and He would lead him in the right direction.
“Adversity is inevitable. We see that all throughout the Scriptures,” he said on the podcast. “But at the same time, Christ isn’t going to take that away, necessarily, but He’s going to help us walk through that. I definitely believe and feel that’s what He was doing with me through that time.”
Awaka and Arizona next face Big 12-foe Kansas State at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday.
