THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE & JASON ROMANO, FEATURING JACIE HOYT
Jacie Hoyt is the women’s basketball head coach at Oklahoma State University, a role she took over in March 2022 after serving as the head coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2017 to 2022. In 2024-25, Hoyt led the Cowgirls to 25 wins and their second NCAA Tournament berth in three seasons.
Today on the podcast, Jacie Hoyt returns to the show to share about her experiences of leading a team with a strong sense of community and faith, her personal struggles with infertility, and the joy of returning to coaching shortly after giving birth. The discussion also touches on the evolving landscape of college basketball, including the impact of NIL and the transfer portal, and how she navigates these changes while maintaining her commitment to her players and their development.
Grateful for an administration who believes in me, and thankful for the players and coaching staff who bought into the vision and put in the work to make it all possible! Being a part of @OSUAthletics and this community is an honor! Loyal & True…let’s keep climbing 🧡🤠 https://t.co/v07nWfDJ8z
Michigan's Alyssa Crockett, left, and Jordan Hobbs, right. (Photo courtesy of Instagram/@umichwbball)
THIS IS SPORTS SPECTRUM’S WHAT’S UP PODCAST
WITH ANNABELLE HASSELBECK
On today’s episode of Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast, we have Michigan women’s basketball players Alyssa Crockett and Jordan Hobbs.
Alyssa and Jordan share about their time as campers and interns at Athletes in Action’s Ultimate Training Camp, their experience playing for Michigan women’s basketball, and how the Lord is working in their lives.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bows his head before a game, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Before the NBA Finals tip off Thursday in Oklahoma City, a prayer will be given. There are likely to be some said by Thunder and Pacers players in their respective locker rooms before they take the court, and a prayer will likely close out the pregame chapel service that takes place 60 minutes before every NBA game.
But one prayer in particular will be more public than any other, and is only done in Oklahoma City.
Prior to the national anthem that precedes every NBA game at OKC’s Paycom Center, an invocation is given. For about 30 seconds, the public-address microphone is given to a local faith leader who prays over the players, fans and arena at center court.
The prayer has been part of the Thunder’s pregame routine ever since 2008, when the Seattle Supersonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder. But the invocation actually started in 2005, when the New Orleans Hornets temporarily played in OKC after Hurricane Katrina tore through their city.
“The fans, who later became our fans, got used to it, appreciated it and we made the decision very quickly to continue that,” Thunder VP of broadcasting and corporate communications Dan Mahoney told The Oklahoman in April. “It definitely fits into the Thunder culture.”
“We feel it’s a reflection of our community,” Mahoney told The Deseret News in 2018. “Our fans have been very receptive to it. We allow that time, and it’s just something that we’ve done since day one and our fans are very fond of it. We appreciate that opportunity.”
Those who are asked to speak are honored. It’s the only known pregame invocation in the NBA.
“I’m grateful that the Thunder makes this a priority at every game,” Life.Church-Midwest City senior pastor Stefan Reed said. “It not only honors God and acknowledges His authority, but also gives the rest of the league a glimpse into who we are and what we represent. I think it speaks volumes to everyone in the arena, including the other team, that our love for people is bigger than the game itself. I hope each prayer reflects our genuine care for people in a real and meaningful way.”
And with the best team in the NBA, the arena is at full capacity every game. The Thunder won a franchise-best 68 regular-season games this season, the fifth-most in NBA history, and the team has gone 12-4 through three rounds of the playoffs. It’s in the Finals for the first time since 2012, still seeking its first championship (though the 1979 Sonics did win the NBA title).
The Thunder are heavily favored to win it all. It needed seven games to take out the Denver Nuggets in the second round, but swept its first-round series over Memphis and beat Minnesota in five games in the Western Conference Finals. According to BetMGM’s odds, the Thunder are the biggest favorites entering the NBA Finals since 2018. Furthermore, the odds say the most likely outcome is the Thunder winning in five games, and next is a Thunder sweep.
A short series would mean only two or three more games at the Paycom Center this season, and thus only two or three more pregame prayers. But regardless of the season’s outcome, they won’t be the last invocations before Thunder games. The tradition won’t be going anywhere anytime soon — and neither are the Thunder, the youngest team in the NBA this season.
Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
Between Steph Curry, Draymond Green and midseason acquisition Jimmy Butler, the Golden State Warriors have as much playoff experience as any team in the NBA. Offseason addition Buddy Hield, however, had four career postseason appearances when he joined the Warriors.
But with their season on the line in a win-or-go-home Game 7 Sunday night, it was Hield who propelled No. 7-seed Golden State past the Houston Rockets and into the second round. The nine-year veteran will not forget his performance inside the Toyota Center anytime soon.
Having scored four total points in Games 5 and 6 (both losses), Hield tied a Game 7 record by knocking down nine of his 11 3-point attempts. He went 12-of-15 from the field for a game-high 33 points in the Warriors’ 103-89 victory.
Two players have EVER hit 9+ threes on at least 80% from deep in a Playoff game:
“It’s a childhood dream,” he said in the postgame press conference. “We all talk about Game 7s. We all want to play in Game 7s, but actually playing in a Game 7 and preparing for it is one of the hardest things ever.”
Hield scored 22 of his points before halftime, including a buzzer-beater from halfcourt to end the first quarter.
Speaking with the media after the game, Hield openly discussed the nerves and pressure he felt. He told TNT’s “Inside the NBA” crew that his strong faith in God helped steady him.
“All glory to God, man,” he said. “Without Him this would not be possible. I was really locked in, just keeping my mind right and just talking to God and knowing I had to come through and help my team.”
Hield gave thanks to God again in the postgame press conference.
“Just trying to find my joy,” he said. “I’ve never been in this situation before. Just trying to seize the moment … Tonight was fun. All glory to God.”
Drafted sixth overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016, Golden State is the fifth different organization Hield — who was born in the Bahamas and won the 3-point contest at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game — has played for. He appeared in all 82 games this season, averaging 11.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
In 2021, he became the fastest player in NBA history to make 1,000 3-pointers, breaking the record held by his now-teammate Curry.
Going back to his college days at the University of Oklahoma, Hield has also been outspoken about his faith in the Lord. He regularly thanks God for “Life, Health and Strength” on X and credits his mom, Jackie Swann, for laying the foundation for his relationship with the Lord.
“Psalm 23 is the one I always read, the main one before my games,” he said in a 2016 Sports Spectrum article. “My mom always told me to read that when I was nervous or before a big game. I also like Psalm 91, 27, 35, and 37. I read them before every game. I’m trying to get my mind right.”
If the Warriors are going to make a run at another NBA title, they’ll need Hield to continue making shots and playing at a high level. They have not reached the conference finals since winning the championship in 2021-22.
The No. 6-seed Minnesota Timberwolves await them in the second round. Game 1 from the Target Center in Minneapolis is at 9:30 p.m. ET Tuesday. The winner of the series will face either the Denver Nuggets or Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
