Redeeming The Game

About Redeeming The Game

This is a space for coaches, trainers, and leaders who love the game — but don’t want the game to cost them their family, their integrity, or their soul. Here, we talk about leadership, pressure, culture, identity, and the quiet tensions no one prepares you for when you step into coaching. This isn’t about chasing wins at all costs. It’s about restoring what the game was meant to form in us — and in the players we lead. This podcast is presented by the Beloved Coaches Collective, a community committed to coaching from identity, not insecurity. I’m Coach Sanders. Let’s redeem the game — one coach at a time.

Publisher

Matt Sanders

Category

religion & spirituality · sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Feb 2026

Latest episode

26 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

39 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Oct 2026

   From 7 wins to a Championship: What Was God Building! "REPLAY"

   They won only seven games… and then won a championship. Nobody saw it coming. But years later, I’m realizing the championship wasn’t the greatest part of their story. These two former players took very different paths. One walked through the devastating loss of his father during his freshman year. The other has faced deeply personal struggles and battles of his own. But neither man’s story ended there. Today, both are pastors. One is a youth pastor. One is a lead pastor. One is married with a child. The other is preparing for marriage. And both have discovered something bigger than basketball: Your struggle is not your identity. Your past is not your identity. Your performance is not your identity. In Christ, you are beloved. And because of Jesus, you are righteous. This conversation is about an unlikely championship, grief, personal battles, grace, redemption, and two young men who eventually became shepherds. Maybe God was doing more than building a championship team. Maybe He was building two shepherds. 🎙️ Redeeming the Game Podcast If I could go back and talk to my younger self as a coach, these are the 10 things I’d tell him first. I put them all into a free guide called “10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Coach.” No fluff. No playbooks. Just real lessons from years of coaching, leading, winning, losing, and learning. If you’re early in your coaching journey, or you want to coach with more purpose and clarity, grab it for free below. 👇 Free download linked below 👇 www.redeemingthegame.com/10things matt@redeemingthegame.com

2. 

   16 Oct 2026

   Leading the Family-Leading the Team PT.2 W/Zach Hopp

   🏀 MORE THAN X’S & O’S: LEADERSHIP & THE JOURNEY What happens when we stop measuring a coach only by what he accomplishes and start looking at who he is becoming? This week on Redeeming the Game, I’m joined by Zach Hopp, a Division I basketball coach whose journey has taken him through Kansas, Washburn, Ole Miss, Arkansas State, Athletes in Action, and The Basketball Tournament. Zach has an incredible basketball mind and experience in scouting, analytics, strategy, and coaching. But this conversation goes beyond the X’s and O’s. We’re talking about the journey behind the résumé. The lessons learned along the way. The difference between knowing the game and leading people. And how our faith in Jesus shapes the way we approach our work, our leadership, and our identity. Because it’s possible to spend your entire life pursuing success in basketball and never stop to ask the most important question: Who am I becoming through the game I love? This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. In Part 2, we’ll explore what it means to lead a team while also leading your family—and how to pursue excellence without losing sight of what matters most. 🎙️ Redeeming the Game Podcast The game is a gift. Jesus is our identity. People are the mission. If could go back and talk to my younger self as a coach, these are the 10 things I’d tell him first. I put them all into a free guide called “10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Coach.” No fluff. No playbooks. Just real lessons from years of coaching, leading, winning, losing, and learning. If you’re early in your coaching journey, or you want to coach with more purpose and clarity, grab it for free below. 👇 Free download linked below 👇 www.redeemingthegame.com/10things matt@redeemingthegame.com

3. 

   9 Oct 2026

   Leadership & The Journey PT.1 W/Zach Hopp

   More Than X’s & O’s: Leadership & the Journey | Zach Hopp — Part 1 What does it take to grow as a basketball coach, a leader, and a follower of Jesus? In Part 1 of this two-part conversation on Redeeming the Game, Coach Sanders sits down with Zach Hopp, a Division I basketball coach whose journey has taken him through the University of Kansas, Washburn University, Ole Miss, Arkansas State, Athletes in Action, and The Basketball Tournament. Zach has gained experience in scouting, analytics, strategy, preparation, and coaching at multiple levels of the game. But this conversation goes beyond X’s and O’s. We explore the journey behind the résumé, the lessons learned through different seasons of coaching, and what separates simply knowing basketball from truly leading people. Together, we discuss: The experiences and opportunities that shaped Zach’s coaching journey. How preparation, strategy, and basketball knowledge contribute to leadership. What coaches learn through seasons of growth, service, and change. How faith in Jesus influences the way we approach our work and the people we lead. Why our identity must be rooted in something deeper than our position, accomplishments, or success. As coaches, it’s easy to become so focused on the next opportunity, the next win, or the next level that we forget to ask who we’re becoming along the way. Basketball is a gift, but it was never meant to define our worth. Our goal isn’t simply to become better coaches. It’s to become the kind of leaders who develop people, serve others, and reflect Jesus through the game we love. The game is the vehicle. People are the mission. Join us for Part 1 of this conversation with Zach Hopp on Redeeming the Game. Part 2: Leading the Team, Leading the Family — continuing the conversation around faith, marriage, fatherhood, and leading well both on and off the court. If could go back and talk to my younger self as a coach, these are the 10 things I’d tell him first. I put them all into a free guide called “10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Young Coach.” No fluff. No playbooks. Just real lessons from years of coaching, leading, winning, losing, and learning. If you’re early in your coaching journey, or you want to coach with more purpose and clarity, grab it for free below. 👇 Free download linked below 👇 www.redeemingthegame.com/10things matt@redeemingthegame.com https://subsplash.com/u/-9XZ3X7/give?frequency=once&next_process_date=08/11/2025&fund_id=58054b9c-b5ff-4d59-bc26-24ad56c3193e (https://subsplash.com/u/-9XZ3X7/give?frequency=once&next_process_date=08/11/2025&fund_id=58054b9c-b5ff-4d59-bc26-24ad56c3193e)

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Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

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