Bigger Than Basketball

When we think about ministry within a team, our minds usually go straight to the players and coaches. But often, it is the managers, the ones working behind the scenes, who need it just as much.

One day, I walked into the locker room and a manager rushed up to me, asking if I had heard about another manager, let’s call him Matt. I had never really interacted with Matt before. He was newer to the team, and although we were aware of each other, our paths had never quite crossed long enough for a real conversation.

The manager explained that Matt had experienced what he believed was a divine dream, one that included me. He encouraged me to meet with Matt and talk through it. From what I heard, Matt was a great kid, but he also wrestled deeply with questions about God, even describing himself as an atheist.

Months went by after I first reached out to connect. Then, out of the blue, I received a text from Matt saying he would love to meet. Last week, we finally sat down for lunch, and he shared his story. In his dream, Matt said he was sitting down for coffee with the team chaplain, me. He described it as incredibly vivid, almost indistinguishable from real life. In that conversation, he said I encouraged him to read Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

He told me the dream felt so real that when he woke up, he immediately looked up the verse.

As we kept talking, Matt shared more of his journey. He was not even supposed to be a manager. There was not an open spot, and the team was not looking for one. Then, at the last minute, he received a call asking him to join. The timing stood out to him. Being around a Final Four team that openly talked about God, and seeing a culture centered on faith and family, began to challenge what he believed.

In the middle of his uncertainty about life and what came next, Matt felt like God met him right where he was, through that dream, through that verse, and even through the role of a chaplain he had never spoken to before.

This is a reminder that ministry is so much bigger than what we see on the surface. It is not just about star players getting baptized or coaches publicly expressing their faith. It is also about the quiet, behind the scenes moments, about lives being changed where few people are looking.

Right now, Matt is on fire for the Lord. He has even asked if I would baptize him, and we are working on a date so his friends and family can be there to celebrate.

I hope Matt’s story, and his life changing decision to follow Jesus, encourages you today.

Pastor Jeremy