Transcript [00:02] [applause] [00:04] [cheering] [00:04] >> Thank you. [00:07] Shalom, y'all. [00:09] >> [cheering] [00:10] >> Welcome back, coach. [00:11] >> Sadie, it's good to be back. [00:13] >> I want to get right into it, and I'm [00:14] going to ask the $64,000 question [00:16] because it's a question that I have [00:17] heard asked to me when your name comes [00:19] up in one former fashion. [00:23] So, [00:24] not to bring up another coach, but [00:26] Dusty May just won a national [00:28] championship in 2026 at Michigan. [00:32] And then he left for the Dallas [00:33] Mavericks, Dr. A's team. He left for the [00:36] Dallas Mavs to the NBA. [00:38] But the year before, just to refresh [00:40] everybody's memory, in 2025, [00:44] you beat him on the road in the final [00:47] four. [00:48] But in Yeah. [00:50] Go ahead and applaud. [00:55] But instead of going to the NBA, you [00:56] retired from coaching. [00:58] Why? [01:00] >> [laughter] [01:01] >> Yeah, my Christian wife says, "Of all [01:04] the Jews in the world I could marry, [01:06] you're going to walk away from $30 [01:07] million? Really? [01:11] This is not what I signed up for." [01:15] Uh [01:16] it's so good to be amongst friends and [01:18] family and mishpacha. [01:20] And uh I mean, it it's great to be back. [01:23] Um Sandy, I wasn't waking up every [01:25] morning thinking about beating Kentucky [01:27] or Tennessee or Florida. I was waking up [01:30] every morning worrying or concerned that [01:32] my children and my grandchildren would [01:34] not be able to live the American dream [01:36] that I've been able to live. And so, my [01:39] opponent is no longer the SEC [01:41] or Dusty May in college basketball. My [01:44] opponent is anybody that hates this [01:46] country or stands against the [01:48] Judeo-Christian principles this country [01:51] was founded upon. That is my opponent. [01:53] That's our enemy. [02:00] >> And coach, when you coach, you you get [02:03] immediate feedback. Wins, losses, roughs [02:05] in your face, or rather you in their [02:07] face rather would might be like a more [02:09] accurate. You don't even need to be [02:10] coaching to get up in their face. Don't [02:12] act like I haven't seen the footage. [02:15] But sometimes in this work that we all [02:17] do in in one way or another, regardless [02:19] of how big or small our platform is, [02:22] when you're fighting for values, when [02:24] you're advocating for issues like ours, [02:27] progress is often unseen. [02:30] Um [02:32] and how do you adjust to the difference [02:35] from getting that constant and immediate [02:36] feedback to [02:38] not really wondering if the needle's [02:40] getting moved? [02:41] >> That's a great question. [02:43] Uh if there was a word to describe my [02:45] coaching or how I was able to to achieve [02:48] couple things. First of all, at's at [02:50] Auburn, we won five SEC championships in [02:52] my in my last eight years of coaching. [02:55] That is not me. That is a sham. That is [02:58] God's blessing complete cuz you can't [03:00] explain it any other way. [03:02] Hasn't there been things that have [03:03] happened to you in your life you go I [03:05] can't explain that. That does This does [03:06] not make sense. It's God's plan. It's [03:08] God's work. And so [03:11] I also get asked the question, what's [03:13] the secret sauce? [03:14] And the secret sauce with me with my [03:16] players is [03:17] what would God have you do today? [03:20] What would he have you Oh, he wants you [03:22] to be late for class. Miss that one. I [03:24] didn't I didn't get that one in my [03:25] morning prayer. Or he wants somebody [03:26] else to do your work for you. Or he want [03:28] No. And if you live that way and you [03:30] train that way, you have a level of [03:32] discipline, you have a level of [03:34] accountability, you have a level of a [03:36] lack of anxiety cuz you're just paying a [03:39] price. You're putting in the work. [03:43] We have to do the same thing. We may not [03:46] know the results. We may not see the [03:48] results, but what would God have us do? [03:52] Right? [03:53] And and that's and that's it. And and [03:54] and we also don't do it for the [03:56] blessing. And we don't do it for the [03:58] reward. But every now and then and this [04:00] is, you know, this is where a Jewish man [04:01] comes in. I've got to put myself in [04:03] position. At the end of the day, but for [04:05] the grace of God, I'm not getting there, [04:07] right? [04:08] Cuz I can't earn my way there. [04:11] But you know what? [04:12] There's going to be a there'll be a [04:13] judgment and there'll be a moment. [04:16] Y'all ever see the movie Saving Private [04:18] Ryan? [04:19] Amazing movie, right? All right. You [04:21] remember at the only when you've seen it [04:23] the first time. [04:25] My wife hates me when I tell this story [04:26] because it because it's it's it it goes [04:29] against some principles, but I think I [04:30] want to share it anyways. [04:32] And uh Ryan kind of leans Captain [04:35] Miller's been shot. [04:36] He's on the bridge. You don't know if [04:37] he's going to live or die that first [04:38] time you see it, right? He's hurt. Tom [04:40] Hanks is hurt. [04:42] And and and he he can't hear anything [04:44] cuz a mortar shell had gone off and it's [04:45] getting fuzzy. It's almost at the end of [04:47] the movie. [04:48] And he leans in to Tom Hanks, Captain [04:50] Miller, he says, "Check see if he's [04:51] okay." [04:53] And he says to him, [04:54] "Earn this." [04:57] "Earn this." [04:59] Next thing you know, young Private [05:00] Ryan's face turns into that older [05:03] gentleman. [05:04] His wife is standing behind him. His [05:06] kids are over there. [05:09] And he just turns to her and says, [05:11] "Tell me I was a good husband." [05:13] "Tell me I have lived a good life." [05:16] I eulogized my dad that way a couple of [05:18] years ago. And I hope someday my son has [05:21] an opportunity to eulogize me the same [05:24] way. I recognize I can't earn my way to [05:26] heaven, but you know what? I'm still [05:28] going to try. Are you okay with that? [05:30] I'm still going to try. [05:32] >> Well, the Bible's very clear. Old [05:34] Testament and New Testament, we're [05:36] allowed to be on different pages of the [05:37] same book, but they will know you by [05:40] your fruit. And what you're describing [05:42] is leaving good fruit. And when you are [05:45] no longer here, the trees that you have [05:47] planted, even if you may not sit under [05:49] the shade that they provide, they will [05:51] bear fruit long after we are all gone. [05:54] So, amen to that. [05:56] Um I want to know, has there been a [05:58] moment since you've been leaving [06:00] coaching [06:02] that you have felt [06:06] more or less [06:08] impactful [06:10] than during your biggest [06:12] victories on the court? [06:14] >> Great. Um [06:16] both. Um [06:17] I don't I wonder what I'm doing. [06:19] Um since December 1st, I've done 79 [06:22] different events [06:24] talking to young Christians, talking to [06:26] young Jewish kids, talking to white, [06:28] black, just finding ways to coach to [06:30] bring people together and all about [06:32] faith and family and love of country. [06:35] And um [06:36] I'm just concerned that like for [06:38] example, when when I was coaching at [06:41] Auburn, there was a time when young kids [06:44] were being pressured not to stand for [06:46] the national anthem. That became a real [06:48] important thing. And they were getting [06:49] calls from family going, "You're you're [06:51] kneeling, right? I mean you're you're [06:53] kneeling." Cuz there is uh [06:55] uh some places or you know, where where [06:57] obviously targeting and some some some [06:59] some problems with law enforcement in [07:01] the African-American community. A lot of [07:03] pressure on my kids to actually take a [07:05] stand. I said, "Listen, um if you're [07:07] going to play basketball at Auburn, [07:08] you're going to play for me, they're [07:09] going to understand a little bit more [07:11] about the country, a little bit more [07:12] about the for the flag means so and so [07:14] forth. I bring the military every year [07:16] in to talk to my players. And those guys [07:19] every year have said, "I would give my [07:22] life so that you have would have a right [07:24] to kneel. [07:26] But it would break my heart if you did. [07:29] Would you stand for me?" And every year [07:31] my players have stood with their right [07:33] hand over their back, their left hand [07:35] behind their [07:36] back and right hand over their heart. [07:38] We when you come to basketball camp [07:41] at Auburn and you're 8, 9, 10, you send [07:43] your kids, your grandkids. You know the [07:44] first thing we do? [07:46] We line up for the Star-Spangled Banner. [07:48] Because what do my players do before [07:49] every single game? If you want to go to [07:51] camp, you want to play basketball for [07:52] me, you're going to learn to stand at [07:53] attention and honor our flag. We've got [07:55] to teach our children. We have to have [07:57] these hard conversations. [08:00] >> [applause] [08:01] >> And so then what do we do? [08:04] We said, "You know what? Let's go out [08:05] there and start the Together We Will [08:07] Scholarship program. Let's raise an [08:09] enormous amount of money to bring more [08:12] students to Auburn that look like you." [08:14] >> Yeah. [08:14] >> And look like me, cuz I'm pretty dark, [08:16] too. [08:17] >> [laughter] [08:18] >> Okay, so the flip side of that. You [08:20] spent most of your life coaching. [08:22] Has there any Has there been anything [08:24] that you have learned in your advocacy [08:27] work or otherwise since you have retired [08:30] that you wish [08:32] you could have taken back? [08:34] You could have taken and applied while [08:36] you were coaching. [08:36] >> I would just say this. I learned it [08:38] towards the end of coaching, but I I did [08:40] learn it while I was coaching, but it's [08:41] the same thing. And that is, I mentioned [08:43] it before, truly. I used to think that [08:45] as a coach, because I was motivating and [08:48] because I loved my kids, you know, you [08:49] can coach them as hard as you love them, [08:51] right? You can parent as hard as you [08:53] love them. Who do you listen to? Who [08:56] will you put up with? Who could nudge [08:57] you more than your mother, your father, [08:59] your grandfather, somebody that poured [09:00] into you? And the same thing is very, [09:02] very true with coaching. But I thought [09:04] when I was young, it was me. [09:05] >> Mhm. [09:06] >> I I thought it was me. I thought I was [09:08] such a great teacher, such a great [09:09] motivator, such a great friend, and I [09:11] realized it was just God using me in [09:15] this work to teach and to educate. He's [09:17] using every single one of us. He is. [09:20] Now, Diane and Pastor Hagge, Sandy, you [09:23] have a different platform. [09:25] I have a little bit of a different [09:26] platform, but every one of us have a [09:27] kitchen table. [09:28] >> Yeah. [09:29] >> Every one of us have young people in our [09:31] family. [09:32] And they say, "Don't talk about religion [09:33] and politics." So we don't talk about [09:34] it. As As we don't know how to [09:37] Let's talk about our faith. And for [09:39] again, for me as a coach, I want to [09:41] respect where we're different, but I [09:43] want to embrace where we have so many [09:45] things in common. Again, that's the just [09:47] the coach and the teacher in me. [09:49] And so, I think that's that's kind of [09:51] what I've learned. It It really wasn't [09:53] me. It was just God through me. [09:54] >> Amen. And see, if I speaks to the power [09:56] of unity, amen. We're not all here [09:58] because we agree about everything. We're [09:59] here because we agree about one thing. [10:01] And if we could unite like the enemies [10:03] of Israel unite, choke. [10:06] >> [laughter] [10:06] >> You couldn't get elected uh You couldn't [10:08] get elected anything if you were [10:10] anti-Israel. Um [10:12] who You don't have to name names, but [10:15] who [10:16] uh has challenged your [10:19] your thinking the most [10:22] like in this chapter of your life? What [10:24] have you confronted [10:26] unexpected or otherwise now that you're [10:28] full-time advocacy and of course [10:31] color announcing, what has challenged [10:33] you the most in this chapter? [10:35] >> So, [10:36] a year ago, Sandy and I sat right over [10:38] there. [10:39] >> We did. [10:40] >> And it was my first time at KUFAR. I had [10:42] read Pastor Hagee. I'd watched him on [10:44] television. I was a fan boy. [10:47] And then, as the basketball coach at [10:49] Auburn, I got the call to actually be [10:51] part of this program. [10:52] And um [10:54] little did you all know, Sandy, you [10:57] know, that I was actually thinking about [10:59] not coaching and I was actually thinking [11:01] about running for United States Senate. [11:03] Yeah. Our meet meeting was last July and [11:06] it was absolutely a time when I was [11:08] trying to make a decision. [11:09] And I got a chance to spend some time [11:11] with Diane with your with your folks. [11:13] And and really truly, they ministered to [11:15] me. We prayed about it together what I [11:17] would do. [11:19] I'm a coach. I'm a teacher. I'm an [11:21] idealist. I'm a sap. [11:24] I'm not tough enough. [11:26] I couldn't be a politician. I just one [11:29] and one is two. [11:30] It's not three and a half. It's two, and [11:33] it's two every time, all the time. And I [11:36] just realized politics would eat me up. [11:38] And I I just couldn't do it. [11:40] And I felt confident that the Alabama [11:42] vote would be faith, family, Christian, [11:45] conservative, MAGA. [11:47] And I said, "That That's said it. See, [11:48] it's going to be fine for somebody else. [11:50] But I want to do something else. I I [11:52] want to do I want to do something [11:53] different. I want to teach, and I want [11:55] to preach, I want to read, I want to [11:56] learn, I want to do exactly what I'm [11:58] doing right now. And um I I didn't know [12:01] that until I until I just started doing [12:03] this. [12:04] >> Well, God won't call you where you're [12:05] not prepared to go. And so, we thank you [12:08] for listening to listening to the call [12:10] and doing his work now in this different [12:11] way. [12:13] Um Coach, you spent decades recruiting [12:15] young athletes for a lot of different [12:17] schools. I'm an SEC girly. [12:20] Yeah? Go ahead. It means more. [12:22] Um [12:24] But now you're trying to if you want to [12:27] say recruit [12:29] young people um [12:32] concerning Israel. You're trying You're [12:34] You do work with a lot of different [12:36] organizations when you're not doing your [12:37] day job [12:39] to help tell Israel's story, to help [12:41] bring them to Israel, to help see the [12:43] unity that we talk about on the stage. [12:45] Which has been harder? [12:48] >> Well, listen. Israel's vic- victory is [12:50] the enemy's defeat. [12:52] >> Yeah. [12:52] >> The It's It's the enemy's defeat. [12:55] Israel's victory means everything that [12:56] we're reading in the Bible is true. [12:58] Everything that we believe is true, and [13:01] Israel is proof of it. [13:03] And the enemy is trying to destroy it. [13:06] It is. That's the And I'm preaching to [13:08] the choir now, right? I'm preaching to [13:10] the choir. And so, you know, you had [13:12] mentioned the different organization, [13:13] you know, whether it's taking athletes [13:15] to Israel, taking teams to Israel, [13:17] taking political leaders to Israel, not [13:20] because it's a political winner, cuz [13:22] right now it's not necessarily a [13:23] political winner. [13:25] But God commands us to stand with [13:27] Israel. [13:29] God commands us to stand with Israel. [13:31] And so [13:33] I mean [13:34] it's been difficult to go because of the [13:37] conflict and this and and and it's hard [13:39] to get donors to go. [13:41] The passage pastors want to go. [13:43] >> Yeah. [13:43] >> Teachers want to go, coaches want to go. [13:46] And and so that if people ask me, "What [13:49] are you doing?" That's probably what I'm [13:50] doing more than anything else. And I [13:53] think my next trip to Israel very may be [13:58] with CUFI on one of your pastors trips [14:01] cuz I want to see what you're teaching [14:03] and preaching. I am all in. [14:05] >> Well, if you're talking about a CUFI [14:07] trip, the only thing hard about a CUFI [14:08] trip is making sure you can get your [14:10] tickets booked and everything gone [14:11] before they cancel the flight again. We [14:13] have people call and say, "I I I I know [14:16] the bombs are going off. It's fine. [14:18] We'll go. We will go. We'll be in the [14:20] shelter. We will go." We have a group I [14:22] know we have some of the kids in here [14:23] who were there last year. They actually [14:24] had to get evacuated through Jordan. [14:26] Every single one of them wrote a letter [14:28] to the leadership of CUFI and said, [14:30] "When we crossed from Israel into [14:32] Jordan, we felt like we were leaving [14:34] them behind. Yeah. We felt guilty for [14:36] leaving." So [14:39] I'm going to hold you to it. Yeah. If I [14:40] see you in Israel before and it's not us [14:43] >> [laughter] [14:44] >> Okay. And that you're my bear witness. [14:46] I'm going to ask you this last question. [14:49] You do so much in education and you have [14:51] long before you ever retired. [14:54] What do you think is attributable to the [14:56] younger generation right now just [14:58] falling prey to believing so differently [15:01] than the generations before? [15:03] You know, I and again, I don't want to [15:05] be necessarily be political. I want to [15:07] talk about civics. I want to talk about [15:10] love of country. I want to talk about [15:11] conservative faith, family values, so on [15:14] and so forth. Um I think there may have [15:16] been an element of our country that was [15:19] conservative and faithful that gave up [15:20] on education. [15:22] If you look at our teachers unions, if [15:24] you look at our universities and the [15:26] people that are leading our higher [15:27] education, they're left and lefter right [15:30] now. And we are beginning to the see the [15:33] results on the fact that many of us gave [15:36] up on education. We gave it to [15:39] the Democratic Party and we gave it to [15:41] some others and they're they've been [15:42] teaching our children. [15:44] And one of the things I say to donors [15:45] is, you know what? In your own schools [15:48] and your own communities, what are they [15:49] teaching your children? [15:51] Are you having conferences and [15:52] conversations with people on the school [15:54] boards? Are you going in and talking to [15:56] the principal? Stop giving money to [15:58] universities and putting your names on [16:00] buildings when it's not safe for [16:02] Christians or Jews to get to class. That [16:05] is not what we should be doing. [16:08] And so, whether it's athletes for Israel [16:10] or United States Israel Education [16:12] Association, it's about teaching our [16:13] kids. And that's so I think that's [16:16] something that needs to be a focus and [16:18] and you know, when our young people [16:20] start acting like line whiny little, you [16:23] know, what's [16:26] I blame us. [16:27] I don't just blame them. [16:29] I blame the fact that we've sort of [16:31] tolerated, we've let it go. And if you [16:33] go back, when you do go back and you go [16:35] home, I want you to have the courage and [16:38] the conviction to have these hard [16:40] conversations, right? [16:42] My kids don't think I'm very smart until [16:45] they need a check. Then all of a sudden [16:46] I'm brilliant. [16:50] >> Well, coach, thank you for being here. [16:52] We love you. Thank you for being a [16:53] friend to CUFI and we look forward to [16:55] seeing you in Israel very soon. [16:57] >> God bless America and I'm Israel Chai [17:00] and may God bless all of you folks with [17:03] CUFI. As an American Jew, I am grateful [17:06] for your love and your support and we [17:08] are in this together. [17:10] >> [cheering] [17:20] >> Mhm.
