HOOP HOPES

365 DAYS OF THANKSLIVING — DAY 109

I can't lie—last night was a “hold your breath” kind of night. My wife and I watched with absolute exuberance as the Miami RedHawks men’s basketball team took down SMU in the 2026 run for the title. All the "expert" naysayers said Miami wasn’t up to the task and that SMU was going to roll them by at least six. Well, those statisticians were proven wrong. What their calculators didn't consider was that one powerful force many often overlook: hope.

If you've been following this blog (or my YouTube channel) for any length of time, you know we are rabid Miami RedHawks fans. Our middle daughter, Emma, is a Miami alum, and that school holds a special place in our hearts. Miami (OH) isn’t the biggest school in the biggest town ever. In fact, it's a medium-sized "Public Ivy" in a tiny little town that was essentially built around the campus.

Miami is one of those quiet schools, known more for pumping out leaders of industry than highlight reels. Sure, they’ve had icons like Wally Szczerbiak and Ben Roethlisberger, but they were well before Emma’s time. Still, our girl is a RedHawk through and through—and so are her mom and dad (considering we’re still financing her education). So, when the boys of Oxford took to the court to fight for a spot in the field of 64, you betcha we cheered—loudly.

What we saw on display was more than just a box score. It was a love for the sport, a love for each other, and a belief that they belonged on that stage, all wrapped in a blanket of hope.

In my humble opinion, hope is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. In the famous "love passage" to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul listed Faith, Hope, and Love. He was clear that love is the greatest of the three, but you can’t discount hope. We need it to look beyond our own lives or anything this earth offers.

Sure, we’re hoping the RedHawks go far in the tournament. Not because the world will end if they don't, but because they give people a little shot of temporal hope. They remind us that the "Davids" can still take down the giants.

As for me (and my house), our foremost hope—by a massively large measure—is in Christ Jesus. Paul told Titus:

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ..." (Titus 2:11–13).

Goodness, Paul... that was one looonnnnggggggg run-on sentence. (The man clearly didn't believe in brevity.)

But just as St. Paul believed, my "Blessed Hope" isn't in a tournament bracket; it’s in the return of the King. While I’m waiting with my eyes on the sky, I’m gonna keep an eye on the net, too—cheering on the little guys and gals who dare the "Goliaths" to try them.

Today, I’m thankful for the smaller schools like Miami, High Point, and Prairie View. They’re playing their hearts out and reminding America that hope is a good thing. As Martin Luther once wrote, “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.” Amen to that. And Go RedHawks!