Don’t be surprised to hear Christian music in the background when college basketball’s March Madness tips off on Thursday
CBS Sports asked all 68 head coaches in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament to name their favorite band or musician and found a range of musical tastes. These ranged from “rock to hip-hop to old-school soul to go-go music to legacy artists,” as CBS Sports put it. The Beatles made the list, as did Jimmy Buffett, Pearl Jam, Taylor Swift and Drake. But 10 head coaches said their favorite musicians were Christian artists.
Alabama coach Nate Oats and Grand Canyon University coach Bryce Drew each said it was Toby Mac. Stetson University’s Donnie James listed Casting Crowns, while Morehead State’s Preston Spradlin said it was Jeremy Camp. Baylor University’s Scott Drew listed Elevation Worship. Longwood’s Griff Aldrich named Hillsong. Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland said it was Jervis Campbell. Other coaches on the list who put down Christian artists: Nevada’s Steve Alford (Sanctus Real), Virginia’s Tony Bennett (Maverick City Music) and Dayton’s Anthony Grant (Lauren Daigle).
The CBS Sports article said there is nothing like the power of music. “Think about the bands and artists that mean the most to you, how they reflect your personality and have shaped who you are,” it said. “College basketball coaches are no different.”
Among all 68 coaches, the most popular artists were Michael Jackson/Jackson Five, who were listed as favorites by five coaches. Tied for second with three each were the Eagles, Luke Combs and Jay-Z. Nine bands/artists tied for third with two each: 2Pac, Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews Band, Drake, Earth Wind & Fire, Jimmy Buffett, Pearl Jam, Prince and Toby Mac.
CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander compiled the list. “Being a huge music guy myself, I wanted to bring back a passion project I first did in 2016,” he wrote. “To better understand these coaches, let’s take a peek at their streaming favs/record collection/CD archive and get a sense of who they are by learning about the artists they love most.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
Photos: TobyMac: Webgirljess, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
Elevate Music: Essential Records, Elevate Music; Jervis Cambell: Jervis Cambell Music