Manhattan College men’s basketball coach Steve Masiello learned a valuable lesson in 2014 when he almost became the head basketball coach at South Florida. After accepting the job at South Florida, the university conducted a basic background check and discovered that he had never earned a degree from the University of Kentucky, despite it being listed on his resume. He only needed to complete a few classes to earn his degree. He was even allowed to walk with his class during graduation ceremonies. Although he enrolled in summer classes, he never finished them. Once South Florida found out he hadn’t graduated, they withdrew their job offer. He ended up with no job, his reputation was damaged, and he had little hope of finding another position. 

However, Manhattan surprised everyone by showing grace and mercy when they gave him a second chance. “I am extremely grateful and humbled by the opportunity to continue as the head men’s basketball coach at Manhattan College,” said Masiello in the statement. “I made a mistake that could have cost me my job at an institution I love.”

Hosea 1-3 – Faithful Restoration

Like the prophet Hosea, Coach Masiello learned an important lesson about judgment and mercy. The latter was responsible for communicating God’s judgment and mercy to the people of Israel. God used the story of Hosea marrying a prostitute named Gomer to symbolize Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. He even instructed Hosea to name his three children with unthinkable names to represent the place of judgment, the reason for judgment, and the outcome of judgment.

While God did judge His people for sin, He also promised not to abandon them. He pointed to a future in which He promised to restore them, despite their unfaithfulness. As a symbol of God’s love for Israel, He commanded Hosea to redeem and restore Gomer. This showed how God punishes unfaithful people but then restores them to accomplish His plan.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete believe that God loves the world so much that He seeks to save them by restoring humanity through repentance from sin and a commitment to a life of obedience.

Bible Memory Verse – “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will cause a kingdom to rise up which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself stand forever.” Daniel 2:44 (LSB)