Stan Van Gundy joins NBC to call college basketball
Stan Van Gundy has finally signed with a network to begin his media career... and there's nothing David Stern can do about it this time. After embarrassing reports of Stern blocking Van Gundy's hiring to be a part of ESPN's NBA coverage, the former Magic head coach has signed on with NBC to be a basketball analyst and radio host for the new NBC Sports Radio network. Van Gundy will be on the call next week for the Navy-Marine Corps Classic between Georgetown and Florida as announced by the peacock...
"Former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy will begin an on-going relationship with the NBC Sports Group by joining NBC Sports Network’s coverage of the inaugural Navy-Marine Corps Classic, and by becoming a regular contributor to NBC Sports Radio. Van Gundy will make his national-television debut by serving as an analyst during the inaugural Navy-Marine Corps Classic, featuring college basketball powers Georgetown vs. No. 10 Florida, on Friday, November 9 at 9 p.m. ET. The game will be played on the deck of the USS Bataan, at Mayport Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Fla.
In addition to the Navy-Marine Corps Classic, Van Gundy has signed on with NBC Sports Radio to be a regular contributor. Initially, he will call-in for regular guest segments on numerous NBC Sports Radio programs, contributing to the pro basketball discussion of the day. Beginning in 2013, Van Gundy will serve as a guest host every Friday for one of NBC Sports Radio’s nationally-distributed shows."
It's not only a good move for NBC to hire Stan Van Gundy as one of the most coveted ex-coaches on the market, it's a needle to ESPN, who bowed down to the wishes of Emperor Stern in passing on SVG. There's only one problem with Van Gundy's hiring by NBC in the long term - they have no basketball games anyone wants to watch! NBC Sports Network has rights to the Atlantic 10, Colonial Athletic Association, and Ivy League. While those Cinderellas are great stories come March, I don't think many folks would sign up to watch those conferences from December through February. Look at the schedule. Providence at Brown? Northeastern at George Mason? Dayton at Saint Louis? St. Joseph's at La Salle? Is SVG really going to sign up to call those games throughout the winter?
The radio side is a complete unknown at this point, but NBC would be wise to make SVG a key player on shows like NBC Sports Talk or even The Dan Patrick Show and make him their lead basketball analyst for college and the NBA until the network can get a better inventory of basketball games. It just so happens the Big East is now on the market.
The NBC Sports Network announced that it has added 6 more College basketball games
to it's schedule on Friday and those 6 games are the Georgia Southern Panther at UNC Charlotte 49ers on Tuesday November 13th at 9 ET in place of the NHL, the Drexel Dragon at Illinois State Redhawks on Thurday November 15th at 7 ET, the Miami Ohio Redhawks at William and Mary Tribe on Wednesday November 21st at 7 ET in place of the NHL, the George Washington Colonials at James Madison Dukes on Wdnesday November 28th at 7 ET in place on the NHL and the Governor's Holiday Hoops Classic on Saturday December 22nd between the George Mason Patriots VS the Richmond Spiders at 3 ET and between the Virgina Cavaliers VS the Old Dominion Monarchs at 5:30 ET!
so far that means that the NBC Sports Network has added 9 college basketball games so far this season and has gone from broadcasting 52 to broadcasting 61 college basketball games so far this seaon!!!
The NBC Sports Network even added 3 Ivy League College Basketball games to it's College Basketball schedule for this year on November 1st and those 3 games are the Sant Bonaventure Bonnies at Cornell Big Red on Wesnesday November 14th at 7 ET,Harvard Crimson Tide at Saint Joseph's Hawks on Tuesday November 20th at 8 ET and the Vermont Catamounts at Havard Crimson Tide on Tuesday November 27th at 7 ET!
this also means that NBC Sports Network will go from broadcasting 52 College Basketball games this year- 51 men and 1 Women's Basketball game to broadcasting 55 College Basketball games this year- 54 Men and 1 Women's Basketball game!
I think that with the NHL on Strike,it has actually incouraged NBC Sports Network to add more College Basketball games in slots that it would have originally showed Hockey this year, case in point, NBC Sports Network will have College Basketball games on in place of the NHL ,they just recently added a College basketball game in place of the NHL on Tuesday November 20 and 27th and Wednesday November 14th!
I wouldn't be suprised if the NBC Sports Network scheduled more College Basketball games in place of the NHL on Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays this year either!
They've also got the rights to the Battle of Atlantis which has what is probably the best group of teams of any early season tourney.
