Yes, I've polled many college basketball savants throughout the nation on who and why they feel is #1 in the business...the votes have been tallied---Without further adieu, I present this award to Doris Burke. Not surprising for those who know her or follow the game. She is, by far, the most respected, most knowledgeable female basketball analysts in all of the land. Most would agree, there is no better feeling than watching a game while listening to Doris Burke. It's like whip cream with pumpkin pie. She is truly the whip cream to watching college basketball. Burke has always captured the attention of her audience whether it be via commentating or by her stellar play as a standout point guard for Providence College in the 80s.
Not many fans know that she has a strong playing background. In fact, she currently holds many records at Providence, specifially the leader in assists and free throws. She also is a Providence Hall of Fame Inductee.She had a brief stint as the assistant coach for the Friars in the 1988-1990 seasons, before moving on to radio broadcasts of many east coast men's and women's college basketball games. She joined ESPN in 1991 and has continually improved and expanded her horizons.Her abilities for timing and understanding of the game in addition to charisma made her one of the nation's best up and coming talents. The NBA took notice, and she landed the radio broadcast for the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Radio Network becoming the first female ever to cover the Knicks---a huge accomplishment for any commentator especially at the world's most famous basketball venue.In combination to the above, Burke also covers games for CBS Sports and the WNBA. She now does a vast majority of sideline work for ESPN men's college basketball, recently covering the Duke-Maryland men's ACC game last evening in historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.I had the opportunity to meet Doris in person last year while I was at Duke.
Let me just say she has a great aura about her, very well spoken, cordial, and seemed very humble for all she has accomplished. Not many times do we hear compliments being casted to commentators and analysts. Instead, we hear a lot of bickering and see a lot of eye rolling about certain analysts. Doris Burke is definitely one of a kind. She deserves props for her work and that is why she has won the inaugural Galhoopsavenue Analyst of The Year Award. Congrats Doris!
Other analysts who tallied votes (% of votes):
Debbie Antonelli--32%
Stacey Dales--25%
Beth Mowins--18%
Nancy Lieberman--14%
Dr. Anthony Smith, a native of Convoy, Ohio, currently resides in Perrysburg, Ohio as a physician, and is a regular contributor for Galhoopsavenue.blogspot.com. He can be reached at anthonysmith101@msn.com
No comments:
Post a Comment