ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams rejoins “College GameDay”. Plus: Cleveland Browns play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan announces he is taking leave to address health; FOX proposes postseason college hoops tournament.
Jay Williams to call college basketball games, return to GameDay
ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams will return to the basketball version of “College GameDay” alongside Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, and Seth Greenberg, per the New York Post. Additionally, he will call games for the network this upcoming season. Williams, who left “GameDay” in 2019, is sliding into the role previously filled by the laid-off LaPhonso Ellis.
Williams’ future at ESPN was uncertain following the cancellation of his radio show “Keyshawn, JWill and Max” and subsequent layoffs at the network this past summer. Williams has been a prominent NBA voice on ESPN in recent years, with regular appearances on morning shows “First Take” and “Get Up,” and a role on “NBA Countdown.” (NY Post, 9.11)
Browns’ Jim Donovan on medical leave
Longtime voice of the Cleveland Browns Jim Donovan announced he will step away from the broadcast booth to undergo treatment for leukemia. Donovan, who has been the Browns’ play-by-play announcer since the team’s return in 1999, made the announcement following the Browns victory against the Bengals on Sunday.
In his statement, Donovan said, “I will be here at Channel 3 and on the radio as much as I can be. But there will be periods of time that I might not be with you, maybe for a day, maybe for longer.”
Donovan overcame a previous decade-long bout with leukemia in 2011 following a bone marrow transplant.
The Browns radio network, WKYC, announced that Chris Rose will serve as play-by-play announcer for the remainder of the season. Donovan will anchor local recap show “Front Row” on Monday prior to beginning his medical leave. (WKYC, 9.10)
Fox Sports negotiating new postseason college hoops tournament
Fox Sports is in talks with three power conferences — the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East — about the creation of a new postseason college basketball tournament to compete with the NIT. According to college basketball reporter Seth Davis, the tournament would include the top 16 teams from the aforementioned conferences that were not selected for the NCAA Tournament. The hypothetical tournament would be set in Las Vegas and be played in the week following the Elite Eight.
FOX currently holds regular season media rights deals with the involved conferences, but does not have college basketball inventory during the sport’s postseason. CBS and Warner Bros Discovery currently hold rights to the men’s NCAA Tournament while ESPN holds rights to the NIT and women’s NCAA tournament.
The proposed tournament would not compete with any NCAA Tournament games, but would be a substantial blow to the NIT if power conference teams opted for FOX’s tournament instead. (The Messenger, 9.11)
