ESPN announced its extensive college basketball broadcasting team for the upcoming season, and some prominent faces are returning to the network.
Headlining that group is LaPhonso Ellis, who was part of ESPN’s wide-ranging layoffs in the summer of 2023 but is now returning. Ellis originally joined ESPN in 2009 as a college basketball analyst, calling games and working in the studio for the network. The former Notre Dame big man was also a fixture on College GameDay for several years before leaving in 2023. Jay Williams eventually filled his slot and is expected to retain it this season, though Thursday’s press release offered no details about GameDay. After leaving ESPN, Ellis landed at Big Ten Network, where he served as a game analyst for the past three years.
Another former ESPNer is also returning to the Worldwide Leader this season: Steve Lavin. Lavin was fired by the University of San Diego in the middle of his fourth season last February after his team went 11-17. The veteran coach and broadcaster, who made his most notable stops at St. John’s and UCLA, worked as a college basketball analyst for ESPN from 2003 to 2010. Before joining the San Diego job, Lavin worked as a studio analyst for Fox Sports from 2015 to 2022. He also contributed to TNT Sports’ NCAA Tournament coverage between 2017 and 2022.
Among other new faces at ESPN are former Virginia standout Malcolm Brogdon and Jason Capel, the brother of Pitt head coach Jeff Capel, who served as an assistant for the Panthers for eight years under his brother. Brogdon will make his ESPN debut as a studio analyst, while Capel will serve as a game analyst after a year on television for Raycom Sports during the 2007-08 season.
One notable pickup on the women’s side is Stacey Dales. The senior national reporter at NFL Network will now call women’s college basketball games as an analyst. Dales was a two-time All-American at Oklahoma and led the Sooners to a national championship in 2002. She covered a variety of sports at ESPN from 2002 to 2008.
ESPN’s top teams will remain the same as last year; Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Kris Budden will lead the men’s side, while Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, and Holly Rowe will fill the same roles for the women.
The network’s full college basketball talent roster, including early game assignments, is available here.
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