At last, Athletes Unlimited issued a statement announcing its multimedia coverage for the first year of AU Basketball this week. Soon, fans will get to see players like current Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud, 10-year WNBA veteran Sydney Colson, and forward Tamera Young on TV.
Fox Sports will carry 14 of the 30 games this season while CBS Sports Network spotlight three games. Moreover, the RSNs (regional sports networks) of Bally Sports will show eight games.
Correspondingly, five AU Basketball matchups can be seen all over their social media platforms as they will live-streamed through AU’s Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter accounts. What’s more, the announce team for AU Basketball’s inaugural season is as experienced as it gets.
AU Play-By-Play: Cindy Brunson
Brunson was a studio host and anchor for ESPN for 13 years. She is presently working as part of the broadcast team for the Pac-12 Networks as a football and men’s basketball sideline reporter and women’s basketball play-by-play announcer. In addition, Brunson is a play-by-play commentator and analyst for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, a position she has held since May 2013.
AU Color Commentator: Carol Ross
Ross is a former head coach of the Florida Gators (1990-2002) and the Ole Miss Rebels (2003-2007) women’s basketball teams. Overall, she had a record 324-171 (.655) with 11 appearances in the NCAA tournament. Next, Ross was an assistant for the Atlanta Dream from 2009-2011 before the Los Angeles Sparks hired her in 2012.
The Sparks went 24-10 in her first two years on the sidelines and won Coach of the Year in 2012. Surprisingly, Ross was fired by the team in 2014 with 14 games left in the season. She went 58-32 (.644) in her two-plus seasons in the WNBA.
AU Color Commentator: Sheryl Swoopes
By all means, Sheryl Swoopes is one of the best players in the history of the WNBA and was the first player signed into the league in 1997. She played 12 WNBA seasons, 10 of which with the Houston Comets. Swoopes played one season each with the Seattle Storm and Tulsa Shock. Swoopes is a three-time Olympic Gold medalist and a four-time WNBA champion.
As shown above, she is a decorated player who is in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Swoopes also served as a color commentator for her alma mater Texas Tech.
Where to Watch AU Basketball
The AU Basketball season will run from January 26 to February 26. All 30 games will happen at the AU Arena at the Sports Center of Las Vegas. Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday features two games, for five the five-week season.
AU’s Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter platforms stream the first game at 8:00 PM ET. CBS Sports Network has the second game at 11:00 PM. ET. Given these points, the first year of AU Basketball should be a complete success.
Beyond Women’s Sports will provide coverage for Athletes Unlimited basketball. Follow BWS and LaDarius Brown on Twitter for more updates.
