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WILDCATS BEHIND THE MIC
a-Alex Flanagan, an Arizona and Salpointe Catholic grad, is an NFL sideline reporter for NBC and studio anchor for the NFL network. She is married to former Arizona basketball player Kevin Flanagan.
b-Ryan Hansen is an Arizona grad who was a coordinator of basketball operations under Lute Olson from 1997 to 2005.
b-Dan Hicks, a Tucson native, also attended Arizona. He also broadcasts Notre Dame football games and the Olympics for NBC.
c-Todd Walsh was an Arizona basketball manager during the formative years of the Olson era.
Note: Terry Francona was a commentator for ESPN before re-joining baseball as the manager of the Cleveland Indians. Steve Kerr broadcast NBA games on TBS and college basketball for CBS before his hire as Golden State head coach. Luke Walton broadcast college games for Fox last year before Kerr hired him as an assistant coach. Some former Arizona standouts who have served as broadcasters in the past include Bob Elliott, Joe Nehls and Chuck Cecil.
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Site founder and award-winning sports journalist Javier Morales has published his first e-book, “The Highest Form of Living”, a fiction piece about a young man who overcomes a troubled upbringing without his lost father and wayward mother through basketball and hope. His hope is realized through the sport he loves. Basketball enables him to get past his fears. His experience on the court indirectly brings him closer to his parents in a unique, heartfelt way. Please order it at Amazon (for only $4.99) by clicking on the photo:
Former Arizona softball standout Taryne Mowatt tweeted this morning that she will join ESPN’s SEC Network as an analyst for college softball games.
Mowatt’s tweet on Twitter: “I am thrilled to announce that I will be doing the color commentating for the SEC Network at the U. of South Carolina on Mar 5th & Apr 21st!”
Mowatt, one of Arizona’s most dominant pitchers in the program’s history, led the Wildcats to the 2007 Women’s College World Series title. She ended her career with 1,267 strikeouts, second best for the Wildcats and fifth in the Pac-10 at that time.
Another Arizona softball pitching legend, Jennie Finch, has broadcast games for ESPN since 2011.
Earlier this month, former Arizona swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen joined the group of former Arizona students and athletes who are in the booth this year with her analysis of swimming on the Pac-12 Networks. Her inspiring story of working her way back seven months removed from a life-threatening ATV accident that left her paralyzed was documented recently on USA Today.
“I want people to know that this injury affected my legs, but not my brain or my mouth,” Van Dyken said. “So, let’s go and have fun with it.”
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He has also written articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.