ESPN, which plans to broadcast more than 7,000 men’s and women’s college basketball games this season, has made a historic move for basketball “College GameDay.”
Andraya Carter, who has signed a multi-year extension with the network, will become the first woman to have a full-time role on the basketball pregame show, Front Office Sports has learned.
“Covering this great game, discussing talented players and teams all across the country, and spending time in arenas with fans are all things I will never take for granted,” Carter told FOS. “‘GameDay’ is an opportunity to do all of that and more at the highest level of college basketball week to week.”
Carter isn’t the only prominent women’s basketball analyst and reporter gaining a crossover role into the men’s game this season. Carolyn Peck, one of the network’s staples for women’s college basketball, will also call men’s basketball matchups through 2023-24.
Host Rece Davis and analysts Jay Bilas, Dan Shulman, and Seth Greenberg will return to “College GameDay,” which is launching its 20th season in January. Jay Williams will return after a brief hiatus.
Over the summer, the network laid off LaPhonso Ellis, who had been part of the show since 2019-20, FOS previously reported.
Despite financial woes and job cuts, the network has re-upped several contracts in addition to Carter’s. Bilas and Peck have also signed multi-year extensions. Financial terms were not disclosed.
