Jalen Rose Might Be Replacing Hubert Davis on ESPN College Basketball Gameday (and Other ESPN Scuttl
By Jason McIntyre
Jalen Rose, the former Fab 5 point guard and Indiana Pacer, is likely going to be added to ESPN’s College Basketball Gameday show for the 2012-2013 season, according to a source. Rose will replace Hubert Davis, who left in May to become an assistant coach at UNC. The deal isn’t complete, but it should be in the coming weeks.
Rose has had an interesting year at the network – he’s become one of ESPN’s most visible NBA analysts, but last July he served 20 days in jail for a DUI. (Rose never told his superiors about the arrest, which led to some awkward moments when the news broke.) Rose’s popularity soared when he stitched a clown suit on the biggest imbecile at ESPN, and also when this video of him and Sage Steele “chatting” went viral.
Rose’s selection may come as a surprise to some; when Davis departed, the early popular sentiment was that Doug Gottlieb or Jay Williams would be a natural fit on the show. Rose should do well. Hubert Davis was a solid pro on the show, and occasionally sparred with Jay Bilas. Rose is much more prone to confrontation and should butt heads with Bilas often.
Other ESPN Rumormongering:
– Ryan Burr, a prominent college football and basketball host, is in discussions with NBC/Golf Channel and could be leaving ESPN. Burr, who will be part of ESPN’s Wimbledon’s coverage beginning Monday, is the latest ESPN employee that NBC is pursing (there will be plenty more this summer.) You may recall Burr as the guy who sent Nerlens Noel this tweet.
– Seth Greenberg, the recently-ousted Virginia Tech coach, has purchased a home in Avon, Connecticut. Distance to Bristol: 14 miles. He did some work for ESPN during the NCAA tournament. Yup, he’s joining ESPN full-time, and an announcement is expected this summer. Greenberg, who made for compelling TV every year Virginia Tech was snubbed from the NCAA tournament, will be a college basketball analyst. A source said that ESPN has added Greenberg with an eye on replacing Digger Phelps (who turns 71 on July 4) on Gameday in the coming years. That is assuming Greenberg doesn’t return to coaching.