Play-by-player commentator Ryan Ruocco has been involved in ESPN’s women’s basketball coverage since 2013, mostly on the WNBA side. Now, he’s going to be the network’s lead women’s college basketball commentator, joining analyst Rebecca Lobo and reporter Holly Rowe.
The trio will call women’s college basketball games through the winter and spring as well as during the 2021 NCAA Women’s Tournament and Final Four, presuming they happen as scheduled.
“It’s an honor to call the Women’s Final Four and championship games for women’s college basketball on ESPN,” said Ruocco in a statement from ESPN. “Since beginning my WNBA broadcast career in 2013, I’ve had the privilege of working with these athletes in their professional careers, but have never had the opportunity to document their collegiate journey, until now. I am elated to work alongside the legendary Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe, two of my longtime colleagues who have become great friends. We are excited to continue championing women’s basketball and can’t wait to share the stories behind the next generation of elite athletes.”
Ruocco, Lobo. and Lowe all have a long history of working together so there won’t be any kind of adjustment period. He replaces Adam Amin in the role, who left ESPN in May for a position at Fox.
“We just love working together, we are incredibly close friends,” Ruocco told Newsday. “I think Holly and Rebecca are amazing at what they do and they care so much. It matters so much to them to continue to promote this sport and to tell these women’s stories. They are incredible at their jobs.”
Ruocco has been with ESPN since 2008 and also works on NBA programming as well as periodically on college football and NFL coverage for the networks and ESPN Radio. NBA viewers might remember the way he called out Grayson Allen for being, well Grayson Allen, during NBA Summer League coverage in 2019.
