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Stole this from Valley Board............
ESPN has added a Valley lover to its broadcast crew
ESPN's Stephen Bardo came to Wichita earlier this month to learn about the Wichita State basketball team. He is friends with university president Don Beggs, so his education didn't stop at Koch Arena.
Bardo spent the night at Beggs' house and toured the campus and the city.
"He got the 'A' tour," Beggs said, meaning Bardo now knows the importance of aviation to the city and the university. "I marked my calendar off when I found out Stephen was coming in."
Bardo, who will do color commentary on Saturday's WSU-George Mason game on ESPN2, watched WSU's exhibition against Emporia State and talked to coach Mark Turgeon as part of his preparation. He grew up in Carbondale, Ill., as the Beggs' backyard neighbor. He played shooting guard for Carbondale High; Brent Beggs, Don's son, played point guard.
"I called them my other family," Bardo said. "I was running through their house, and he was running through my house."
Some members of the national media are just getting to know the Missouri Valley Conference. Last season, perhaps for the first time, it became required.
That's not the case with Bardo, who grew up with the MVC. Southern Illinois' Joe C. Meriweather and Mike Glenn. Maurice Cheeks of West Texas State. Cheese Johnson, Aubrey Sherrod and Antoine Carr of Wichita State. Bardo remembers them well from his seat at SIU Arena.
"I'm a Valley guy," he said. "I told (ESPN), any time you've got a Valley opportunity, I'm all over it."
Bardo, 38, may do the WSU-Northern Iowa game Jan. 30 on ESPN2. That's part of the growing presence he will have this season on the ESPN networks. He will do West Coast Conference games on Big Monday. He will be in the Midwest for the Big 12 or Big Ten on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Thursdays, he teams with Fran Fraschilla in the studio.
"It's a dream job for me," Bardo said. "I've always wanted to do something like this."
Bardo played on the 1989 Illinois team that reached the Final Four. He finished his basketball career in Japan in 2000 and started with ESPN International. Last season, he did the UNI-Bucknell Bracket Buster game and NCAA Tournament games on CBS.
ESPN has added a Valley lover to its broadcast crew
ESPN's Stephen Bardo came to Wichita earlier this month to learn about the Wichita State basketball team. He is friends with university president Don Beggs, so his education didn't stop at Koch Arena.
Bardo spent the night at Beggs' house and toured the campus and the city.
"He got the 'A' tour," Beggs said, meaning Bardo now knows the importance of aviation to the city and the university. "I marked my calendar off when I found out Stephen was coming in."
Bardo, who will do color commentary on Saturday's WSU-George Mason game on ESPN2, watched WSU's exhibition against Emporia State and talked to coach Mark Turgeon as part of his preparation. He grew up in Carbondale, Ill., as the Beggs' backyard neighbor. He played shooting guard for Carbondale High; Brent Beggs, Don's son, played point guard.
"I called them my other family," Bardo said. "I was running through their house, and he was running through my house."
Some members of the national media are just getting to know the Missouri Valley Conference. Last season, perhaps for the first time, it became required.
That's not the case with Bardo, who grew up with the MVC. Southern Illinois' Joe C. Meriweather and Mike Glenn. Maurice Cheeks of West Texas State. Cheese Johnson, Aubrey Sherrod and Antoine Carr of Wichita State. Bardo remembers them well from his seat at SIU Arena.
"I'm a Valley guy," he said. "I told (ESPN), any time you've got a Valley opportunity, I'm all over it."
Bardo, 38, may do the WSU-Northern Iowa game Jan. 30 on ESPN2. That's part of the growing presence he will have this season on the ESPN networks. He will do West Coast Conference games on Big Monday. He will be in the Midwest for the Big 12 or Big Ten on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Thursdays, he teams with Fran Fraschilla in the studio.
"It's a dream job for me," Bardo said. "I've always wanted to do something like this."
Bardo played on the 1989 Illinois team that reached the Final Four. He finished his basketball career in Japan in 2000 and started with ESPN International. Last season, he did the UNI-Bucknell Bracket Buster game and NCAA Tournament games on CBS.
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