Belmont University Athletics has announced the broadcasters for its upcoming men’s and women’s basketball seasons.

The broadcasters include, Belmont alumna Emily Proud, returning voices like Rich Tiner and Steve Layman and former basketball players like Jenny Roy and Ellie Harmeyer.

Here is the full list of Bruin Sports Network broadcasters that will appear for this season of Belmont basketball:

Steve Layman returns for his second season as lead broadcaster for Belmont men’s basketball. An award-winning broadcaster, Layman is a Nashville sports fixture in his role as sports anchor at NewsChannel 5 (WTVF-TV), the CBS affiliate in Nashville. Beyond calling Belmont games and serving as emcee at various campus events, Layman will also host a new podcast series on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeartRadio. Layman came to Nashville after spending five years as sports director at KOKI-TV in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Previously, Layman served as a play-by-play announcer for University of Illinois Athletics on the Illini Sports Network and radio co-host of Sports Talk on WDWS-AM in Champaign, Illinois. He covered Illinois men’s basketball during its historic 2005 National Runner-Up season. Layman has been honored for best sportscast by the Associated Press and the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. He also received three OAB Awards for best sports special for his role as host and producer. The Illinois native has been a regular guest host on Nashville sports talk radio.

Emily Proud (’16) returns as lead sideline reporter for home Bruin Sports Network and ESPN digital broadcasts. Proud recently joined CBS Sports and 247Sports as a studio host and anchor. She previously served as weekend evening news anchor and sports reporter at WKRN-TV. Proud was named ‘Top 30 Sportscaster Under 30’ by the Sportscasters Talent Agency of America. The Knoxville, Tennessee native began her career at WATE-TV. A four-year letterwinner on the Belmont women’s soccer team, Proud graduated from Belmont University with honors in journalism, sports and media in 2016.

Dr. Rich Tiner returns as the voice of Belmont women’s basketball. Tiner retired as a distinguished professor of media studies and faculty athletics representative in May 2021. In his over two decades at the mic of Belmont Athletics, Tiner has called 18 Belmont NCAA Tournament games across women’s basketball, baseball and volleyball, including the Bruins’ victories over Gonzaga and Oregon. The Texas native also served on the NCAA Division I Council. Considered one of the “pioneers” of Contemporary Christian Music radio, Tiner began his career in Houston, Texas at KFMK-FM, one of the very first radio stations to program Contemporary Christian Music full-time. After several years as an air personality, his career path led him into programming, sales, and management–and ultimately into station ownership.

Greg Sage returns for his 18th season as lead color analyst for men’s basketball. Sage has been honored for outstanding writing by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association and for professionalism in announcing by the Ohio Valley Conference. Prior to Belmont, Sage worked as a producer at The Golf Channel in Orlando, and a sports anchor/reporter/producer at two affiliates in his hometown of Rochester, New York. Aside from covering NFL games and calling hundreds of college games throughout his career, Sage also served as a fill-in radio talk show host for ‘The Takeo Spikes Show’ on the Buffalo Bills Radio Network.  He earned his master’s degree in broadcast journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Jenny Roy returns for her fourth season as color analyst for select women’s basketball games. One of the most versatile players in Belmont and Ohio Valley Conference history, Roy helped the Bruins to a 108-26 record and four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2016-19. She was named 2019 OVC Tournament Most Valuable Player and celebrated her 22nd birthday by recording the third triple-double in program history. Roy finished her Belmont career with 1,029 points, 892 rebounds, 489 assists and 128 steals.

Ellie Harmeyer returns for her third season as color analyst for select women’s basketball games. Like Roy, Harmeyer was a member of four consecutive NCAA Tournament teams and emerged as one of the top frontcourt players in the country in 2020. The Wisconsin native led the nation in five statistical categories as a redshirt senior as she was named Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year. A two-time First Team All-OVC selection, Harmeyer became the third player in Belmont history to register over 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

Hannah Harmeyer returns for her fourth season as color analyst for select women’s basketball games. A three-year letterwinner during Belmont’s run of NCAA Tournament success, the Wisconsin native played in 57 games and shot 50 percent from 3-point field goal range for her career.

Hanley Riggs returns for her third year with the Bruin Sports Network as a sideline reporter, and second as lead sideline reporter for women’s basketball. The Belmont senior broadcast journalism major has been a regular contributor to Bruin digital ESPN productions in Olympic sports. The Tampa, Florida native serves as lead anchor and social media editor for Belmont University student media, Belmont Vision and has spent time as an intern with the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators, Sirius XM, ESPN 102.5 The Game and Ryan Seacrest Studios.

Jay Gilmore returns for his second season as a sideline reporter for select games. A veteran broadcaster whose work includes time at affiliates in Atlanta, West Palm Beach and Huntsville, Gilmore has covered NBA championship runs by the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. He most recently contributed to Tiger Sports Properties for the University of Memphis. No stranger to the Nashville market, the Middle Tennessee State University graduate has been featured on MyTV30 high school sports coverage and began his career at NewsChannel5. Gilmore serves as an instructor of journalism within the Belmont media studies program.

Noah Syverson (SEE-ver-son) returns for his second season with the Bruin Sports Network, serving as a contributor and sideline reporter for select men’s basketball games. Syverson, who called the Nashville SC regular season home finale for iHeartRadio, has been the lead broadcaster for Belmont Volleyball the past two seasons and lent his voice to baseball, women’s basketball and soccer. The Berry College graduate holds extensive experience in baseball play-by-play, serving as lead voice for the Johnson City Doughboys and Macon Bacon, and was the play-by-play voice of the Northwest Georgia high school Game of the Week. The Washington state native is completing his master’s degree in sport administration from Belmont University.

Michelle Knezovic (kuh-NEZZ-uh-vick) joins the Bruin Sports Network team in 2022-23 as a sideline reporter for select games. Producer and co-host of Robby & Rexrode on ESPN 102.5 The Game, the New York native covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville Predators and Nashville area college teams. Knezovic hosts a weekly college basketball show and podcast and serves as an adjunct instructor at Middle Tennessee State University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Ben Sheppard Named To MVC Preseason Squad, Belmont Picked To Finish Sixth

Belmont University men’s basketball has been picked sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll and senior Ben Sheppard was named Preseason First Team All-MVC.

“These are interesting times for Belmont,” says Belmont head coach Casey Alexander. “We’re in a new conference, with a lot of new players, facing a lot of great teams also integrating new players. We’re excited to see how we measure up. As for Ben, any time you’re the best offensive player and the best defensive player on a good team, that warrants special recognition. Ben Sheppard is that guy for us.”

The last time Belmont was tapped to finish sixth or higher in a conference preseason poll was 2001-02, as the Bruins were picked seventh in the Atlantic Sun Conference preseason poll–Belmont’s first season in an NCAA Division I conference.

Sheppard established himself as one of the most impactful two-way players in college basketball last season. Named All-OVC First Team, Sheppard averaged a team-leading 16.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Belmont starts its season against Ohio University on Nov. 7 at the Curb Event Center in Nashville.

2022-23 MVC Men’s Basketball Preseason Predicted Order of Finish:

School (First-Place Votes) 
1. Drake (52)
2. Bradley (1)
3. Southern Illinois (1)
4. Missouri State
5. Northern Iowa
6. Belmont
7. Indiana State
8. Murray State
9. Valparaiso
10. Illinois State
11. UIC
12. Evansville

 

 

Vanderbilt Picked To Finish 12th In SEC Preseason Poll

Despite a successful 2021-22 season, the Vanderbilt men’s basketball team was picked to finish 12th in this year’s SEC Basketball Preseason Poll.

The Commodores are coming off a solid season where they finished 19-17 overall, 7-11 in conference and made it to the NIT quarterfinals where they fell to the eventual champions Xavier. Vandy finished 11th in the SEC standings.

Vanderbilt will look a bit different without their all-conference star Scotty Pippen Jr. who left school to pursue a professional career. However, players like Liam Robbins, Quentin Millora-Brown and Jordan Wright will be returning for their senior years.

The ‘Dores kick off their season against Memphis at Memorial Gym on Nov. 7 in Nashville.

 

 

Vols Basketball Ranked No. 11, Three Players Named To Preseason Team 

Tennessee basketball is set to  start another fantastic season as they’re ranked No. 11 in the Preseason AP Top 25 and have been picked to finish third in the SEC Preseason Poll.

It marks the fourth time in the past five seasons that Tennessee has been ranked preseason and the 17th time in program history that the Vols have been ranked as a preseason top-25 team. The No. 11 ranking is UT’s highest preseason ranking since being ranked No. 6 prior to the 2018-19 season.

The Volunteers spent the entirety of the 2021-22 season—19 weeks—ranked in the AP Poll last season, including rising all the way to No. 5 in the final rankings of the season.

Along with the team accolades, All-SEC stars Josiah-Jordan James, Santagi Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler have been named to the SEC Preseason teams with Vescovi being named the First Team and James and Zelger being named to the Second Team.

Tennessee is scheduled to face at least six of the AP Preseason ranked teams during the regular season: No. 4 Kentucky, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 12 Texas, No. 15 Auburn, No. 17 Arizona and No. 20 Alabama. The Vols start their season on Nov. 7 against Tennessee Tech at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.

SEC Predicted Order Of Finish
1. Kentucky
2. Arkansas
3. Tennessee
4. Auburn
5. Alabama
6. Texas A&M
7. Florida
8. LSU
9. Ole Miss
10. Mississippi State
11. Missouri
12. Vanderbilt
13. Georgia
14. South Carolina

College basketball season is just a few weeks away and the Belmont women’s basketball team is looking at what could be another historic, and potentially championship, season.

The Bruins won both the Ohio Valley Conference Regular Season Title, as well as the OVC Tournament title last season behind sophomore superstar and OVC Tournament MVP Destinee Wells. For this reason, Belmont have been picked to finish first in the Missouri Valley Conference this season–their first in the MVC.

Wells was also named the MVC Preseason Player of the Year after a brilliant 2021-22 season where she averaged 16.7 ppg, 4.5 apg, 122 rebounds and shooting 45 percent from the field. She is also a member of the 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List and Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Watch List.

The Bruins received 32 of 44 possible first-place votes in the MVC preseason poll and return three first-team all-conference selections in juniors Madison Bartley and Tuti Jones. With seven of its top nine scorers in 2021-22 back, Belmont features five newcomers, including transfers Kendal Cheesman (Vanderbilt) and Sydni Harvey (South Florida).

Belmont also received 14 votes in NCAA women’s basketball Associated Press Preseason Top 25 Poll, the most votes ever received to start a season. They are the only MVC program represented in the preseason national media poll.

A pair of top 10 opponents are on the Bruins’ non-conference schedule with Belmont hosting preseason No. 7 Louisville on Nov. 13 to close out the opening week of the season. The Bruins travel to preseason No. 4 Iowa the following Sunday (Nov. 20) before possibly facing No. 18 Baylor and No. 25 Michigan in the 2022 Gulf Coast Showcase form Nov. 25-27 in Estero, Florida.

Additionally, both Villanova and Georgia received votes in the preseason AP Top 25. The Bruins take on the Wildcats in the Sunshine State to begin the Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 25 and Belmont travels to Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, Dec. 17.

With one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, the Bruins face no fewer than 11 20-win programs from a year ago and at least 12 teams who made a national postseason tournament last March. Belmont is slated to play seven 2022 NCAA Tournament squads and hosts ACC mainstay Georgia Tech (Dec. 4), in addition to reigning Final Four participant Louisville.