NEW YORK – This Week In The BIG EAST Radio Show, distributed by Westwood One is in its eighth season as the official podcast of BIG EAST basketball. The fourth episode of the season welcomes St. John’s junior forward Julian Champagnie, BIG EAST executive associate commissioner Stu Jackson and basketball analyst Andy Katz.
TWITBE welcomes St. John’s Julian Champagnie in the BIG EAST Spotlight, discussing how he handles the pressure of leading the Red Storm. Despite being the focus of every defensive gameplan, the junior leads the conference in scoring in BIG EAST action with 18.3 ppg, while ranking second in the BIG EAST and 32nd nationally with 19.5 ppg over 18 contests.
The BIG EAST Focus shines on the conference’s executive associate commissioner Stu Jackson who discusses the second half of the BIG EAST schedule slated for February. In addition, he gives some insider perspectives of the challenges of rescheduling games and the added effects it has across the conference and nation.
FOX Sports basketball analyst Andy Katz gives a view on the national perspective. He takes time to discuss the extra year of eligibility granted to student-athletes and the effect the transfer portal has had on the 2021-22 basketball season. With familiar faces connected to new teams, players and philosophies, he talks about what it has meant this year, as well as future impacts.
The episode’s “Who’s Hot” segment features the return of “Blast from the Past” reliving the greatest moments of 40 years at Madison Square Garden. This week, return to the 1996 BIG EAST Tournament where UConn’s Ray Allen fired an off-balance jump shot late in the game that gave the Huskies a 75-74 lead. Seconds later, Georgetown’s Allen Iverson had a good look, before his teammate Jerome Williams had a follow up attempt, but both came up just short as UConn claimed its second BIG EAST title.
The returning hosts for This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) are John Rooke, a longtime BIG EAST play-by-play voice, and Kevin McNamara, BIG EAST radio host, columnist and author. Rooke and McNamara give a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode.
To join the conversation and send questions to Rooke (@JRbroadcaster) and McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33), use #TWITBE on Twitter. Fans may submit questions to be featured on the show.
Please subscribe, rate and review to keep #TWITBE top of the podcast charts.
The show will air on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 11 a.m. ET on Sirius 134, XM 201 and Online 964, leading into the Xavier broadcast of Xavier @ Creighton.