Shane Battier is retiring after this season and a final run with the Miami Heat. And with his playing career almost wrapped up, a second career as a television analyst looks like a certainty. The Big Lead is reporting that Battier has agreed to a deal with ESPN to be a college basketball analyst for the network.
Now the speculation can begin on Battier’s best fit at the network. He could be used as one of the top game analysts, but ESPN’s college basketball lineup is one of the best and deepest in all of sports. From Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale to Mike Tirico and Dan Dakich to Brent Musburger and Fran Fraschilla to Sean McDonough and Jay Bilas to Dave Pasch and Bill Walton. All over the country ESPN has not just good but great broadcast pairings. Right now the only game slot that might be a good fit for Battier would be SEC games with Brad Nessler now that Jimmy Dykes has left to coach the Arkansas women’s basketball program.
Therefore, Battier’s best fit could be the studio where he would step right in on College GameDay and fill the seat that has been held by the retiring Digger Phelps for years.
Wherever Shane Battier lands, I’m more confident in him being a television success than perhaps any other former player. He’s incredibly smart and has a very underrated sense of humor. It wouldn’t be just a good, but a great hire by ESPN.