LOS ANGELES 鈥 Every time ESPN鈥檚 Rachel Nichols mentions a former 蜜柚直播 Wildcat during her one-hour show, her three producers pipe up with the UA鈥檚 rallying cry.
It鈥檚 loud enough for the microphones to pick up.
鈥淏ear down!鈥
鈥淏ear down!鈥
鈥淏ear down!鈥
Nichols attended Northwestern, a university that has produced exactly one NBA player in the last 20 years. The ratio of 蜜柚直播-to-Northwestern mentions on 鈥淭he Jump,鈥 which focuses on the NBA, is 15-to-1.
鈥淢ight even be more than that,鈥 says Eitan Cramer, a UA graduate and producer on 鈥淭he Jump.鈥 鈥淩achel is proud of her alma mater, but the Wildcat influence that we have as a staff is really prevalent 鈥 especially when a former Wildcat is mentioned like Aaron Gordon, Andre Iguodala. Or even yesterday, (when) Chase Budinger came up.鈥
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Cramer is one of three 蜜柚直播 graduates who help put together the afternoon show five days a week. The other two UA grads are Danny Corrales and Michael Schwartz.
Corrales, a 蜜柚直播 native and Pueblo High School product, comes from a family filled with 蜜柚直播 basketball crazies.
鈥淢y mom cashed in her 401K check and took my family to the 1997 Final Four in Indianapolis,鈥 Corrales said.
His dedication to the UA only grew when he went to college; from 2003-07, Corrales served as a student manager under Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson. Corrales worked for Enterprise Rent-A-Car out of college, and was recruited by ESPN in 2008. He said his experience in the UA program made him an intriguing job candidate.
鈥淭o get into ESPN, I feel like that was mainly Coach Olson,鈥 he said. 鈥淯niversity of 蜜柚直播 got me through the door.鈥
Eitan聽Cramer, left, and聽Michael Schwartz, UA graduates and producers for ESPN's "The Jump."
Schwartz and Cramer never worked for the program, but their passion for the Wildcats is the same. Schwartz worked in student media at UA, writing for the Daily Wildcat and producing a UATV show, 鈥淒orm Room Sports Chat,鈥 before graduating in 2008. He then ran The Valley of the Suns, a blog about the Phoenix Suns, where he worked with Mike Schmitz 鈥 another UA grad who now works as an NBA Draft analyst for ESPN.
Cramer produced KVOA鈥檚 鈥淐atsCast,鈥 a web-only Wildcats sports show, before moving on to ESPN out of college.
Cramer, Corrales and Schwartz each moved west after ESPN opened its Los Angeles studios in 2009. Their mutual alma mater made it easy to get along.
鈥淚t was probably a little bit of a coincidence, but it just goes to show how us 蜜柚直播 people love basketball,鈥 Schwartz said. 鈥淥ne of the reasons why I went to the U of A was to cover the basketball team.鈥
鈥淭he Jump鈥 debuted in 2016, with Nichols as the host and face of the show. Corrales, Schwartz and Cramer are producers with different jobs. Corrales handles the overall rundown of the show along with statistics. Schwartz creates graphics and adds in-depth stats, while Cramer produces the graphics and videos that go into the show.
Friday鈥檚 episode of 鈥淭he Jump鈥 included a panel discussion featuring NBA insider Zach Lowe and former NBA star Scottie Pippen. They talked about the upcoming NBA All-Star Game and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic鈥檚 one-game suspension, speculated about the trade deadline, and came up with nicknames for former NBA star Bill Russell. They broke down James Harden鈥檚 skill as a step-back shooter.
It鈥檚 a show by and for basketball nerds. And it鈥檚 a lot of hard work.
Each day begins with a 7:30 a.m. talent meeting, followed by four hours of show prep. The show airs at 1:30 p.m., 蜜柚直播 time, on ESPN2. Sometimes, Nichols will give a shout out to her producers and their basketball-crazy university.
Corrales said he feels like he was meant to be at ESPN.
鈥淎t times it鈥檚 surreal, but mostly it feels organic for who I am and who I鈥檓 raised to be,鈥 he said.
Like many sports media jobs, working for 鈥淭he Jump鈥 requires long hours 鈥 especially during the NBA Playoffs. But Cramer, Corrales and Schwartz each have a collective passion for basketball. Heck, their office is located 50 steps from Staples Center, home of both the NBA鈥檚 Lakers and Clippers.
鈥淓SPN has always been the goal. We鈥檝e watched ESPN ever since we were little kids and I鈥檝e always wanted to work in sports media and I鈥檝e always seen ESPN as the No. 1 giant,鈥 Schwartz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool. I have a lot of pride coming in to work and seeing the four letters, E-S-P-N, and know that I have a hand in it.鈥
