Katie O'Grady no longer has to worry about shutting down Notre Dame's Jacqueline Batteast or Louisville's Jazz Covington.
Her biggest competition comes in the form of not dwelling on a verbal turnover as the analyst for the women's basketball team this season.
"If I mess up on something I will continue to run on the same point and keep correcting it," she said. "I have to learn to drop it because sometimes I overemphasize what I just said."
O'Grady was approached about the job after last season by head coach Terri Mitchell, and though a little hesitant at first, she accepted.
Kent Sommerfield, radio play-by-play announcer of the women's basketball team and director of the Marquette Basketball Radio Network, had been looking for additional announcing help.
"They wanted a former player to have a solid position for home games, so I accepted," O'Grady said. "When they first asked me I was a little hesitant because I had no radio experience, but I am a communication studies major, I am pretty outgoing and I feel I know the game pretty well."
O'Grady, a Chicago native, finished up her four years playing by helping to lead the team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Some of the things she learned as a member of the team have helped her switch roles to the broadcast side.
"With basketball, time management was a huge thing entering college," she said. "From managing classes, practices, to being packed before road games, time management was important.
"Your people skills are also improved after playing college basketball. It has improved how I speak to people."
O'Grady is joined for game broadcasts by Sommerfield, who is in his third year as the Golden Eagles' play-by-play man and his 16th as producer and engineer on the men's basketball broadcasts.
Working with someone who has as much experience as Sommerfield has been beneficial to the first-year color analyst.
"Kent has been great to work with," O'Grady said. "He is so patient, he does such a great job announcing, and he is so well organized when it comes to the broadcasts."
Through the young season, O'Grady has been able to watch all of the team's home games and some of its practices. What O'Grady has noticed is their ability to play as a team.
"The team has played total team ball up to this point where there is no player who is going to overtake a game," she said. "Their ability to work together and their whole team effort will take them far."
Iowa 78, Marquette 72
In their game versus Iowa the Golden Eagles had three players in double figures, but it was not enough as the team lost 78-72.
The Golden Eagles were led by sophomore forward Danielle Kamm, who finished the game with 18 points. Joining Kamm in the double figures club was junior guard Carolyn Kieger and sophomore forward Chirstina Quaye, both of whom finished with 17.
The two teams were tied at 32 late in the first half, but a lay-up by Iowa's Krista VandeVenter ignited a 9-0 run by the Hawkeyes to close out the first half.
The Golden Eagles cut the lead to one after trailing by as many as 14 with 3:44 left to play in the game on a free throw by Quaye, but it was the closest they would come as Iowa came away with the victory.
With the loss, the Golden Eagles fall to 5-2, while Iowa improves to 7-0 on the season.
This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Dec. 9 2004.
