Friday, February 17, 2023
– Tom Konchalski Named Winner of 2023 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award –
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the recipients of the 2023 Curt Gowdy Media Award and John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award at NBA All-Star Weekend.
ESPN reporter and play-by-play commentator Holly Rowe, ESPN and Andscape senior NBA writer Marc Spears and CBS Sports are the 2023 Curt Gowdy Media Award recipients. High school scout Tom Konchalski is the recipient of the 2023 John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Curt Gowdy Media Award is named in honor of the late Curt Gowdy, a legendary sports broadcaster and former Hall of Fame Board member and President. This prestigious award is presented to members of the print, electronic and transformative media whose efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball.
The Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award was instituted by the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Board of Trustees in 1973 and is the most prestigious award presented by the Hall of Fame outside of Enshrinement. Named in honor of Hall of Famer John W. Bunn (Class of 1964), the first chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame Committee who served from 1949-64, the award honors coaches, players, and contributors whose outstanding accomplishments have impacted the high school, college, professional and/or the international game.
Rowe, Spears, CBS Sports and Konchalski will be acknowledged for their contributions to basketball during the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend on August 11-12. For further details, including ticket information, visit hoophall.com/events/enshrinement-2023.
Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award Winner – Holly Rowe
Holly Rowe joined ESPN in 1998 and has primarily served as a play-by-play announcer for women’s basketball and volleyball, along with serving as a sideline reporter in 17 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournaments. In addition to her play-by-play duties, Rowe has been a fixture on college football sidelines since joining ESPN, including patrolling the benches during the College Football Playoffs, and contributing to the network’s volleyball, softball, NBA, and WNBA broadcasts.
Rowe, a melanoma survivor, attended Brigham Young University where she started her career in front of the lens as a news anchor at the campus TV station. She later graduated from the University of Utah and worked with FOX Sports, calling women’s college basketball games. In 2021, Rowe made Utah Jazz history as the team’s first female color commentator in a game against the Sacramento Kings, and the following year, she took home her first Sports Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Personality/Reporter.’
Curt Gowdy Print Media Award Winner – Marc Spears
In 2016, Marc Spears joined ESPN as a senior NBA writer for Andscape, a Black media platform dedicated to creating, highlighting, and elevating the diverse stories of Black identity. In this role, Spears covers breaking NBA news and has written several long-form stories that cover Black players’ journeys and challenges in their lives on and off the court. In addition to his work with Andscape, Spears regularly contributes to other ESPN platforms, including Outside the Lines and E:60, SportsCenter, SC Featured, The Jump, ESPN Radio programs and more.
Spears, who has covered 18 NBA Finals and All-Star Games, gained global attention at Yahoo! Sports from 2009-16 before joining ESPN. Prior to Yahoo, he covered the Denver Nuggets for the Denver Post from 1990-2007 and the Boston Celtics with the Boston Globe from 2007-09. From 2011-17, Spears also served as the chairman of the board of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Curt Gowdy Transformative Media Award Winner – CBS Sports
CBS Sports has played a significant role in the growth and popularity of college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship for more than four decades. The network’s commitment and coverage has helped generate coast-to-coast excitement with millions of fans across the nation tuning in to the Tournament annually.
CBS Sports has been covering the NCAA Men’s Tournament since 1982 and has been the home to many of the greatest moments in college basketball history. That same year, CBS Sports launched the first-ever Selection Show, and five years later, the network introduced the legendary song “One Shining Moment” to college basketball fans. Additionally, CBS Sports’ rich history with college basketball began in 1966 when the network began televising select games from the National Invitation Tournament.
In addition to its Tournament coverage, CBS Sports has televised for the past 42 years a robust schedule of regular-season games and studio shows showcasing the nation’s top conferences. This season, CBS Sports will air 300 games across CBS, Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports currently showcases numerous conference regular-season games, including the Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Pac-12, SEC, Mountain West, AAC, Conference USA, Atlantic 10, Missouri Valley, Patriot, MAC, SoCon, Colonial, NEC and West Coast Conference. This year, CBS Sports will award 12 automatic bids to the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments across its platforms.
CBS Sports continues to play an important role in the coverage and promotion of college basketball. Known for its expert analysis, the network has featured top personalities and a large system of reporters, across multiple platforms that has made CBS Sports the must-watch network for college basketball fans. Currently, CBS Sports partners with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports to present the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship annually on TBS, CBS, TNT and TruTV.
John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award Winner – Tom Konchalski
Known as, “The Gilder,” the late Tom Konchalski was an elite high school basketball scout for over four decades whose focus was primarily on creating opportunities for high school players at all levels of college basketball. Konchalski spent 43 years scouting the top prospects and published High School Basketball Illustrated (H.S.B.I), whose subscribers included more than 200 of the top college basketball coaches in the country.
Konchalski later managed the Five-Star Basketball Camp, a celebrated youth instructional showcase for future superstars including Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry. In 1980, Konchalski famously helped get Jordan into the camp at the request of Roy Williams, an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina, which was recruiting Jordan. Konchalski was previously nominated for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor.
Previous Curt Gowdy Media Award Winners:
Year – Print/Electronic/Transformative/Insight
1990 – Dick Herbert/Curt Gowdy
1991 – Dave Dorr/Marty Glickman
1992 – Sam Goldaper/Chick Hearn
1993 – Leonard Lewin/Johnny Most
1994 – Leonard Koppett/Cawood Ledford
1995 – Bob Hammel/Dick Enberg
1996 – Bob Hentzen/Billy Packer
1997 – Bob Ryan/Marv Albert
1998 – Larry Donald & Dick Weiss/Dick Vitale
1999 – Smith Barrier/Bob Costas
2000 – Dave Kindred/Hubie Brown
2001 – Curry Kirkpatrick/Dick Stockton
2002 – Jim O’Connell/Jim Nantz
2003 – Sid Hartman/Hot Rod Hundley
2004 – Phil Jasner/Max Falkenstien
2005 – Jack McCallum/Bill Campbell
2006 – Mark Heisler/Bill Raftery
2007 – Malcolm Moran/Al McCoy
2008 – David DuPree/Bob Wolff
2009 – Peter Vecsey/Doug Collins
2010 – Jackie MacMullan/Joe Tait
2011 – Alexander Wolff/Jim Durham
2012 – Sam Smith/Bill Schonely
2013 – John Feinstein/Eddie Doucette
2014 – Joe Gilmartin/John Andariese
2015 – Rich Clarkson/Woody Durham
2016 – David Aldridge/Jay Bilas
2017 – Harvey Araton/Craig Sager
2018 – Andy Bernstein/Doris Burke
2019 – Marc Stein/Ralph Lawler
2020 – Michael Wilbon/Mike Breen/Inside the NBA/Jim Gray
2021 – Mel Greenberg/Mike Gorman/George Kalinsky
2022 – M.A. Voepel/Walt Frazier/Dick Ebersol
Previous John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award Winners:
1973 – John Bunn
1974 – John Wooden
1975 – J. Walter Kennedy
1976 – Henry P. Iba
1977 – Clifford B. Fagan
1978 – Curt Gowdy
1979 – Eddie Gottlieb
1980 – Arnold “Red” Auerbach
1981 – Ray Meyer
1982 – Daniel Biasone
1983 – Robert J. Cousy
1984 – Lawrence F. O’Brien
1985 – Lee Williams
1986 – Grady W. Lewis
1987 – David R. Gavitt
1988 – Haskell Hillyard
1989 – George E. Killian
1990 – Pat Head Summitt
1991 – Morgan B. Wootten
1992 – Will Robinson
1993 – Joe Vancisin
1994 – William Wall
1995 – Pete Carlesimo
1996 – Vic Bubas
1997 – C.M. Newton
1998 – Tex Winter
1999 – The Harlem Globetrotters
2000 – Meadowlark Lemon
2001 – Tom Jernstedt
2002 – Harvey Pollack
2003 – Joe O’Brien
2004 – Zelda Spoelstra
2005 – Marty Blake
2006 – Betty Jaynes
2007 – Thomas “Satch” Sanders
2008 – Val Ackerman
2009 – Johnny “Red” Kerr
2010 – Don Meyer
2011 – Brian McIntyre
2012 – Pat Williams
2013 – George Raveling
2014 – Alvin Attles
2015 – Rod Thorn
2016 – Jim Delany
2017 – Michael Goldberg
2017 – Donald “Dee” Rowe
2018 – Harley Redin & Jim Host
2019 – Del Harris & Harry Glickman
2020 – Timothy Nugent
2022 – Reggie Minton
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall #GowdyAward or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
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