When Vanessa Richardson ’17 (Communication) steps onto the court as sideline reporter for the Houston Rockets, there’s a spring in her step and a sparkle in her eyes—she’s in her element, doing a job most only dream about, no cubicle in sight. But before covering the NBA and WNBA and interviewing the likes of Kevin Durant (see photo at left) and Caitlin Clark, she was calling Greyhound football and softball games and asking questions to the likes of Coach Bob Bartolomeo or Coach Melissa Frost. In fact, it was the promise of doing which brought the Terre Haute native to the University of Indianapolis in the first place. “Scott Uecker led WICR-FM and had this incredible pitch, which was, ‘You come here and I’ll get you on air your freshman year. You’ll call games. You can do sideline. I can get you credentials to cover the pro sports teams,’” remembered Richardson. “I didn’t want to go to a big school where I was going to be drowned out, where I was going to have to wait until my junior or senior year to be on air. It was too good to pass up.” Uecker was as good as his word. Richardson honed her reporting skills with Greyhound sports and other experiences, including covering the city of Indianapolis elections—something she didn’t want to do at the time but, looking back, it was the perfect opportunity to be challenged in new ways. A paid internship at NBC affiliate WTHR was also instructive. “To this day, I am so thankful for the small class sizes and the hands-on learning style. And being in a big city like Indianapolis with tons of opportunities in sports is something that just cannot be replicated elsewhere.” But that was just the beginning. Like a space shuttle taking flight, Richardson landed successively more high-profile and paid opportunities. You may remember her being the game host on the jumbotron at Indiana Pacers games (see right) or game host at Victory Field for the Indianapolis Indians. A stint at The Bob & Tom Show brought her interviews with Andrew Luck and Reggie Wayne, and to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to talk to race car drivers. It was her talent and performance that landed her those opportunities to shine. But Richardson credits her UIndy experiences for getting her involved in the Indianapolis sports community and introducing her to the key people at each step along the way. After graduation, Richardson landed her first job as a reporter with WLWT in Cincinnati. Two years later, she was reporting and anchoring for KPRC in Houston, which led to her current position with the Houston Rockets, fill-in host and reporter for the Houston Astros, and a national job with ESPN: fill-in host on NBA Today, host of the Hoop Streams podcast, and sideline reporter for the NBA and WNBA.
Richardson served as the Pacers game host during both the 2015- 2016 and 2016-2017 seasons.
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MAGAZINE // WINTER 2025
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