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| Former North Cedar prep and University of Iowa women's basketball player Jamie Cavey-Lang, left, and her broadcast partner Rob Brooks work a recent University of Iowa women's basketball game. Cavey-Lang is finishing up her first season as the full-time color analyst for the Learfield broadcasts of Iowa games. Photo by Darren Miller. |
IOWA CITY — Jamie Cavey Lang. It still sounds strange to her when she hears radio partner Rob Brooks say it, but for former North Cedar prep and Iowa Hawkeye, said she is getting used to it.
“It’s still weird a little when I hear it in my headphones. I keep thinking that I am a Cavey and proud of that and I accomplished a lot on the basketball court as a Cavey, but my last name is now Lange and I’m doing great things as a Lang now,” said Lang.
“I want those that remember me as Jamie Cavey to recognize me and those that know me now to also recognize me,” she said.
Lang joined Brooks this winter as the radio broadcast team for the University of Iowa women’s basketball broadcasts. The team was announced in late August after the University and Learfield Sports wanted a consistent team on the air. Longtime play-by-play man Brent Balbinot left in June of 2016 to become the Voice of the Rockets at the University of Toledo where he was hired to be the broadcaster for football and men’s basketball. Also, after the 2015 season, color analyst Shelly Till left Learfield Sports to work full time at the Big Ten Network as a color and studio analyst and sideline reporter for the network. The 2016 season had Balbinot paired with former Hawkeyes doing color commentary.
Iowa and Learfield Sports was looking for someone who was familiar with the program and a team that the coaches trusted.
Learfield Sports hired Brooks, son of the late Bob Brooks to handle play-by-play duty, who worked as Iowa football sideline reporter since the 2004-05 season and had called seven different Iowa sports on radio or TV. They hired Lange for the color commentary job.
Lang cleared the job and adjustments at work with her supervisor and at home with her husband and looked forward the the season. Lang was excited but nervous about her new job as she hadn’t handled radio duty and hadn’t worked a game with Brooks.
“I hadn’t been on the radio before in a color commentary before so I had to practice so I sounded like I knew what I was doing,” she said.
She enlisted the help of her husband Mike, whom she had married in the summer of 2016.
“Mike was very helpful and encouraging. The only thing on at the time was some NBA games so we would literally watch a game, turn the volume down and I would practice. Mike would do play-by-play and I would pretend I was the color commentator. He would give me feedback and tell me what he thought,” she said.
Working with Brooks has been fun Lang said, and he was helpful when she had questions and complimented her skills.
“Rob came into this having done something that is normal to him and I came into this as it all being brand new. He was and has been helpful, especially in the beginning,” she said.
Lang currently works at the University as the associate director of outcomes and career advisor at the University. She advises students half the time and the other half does data analysis with part of the job being presenting data to department heads and deans.
Lang stared at the University of Iowa from 2001-2005 where she etched her name in Hawkeye lore and lettered three seasons as one of 35 Hawkeyes to score over 1,000 points with 1,265 career points. She is also had 506 rebounds. Currently, there are only three Hawkeyes ever to wear #52 in a career. She was a two-time All-Big Ten selection.
While at Iowa, Lang was on teams that beat an AP top-25 ranked team in each of her years there. Her senior year the Hawks beat #21 Oklahoma and won 23 games. Her junior year Iowa beat #18 Michigan State and #11 Minnesota and won 16 games. Her sophomore season Iowa beat #12 Penn State and #13 Minnesota and won 18 games. Her freshman year, Iowa won 18 games and beat #9 Purdue and #16 Wisconsin.
Since graduating from the University of Iowa, Lang played professional basketball in Portugal and Poland and has taught at Muscatine, in Des Moines and English Valleys (North English) before working at the University of Iowa.
A typical game day saw Brooks and Lang get to the game at least an hour before the game started. Lang would swing by the locker room and get a scouting report for that night’s opponent. With about 15 minutes before tip-off, they go on-air.
“Rob will focus on the points and stuff while I focus on the the X’s and O’s, strategy and what to expect on the court. We take some of that from the reports we get and some from talking with the coaches,” said Lang.
After the game is over, Brooks and Lang talk about the game and at the same time, get ready for their postgame duty. Lang departs to the locker room to get the post game interview with Coach Lisa Bluder and different players. While that is going on, Brooks interviews one of the assistant coaches. When that is over, Lang’s interviews are played on-air.
“I am first in line. It’s one of the cool things I get to do. I interview Coach Bluder first before the other media people do. It’s not always easy, like after a tough loss, but Coach Bluder is easy to talk to and she always finds something positive too
good to say after the game,” said Lange.
Lang came out of North Cedar High School in the class of 2001 as an All-Stater and three-time All-Conference player in the Big East conference. She was a member of the class 2A 2000 state championship team for North Cedar and was selected to the all-tournament team. Lang was also on the Knights 1996 state team. She averaged 18.8 points and 12.7 rebounds a game as a senior.
With the season over, Lang said that she has enjoyed having her weekends back and family time gained. Lang and her husband are expecting their first baby and are moving soon to the Marion area. She also teaches at Kirkwood Community College handling the coaching authorization classes.
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