Former Hog Dykes A Regular On ESPN
By Harold McIlvain II
Lemke Ledger Staff
Jimmy Dykes knows Arkansas basketball. The Johnson native and 1985 UA graduate played for three years and coached for the Razorbacks.
Dykes, who is now an ESPN men’s college basketball analyst, can be seen on televisions across the nation. Dykes said he always knew his career would involve basketball, but not necessarily as a broadcaster.
“I didn’t know much about television,” Dykes said. “But I knew once the game started, I knew the game of basketball. I could tell the people what was going on. After the first game, I remember thinking I would do this for free.”
Jimmy Dykes originally chose to attend the UA because it gave hime the best
opportunity to pursue a career in coaching. But it turns out the time he spent
on the basketball team prepared him perfectly for his job as an ESPN college
basketball analyst. — Harold McIlvain II/Ledger
Dykes said he came to Arkansas because it gave him the best opportunity to pursue his original career goal — becoming a coach.
“Just because I wanted to be a basketball coach, I turned down some scholarships from other schools,” Dykes said. “I wanted to stay close to home. But more importantly, I wanted to be a basketball coach someday.”
He didn’t get to play much while at Arkansas, but the time he spent around the game helped him with his current career.
“I was behind future pros,” Dykes said. “But it wasn’t about playing for me. I wish I had played more, but it set me up for a great career.”
Dykes served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Arkansas, Appalachian State, Kentucky, Arkansas State, Arkansas-Little Rock and Oklahoma State before serving as a scout for the Seattle Supersonics.
“I always wanted to test the NBA waters,” Dykes said. “I got in with an entry level position (as a) scout. It lasted a couple years before my broadcasting career took off.”
While he was with the Supersonics, an ESPN representative wanted to hire Dykes to work a couple of basketball games.
After broadcasting some regionally televised game, Dykes was called by ESPN and given the opportunity to do a number of games leading up to March Madness.
It was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. But an ESPN official said Dykes wouldn’t become a full-time analyst because he didn’t have name recognition.
However, a couple of games on the network eventually turned into a multi-year contract for Dykes.
“When I came on the air, no one knew Jimmy Dykes,” Dykes said. “When he told me I would never be a full-time guy, I thought he just told me the wrong thing. I took that as motivation. I still carry that to this day.”
Not unlike any other job, Dykes said he just made the best out of the opportunities he was given.
“I think you just take any job you can get and grow with it,” Dykes said. “People just need to get started. Do whatever you can do because there is no substitute for experience.”
Dykes said being prepared for any situation has allowed him to succeed.
“You have to be prepared, whether it is for a test, a project or a show,” Dykes said. “I think that has been a key for my job. I’ve risen to one of the top levels at ESPN. One of the things I can hang my hat on is that I was prepared.”