Brenda VanLengen

Women’s Basketball Analyst
Brenda VanLengen, an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, has worked as an ESPN women’s college basketball analyst since 1996. In 2014, she joined SEC Network’s women’s basketball coverage.
Known for her ability to break down the X’s and O’s of the game, VanLengen has operated the ART enhanced telestrator for the NCAA Women’s Final Four since 2005 and the WNBA Finals since 2011. She has also been the analyst for seven NCAA Division II National Championships and three NAIA National Championships.
During the regular season, VanLengen covers games involving the American, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, Mountain West and SEC for a variety of networks, including work as the lead analyst for the Big 12 Conference women’s basketball package on FOX Sports. In addition to basketball, she provides play-by-play on NCAA softball, volleyball and soccer television broadcasts. VanLengen has also served as analyst for the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Starts and was co-founder of the women’s sports and fitness publication SHE-KC.
In the summer of 2013, she was an analyst on ESPNU’s coverage of the World University Games, calling gold medal contents in men’s basketball, women’s basketball and women’s beach volleyball, plus ten days of international competition.
From 1996-2001, VanLengen operated video play animation production equipment for CBS’ coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship while working with Coach’s Edge. Subsequently, VanLengen held a leadership position at PE4life, a national non-profit organization, for over nine years and led Kansas City’s efforts as the executive director of the 1998 NCAA Women’s Final Four.
Prior to her broadcasting career, VanLengen coached basketball for eight seasons, including five at the University of Nebraska. In 2008, she was recognized as a “Distinguished Alumni” of the University of Nebraska-Kearney, where she endows a scholarship for the women’s basketball program. VanLengen was a two-time, Academic All-American at the university.
VanLengen was the recipient of the 2010 Mid America Sports Emmy for Sports Event/Game for Fox Sports Midwest’s production of the 2009 WEPAC All-Star Charity basketball game, for which she was the play-by-play announcer.
VanLengen, who developed a series of workshops for collegiate student-athletes, serves as a motivational speaker. She directs and coaches youth basketball camps and provides group and individual basketball lessons.
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