Network to broadcast Ivy basketball games

After the YES Network generated high ratings from its five Ivy League football games in the fall, the network's representatives approached Ivy League officials to discuss adding Ancient Eight basketball to their broadcasting slate. The YES Network -- Yankees Entertainment & Sports LLC -- agreed to broadcast six Ivy men's and women's basketball games this season. The channel is known for televising New York Yankees and New Jersey Nets games. This is not the first time Ivy League basketball has garnered DirecTV's national spotlight. However, the YES Network is available to basic cable subscribers in New York, Connecticut as well as large parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These regions are known to be densely populated with Ivy League alumni. Both Ivy League Assistant Director Chuck Yrigoyen and Penn Coach Fran Dunphy are excited about the publicity that YES offers to Ivy basketball. "This is great for the Ivy League," Yrigoyen said. "There are a lot of Ivy League alumni that have access to YES, and this allows them to see a lot of the games." Dunphy is not just concerned with those that have graduated from the Ivies -- he hopes the national coverage will attract the next generation of athletes to Penn and other Ancient Eight schools. "The increased exposure on a national network is going to be a terrific help to our recruitment" efforts, Dunphy said. "It is a privilege and a great opportunity for our" basketball program. In addition to alumni and potential recruits, College senior and basketball player Duane King also hopes the coverage will showcase the often overlooked Ivy League talent. The Louisville, Ky., native is also pleased that his parents will now be able to watch more of his games on television. "This year was the first time my parents came to Penn to see me play," King said. "For players like Koko [Archibong], [Andrew] Coates and myself, it will be nice for our parents to be able to watch us play more often." The first Ivy basketball game to appear on YES featured the Dartmouth and Harvard women's teams on Jan. 11. YES will show five more Ivy League men's basketball games, including Brown at Penn on Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. and Penn at Dartmouth on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. Although YES's Ivy football games generated strong ratings, it is still unknown if Ivy basketball will match those numbers. Yrigoyen made it quite clear as to why Ivy League football had received such strong ratings during the fall. "Ivy League football has a very special place in the football world," Yrigoyen said. "It's where the college game grew up. There is still that mystique about it." While there may not be that same "mystique" about Ivy basketball, Yrigoyen stated that there has always been a huge demand for access to both Ancient Eight football and basketball from Ivy alumni in the northeast region -- suggesting that Penn officials are hoping for equally high ratings from Ivy basketball on YES Network. Yrigoyen added that perhaps the three-way playoff between Penn, Princeton and Yale last season caught the eye of the network. Dunphy was not as convinced on the matter. "I would hope that it was the three-way tie" that attracted YES, Dunphy said. "But it could simply be that they were looking for a league that plays on Friday nights, which is rare" in the NCAA.