Through Basketball Blog, Sports-Radio Appearance, Stevenson Business Communication Major Making Inroads as NBA Journalist
Stevenson University senior Business Communication major Colby Giacubeno has lived and breathed basketball his entire life. He’s played since he was a kid. He starred as a regular for two years on Stevenson’s men’s basketball team. Giacubeno even holds the University record for most points (48) in a single game.
However, Giacubeno, who is slated to graduate this winter, knows he can’t play basketball forever—that’s why he’s working to translate the passion he has for the sport into a successful career.
Over the past several months, Giacubeno has become a regular NBA contributor for FoxSports 1340AM in Washington, D.C., and Hoops Habit, a basketball blog. Through the radio station, he’s been a credentialed reporter at Washington Wizards practices and games, earning the opportunity to absorb the action courtside and gain access to interview players and coaches. Twice, his articles have been shared by digital media company Bleacher Report and distributed to a national audience.
“I was ecstatic,” Giacubeno said. “I had no idea that the next morning I would wake up to see that my work had been viewed nearly 20,000 times overnight.”
One of those views came from Jeremy Conn, co-host of “The Scott Garceau Show” on 105.7 the Fan in Baltimore. Conn read Giacubeno’s article (about the NBA’s opening night) via Twitter and then retweeted it to his followers. He would later ask Giacubeno to appear on the show as a guest.
“I could tell from reading his articles that he knows what he’s talking about and that he’s passionate about basketball,” Conn said. “There are usually nerves the first time you’re on the radio, but Colby was pretty fluid. He was quick and to the point. We’ll definitely have him on again.”
As he continues to add writing samples and general experience to his journalism portfolio, Giacubeno credits Stevenson’s Business Communication program with helping him prepare for a potential career as a sports reporter. Several classes have honed his grasp of AP style, and, because most assignments are presented in front of the class, Giacubeno has improved his public speaking.
Giacubeno also benefits from having played college basketball. He can watch the games with an in-depth understanding of the sport and fashion his questions for coaches and players using that insight.
Still, no amount of basketball or journalism knowledge could prepare Giacubeno for talking one-on-one with New York Knicks All-Star Carmelo Anthony, his childhood idol, who he interviewed after a Wizards-Knicks pre-season game.
“It was all so surreal,” Giacubeno said. “I look forward to interviewing him again when the Knicks come back to D.C.”
As Giacubeno works to get his foot in the door in the sports media field, those types of opportunities will only continue to arise.
Stevenson University, known for its distinctive career focus, is the third-largest independent university in Maryland with more than 4,400 students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and adult bachelor’s programs at locations in Stevenson and Owings Mills.