SPORTS MEDIA NOTES

Former Cavaliers center Brad Daugherty is returning to his basketball roots.

ESPN announced Daugherty will become an NBA and college basketball analyst.

The five-time NBA AllStar will appear regularly on “NBA Tonight,” “NBA Coast 2 Coast” and “SportsCenter,” as well as other programming.

In addition, the 49-year-old will serve as an analyst for ESPNU’s ACC Sunday night package, in addition to other select games, beginning Dec. 1.

The 7-foot Daugherty played eight seasons for the Cavaliers from 1986-87 to 1993-94. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1986 draft from North Carolina.

“I’m ecstatic about having the opportunity to remain a part of the ESPN family,” he said in a prepared statement. “I thoroughly look forward to working with the talented individuals and crews that bring basketball into millions of homes on ESPN throughout the season.”

Daugherty most recently served as an NASCAR analyst for ESPN.

He served as the Cavaliers analyst with play-by-play man Michael Reghi for one season for Fox Sports Ohio. He later did the same with the San Antonio Spurs.

His No. 43 jersey, a number he wore in honor of NASCAR great Richard Petty, was retired by the Cavaliers in 1997. AFC North showdown

The NFL Network’s No. 1 announcing team will be working the Browns-Bengals game Nov. 6.

It will be broadcast locally on WOIO-TV 19. Jim Nantz will handle play-by-play duties, with Phil Simms serving as analyst and Tracy Wolfson as sideline reporter.

The game will also be broadcast nationally on WestwoodOne Sports radio. Ian Eagle will handle play-byplay duties, with Mike Mayock the analyst and Laura Okmin the sideline reporter. Ratings game

• The Cavaliers-Bulls game on Oct. 31 delivered one of ESPN’s highest-rated regularseason games ever, according to Nielsen. It had an overnight rating of 3.1, which matches the third-highest rated regular-season NBA game ever on ESPN.

In Cleveland, the game generated a 12.4 rating, which is the best ever for a regularseason NBA game on ESPN in the market. In Miami, the telecast posted a 6.1.

• ESPN recorded three of its highest-rated college football games of the season in a span of eight days: The Auburn-Ole Miss game on Nov. 1 was the highest-rated game of the season with 5,797,000 viewers. Florida State-Louisville on Oct. 30 was second and Ole MissLSU on Oct. 25 was third. Quick shots

• Stephanie Storm has resigned her position from the Akron Beacon Journal. She was part of a team of reporters that covered the Indians last season. She previously covered the Akron Aeros (now RubberDucks).

• Former Pistons standout Chauncey Billups will join ESPN as an NBA studio analyst. He will appear regularly on “NBA Tonight,” “NBA Coast 2 Coast,” “SportsCenter” and various ESPN Radio shows. “I’m very excited,” he told Front Row. “This is something I’ve looked forward to for a long time.” Billups retired from the NBA in September.

• Top-ranked and threetime champion Novak Djokovic and six-time winner Roger Federer — each vying to be the year-end No. 1-ranked player — lead the field at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals starting Sunday, Nov. 9, and live daily on ESPN3.

• Fox Sports Ohio will replay the women’s basketball game between Mount St. Joseph University and Hiram College at 8 p.m. Nov. 6. The game was moved up to accommodate Lauren Hill’s dream of playing in a college basketball game. She has incurable brain cancer.

• Grizzlies guard Tony Allen has been fined $15,000 for intentionally striking a camera on the baseline during the Grizzlies’ 93-81 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, Nov. 3, at FedEx Forum.

• HBO Sports teamed up with Hollywood film and TV producer Jamie Patricof and reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder in “The Offseason: Kevin Durant.” It debuted Nov. 4. It will also be shown on Nov. 8, 10, 16 and 24. “SeeinghowKevinapproaches the game of basketball was a truly inspiring experience,” Patricof said in a news release.