Celebrating Mike DeCourcy's storied career at The Sporting News originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Mike DeCourcy has covered 30 Final Fours for The Sporting News. He’s had a career that includes countless articles on deadline for the magazine and website, scores of interviews with the biggest names in college basketball, and thousands upon thousands of words of insight to help readers better understand the game and the people surrounding it.
Today, July 19, Mike is covering the FIFA World Cup final. It’s his last assignment as a full-time member of the SN staff, as starting tomorrow, he’ll begin to enjoy his well-deserved retirement.
Mike has had a Hall of Fame career — he was inducted into the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame in 2012 — which began at the Pittsburgh Press in 1983, continued on to the Memphis Commercial-Appeal and then the Cincinnati Enquirer before joining The Sporting News full time.
He’s been one of the leading analysts of college basketball over that time. Just as important, Mike has also been one of the great ambassadors for sports journalism. He’s always taken the time to help his colleagues at SN as well as others throughout the industry.
Although Mike was hired as a college basketball columnist, he became one of SN’s leading overall voices, covering the NFL, soccer, the Olympics and other sports.
SN and our readers will miss Mike, though you’ll still see him on the Big Ten Network and contributing to bracket projections for Fox Sports, as well as helping The Sporting News on projects.
As we celebrate a remarkable career, here’s a look back at some of Mike’s work over the years, starting with his personal favorite from the magazine, looking at how teams would try to stop one of Duke’s star players heading into the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
Mike DeCourcy's magazine features
X’s and woes: Trying to stop Duke’s Jason Williams
“My favorite always has been ‘X’s and woes,’ from 2002, when I went in-depth with Wake Forest in preparation for playing Jay Williams,” Mike said. “At least four schools turned us down. Not Skip Prosser. He said, ‘Sure, come on down!’ The best.”
SN
The center of it all: UConn's Emeka Okafor
Thirty Final Fours means 30 championship-game deadline stories. In 2004, Mike wrote in-depth about how UConn's Emeka Okafor had spent three years building his offensive game, which culminated in a title for the Huskies.
Psycho T: The fire within Tyler Hansbrough
Before the 2006 season, Mike spoke with North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough, his father and coach Roy Williams about what turned a mild-mannered person off the court into "Psycho T" on it.
13 reasons to love college basketball's most hated player
(Link takes readers to SN's Archive, which is free to sign up for.)
In 2006, J.J. Redick was college basketball's most polarizing player. "Polarizing" is a nice way to put it — "hated" is probably the more accurate way to describe it for non-Duke fans. But Mike explained why college hoops fans should appreciate everything Redick brought to college hoops.
Smoke 'em if you got 'em: A trip down Tobacco Road
(Link takes readers to SN's Archive, which is free to sign up for.)
In 2004, Mike took a celebratory trip down Tobacco Road before some of the ACC's traditions changed forever. The conference would expand from nine to 11 teams later that year, signaling the change of college sports from distinct, intimate leagues to power conferences.
More from Mike D
Recognition 'a long time coming' for John Calipari
Following Kentucky's men's basketball championship in 2012, Mike wrote about the journey for coach John Calipari. He finally won after reaching his fourth Final Four, silencing the critics who had lambasted his methods. Mike also described the collective joy of the freshmen who had won — young superstars who had come together and learned to play as a team.
Mike DeCourcy's top 10 Final Four memories
Did we mention Mike has covered 30 Final Fours for SN? He had front-row views of the greatest players and coaches in the sport — and plenty of stories to tell. Here are his favorite memories, from Duke's first title to anguish in the Houston locker room.
Oral history of the only March Madness in 2020, and the day COVID stopped it
Although COVID robbed us of the 2020 NCAA tourney, there was a fabulous Saturday before the world shut down. Mike tells the tale of a carnival of buzzer-beaters being swished, conference championships being claimed and NCAA Tournament bids being secured — a reminder of everything we genuinely adore about this sport.
The simplest questions can get you in Dutch with Louis van Gaal
This year isn't the first time Mike has covered the World Cup for SN. That was in 2014, when he was on assignment in Brazil. That year, Mike was yelled at in front of the entire world by Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal — after a Netherlands win. We can only assume that means Mike was doing his job.
Celebrating the best of the 2026 World Cup
You don't need to go deep into the archives to find some of Mike's great work. In covering the 2026 World Cup, Mike analyzed the USMNT's up-and-down performance and provided 25 other thoughts on this year's event. That included his coverage of Iran's first game. While there would always be political controversy surrounding the team, there were also moments showing how the World Cup could bring people together.
Facts don't support the Players Association's claim that salary cap would be bad for baseball
Baseball could be headed for a messy offseason, with the salary-cap issue being one of the key disputes between the players and owners. Mike has his thoughts on this now — as he did a decade ago. Rather than retirement, perhaps Mike's next job could be MLB commissioner.