ESPN analyst Christy Thomaskutty provided color commentary for the American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship final on Monday, March 20, 2020, not knowing it would be the last game she would call in the 2019-20 season.

“I was at the Hartford (Connecticut) airport preparing to call the semifinals and finals of the Ivy League championship,” she recalled. “I turned off my phone on the flight and after we landed, I turned my phone back on to a slew of texts. I went to Twitter first and saw that the Ivy had canceled the remainder of the championship. The NBA (National Basketball Association) postponed its season on Wednesday and then more NCAA conferences were canceling the following day.”

It was far from the first time the former NCAA Division I women’s basketball assistant coach and Division III Emory University head coach saw a dramatic change in her life and career in a matter of hours.

Having completed her 14th year at the helm of Emory, Thomaskutty was selected as the next vice president of the WBCA (Women’s Basketball Coaches Association) on May 4, 2017. She was in line to become the first non-NCAA Division I coach to serve as WBCA president since 1999.

The following day she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. “I was so excited to be named WBCA vice president. It was such an honor and so good for non-Division I schools, she described. “Then I got the diagnosis. It is amazing how quickly your life can turn around in 24 hours.”

Basketball and Education

Two things dominated her childhood in the small town of Somerville, Alabama — basketball and education. “My parents came straight to the U.S. from India. They worked all day and then were working toward masters or administration degrees at night. I was in junior high before my mom finished her post-graduate education,” she remembered. “They stressed education, education, education.”

She spent a lot of time playing basketball with her brothers, which was appropriate since there were no organized teams for younger girls at the time. “We had a hoop outside at our house so I would shoot with him. After church, I would play with my older brother’s friends,” Thomaskutty recounted. “My dad was a principal so my little brother and I would go the gym at his school during the summer. One of the secretaries had similar-aged kids so we would all play from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.”

Her first organized team was playing with boys, but it wasn’t she who asked her dad to let her play. “It was the fourth or fifth grade. The boys went and asked my dad if I could play on the team,” she explained. “My only exposure to basketball other than shooting around with my brothers and other guys was watching the Wednesday night SEC (Southeastern Conference) men’s game each week.”

She did play on the girls’ team at Brewer High School as well as in AAU (Amateur Athletic Union), but those opportunities were limited by today’s standards. “We had AAU and a few exposure camps, but not like it is today by any means. Only one AAU team from the state played in a national tournament,” she explained.

Thomaskutty enjoyed a successful high school career, including garnering Street & Smith’s Honorable Mention All-America selection at Brewer, and received a lot of recruiting letters from colleges in Alabama. “I had opportunities to go to Ivy League schools, but didn’t know if I wanted to pay that much. I looked at SEC schools. Then Tulane came into the picture in the summer after my junior year,” she communicated. “I was very close with my high school coach, who said, ‘There is something to be said for who wants you the most.’ Tulane gave me the opportunity to leave my mark on the court, but also had the strong academic piece.”

Tulane

She earned Metro Conference All-Rookie honors in 1992-93 and made the All-Metro Conference team the following season. In her final two seasons, she helped lead the Green Wave to their first two NCAA appearances under new head coach Lisa Stockton.

“Any new coach would love to come in to have someone who is so competitive, and such an amazing basketball player and student,” stated Stockton, who is still coaching at Tulane and was recently named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Women’s College Basketball by Silver Waves Media. “Her competitiveness set the tone. She was a great 3-point shooter who still holds records I don’t know if anyone will break.”

Thomaskutty ranks first in program history with 295 three-pointers (43 more than the next-highest total) and .379 three-point field goal percentage. Finishing with 1,331 career points, she made a single-season record 98 treys as a sophomore and her 87 three-pointers the following season are tied for the second-most in a season. She twice made eight 3-pointers in a game and added two contests with seven treys. When the Green Wave made their first NCAA appearance, she led all scorers with 23 points on Mar. 16, 1995 in an 87-72 loss to Texas Tech University. Thomaskutty earned the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Award her senior year, recognizing her academic and athletic success. She was named to the Conference USA Honor Roll for academic excellence in her senior campaign and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in management.

For all Thomaskutty’s records and accomplishments, Stockton was most impressed when she helped lead the Green Wave to their first win ever over LSU, breaking a 17-game losing streak on the Tigers’ home court on Jan. 18, 1995. “She had the flu and was really sick. Some people would just say, ‘It’s not my night’ and not play, but she kept pushing the team doctor to play. She was taking an IV before the game,” she recalled. “She was so dedicated to play. It showed a lot about how much she cared about the program and winning. That hasn’t changed at all.”

Moving into Coaching

After graduating from Tulane, she began business consulting with the intention of attending law school. “During the first winter of consulting, I knew that I wanted to coach,” she revealed. Through connections, Thomaskutty was hired as an assistant coach at Saint Louis University. “It was a great opportunity for me to get my feet wet in coaching. I had no intention of leaving there after one year.”

Katie Meier, who was an assistant coach at Tulane (and is now in her 16th season as the head coach at University of Miami) called her to say Jill Hutchison, the head coach at Illinois State, would be calling her and encouraged her to listen to what she had to say. “She knew what I didn’t, that hearing from Jill Hutchison was a big deal. I would later realize Hutchison was very active in the WBCA (she served as the organization’s first president, serving in that position five times) and was a legend (she coached the USA to the gold medal at the 1983 University games). She said, ‘You come highly recommended. Let’s meet at the Final Four and just talk.’ I said I had no intention of leaving my head coach, I owed that to her.”

Thomaskutty did agree to meet with Hutchison, still thinking she was going to stay at Saint Louis. “I ran into two high school coaches from New Orleans that I ran camp with at the Final Four and told them I was meeting with Coach Hutchison and they told me how lucky I was,” she expressed. “I told her I wanted to stay loyal. She understood and said she would send me some information.”

When she received the information from Hutchison (who was elected to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009), she was impressed. “The resources they had compared to Saint Louis was like night and day. She flew me up there and I couldn’t believe it when I walked into the facility. I knew as I was going on the tour that I needed to take the job,” she conceded.

Even beyond the pay raise, Thomaskutty gained invaluable experience. “Jill was and is my mentor. She taught me so much on and off the court. She flew us to Tennessee to talk with Pat Summitt for a day,” she recounted. “I didn’t know anything at the time. It was an incredible experience. I appreciated her legacy and loved my time there.”

Education was still a priority in her life. She earned a master’s degree in business administration at Illinois State and was planning to pursue a PhD, having already been accepted into multiple programs. Then her good friend and Illinois State volleyball coach Sharon Dingman (who now coaches volleyball at University of Chicago) suggested she look into an open head coaching position at Division III Emory. “‘I think you need to take a look at it. It fits you.’ I didn’t know about Emory, but both my brothers attended nearby Birmingham-Southern College and told me I had to go look at this place. The Final Four was in Atlanta that year and I drove to the campus and discovered it was the perfect fit for me academically and athletically,” she explained.

Dingman heard about the position from close friend Jenny McDowell who, in addition to coaching one of the top volleyball programs in the nation, served as the interim athletic director at Emory after former AD Chuck Gordon hired Thomaskutty. “Christy is a remarkable mentor, leader, and person. I know that she changed the lives of every player that wore an Emory women’s basketball uniform. Under her outstanding leadership, her players became great scholars, social advocates, and leaders on our campus,” McDowell stated. “Her passion was contagious for all of us at Emory. Not a day went by that she wasn’t trying to make Emory a better place for every athlete at Emory, not just her team. I am so thankful that Christy accepted our position in 2003 because her impact on Emory athletics will be felt for years to come.”

Coaching at Emory

Betsy Stephenson, currently the Athletics Chief Development Officer at Florida International University, served as the Emory Director of Athletics and Recreation from 2004-07 and was happy to have Thomaskutty on the staff when she got there. “She had instant credibility with me for having played for Lisa Stockton and being her protégé. There is no debate about what comes first at Emory and with the UAA (University Athletic Association) mentality and environment,” Stephenson expressed. “Christy did a great job presenting the academics and athletics to recruits and their families. She delivered what she promised.”

She coached the Eagles for 14 years, amassing a program-record 187 wins. In 2012-13, she led Emory to a school-record 24 wins, its only UAA title to date, and its first trip to the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship since 1997. “I loved my time at Emory. We really toed the line of pushing them academically and athletically,” she believed. “My job was to prepare them for the next step in life.”

In the incredible 2012-13 season, the road to the Association title was not an easy one. “Every game was tough, going through the UAA with the level of coaching IQ and competitiveness being so high,” she commented. “We had a great group of players that year, who were so competitive and stayed hungry all year. We were very fortuitous being healthy all season.”

The Eagles played three overtime games in the UAA schedule, including a 73-67 double overtime victory at University of Rochester, a game in which they trailed by as many as 18 points with 6:27 remaining in the first half. In the very next game, they fell in overtime to Washington University, the Nancy Fahey-led team that handed Emory its only two UAA losses of the season.

Late in the regular season, the Eagles battled back from six points down in overtime to edge Case Western Reserve University, 62-61. Spartans’ head coach Jennifer Reimer has remained close friends with Thomaskutty. “I am so grateful for the 11 years Christy and I had as colleagues during her time in the UAA, but even more thankful to have her in life as a good friend,” Reimer articulated. “Observing her awesome work ethic, knowledge of the game and attention to detail helped me grow as a coach, but most importantly it is her integrity and kindness that makes me happy to know her. Christy continues to be one of the first people I call when I need great advice or just need to vent.”

“If someone asked me to describe Christy in three words, I would say competitor, prepared, and committed. As a coach, she was one of the most competitive people I coached against and her teams always mirrored her personality, which was tough and prepared,” said Brandeis University head coach Carol Simon. “She brings that same energy as an ESPN commentator. Her commitment to support and grow the sport of women’s basketball is immeasurable. The way she approached coaching and now commentating is the same way she approaches life’s ups and downs. I truly believe I am a better coach because of her and through this great profession, I gained a good friend.”

“One of the most amazing things about the UAA is the relationships you have with the other coaches,” stated Illinois Institute of Technology head coach Carissa Sain, who spent the previous 12 years at University of Chicago, including eight as head coach. “You have your classic competitiveness and it can certainly get the best of each of us at times but, for whatever reason, you do have deeper relationships in this conference. There’s a high level of respect and genuine concern for the well-being of one another. When I heard she was leaving Emory, I left her a long voicemail (for which I am notorious). Of course she got back to me in spite of everything she was going through.”

The Eagles had to fight off a late rally by Rochester in the regular season finale game to determine the outright UAA champion between two teams seeking their first title. They were then selected to host the opening two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

“I’m not sure we knew what we were doing. Everyone else in the department had so much success. Then we watched (24-win) Ferrum get upset by Huntingdon and I was so nervous. I was confident in our team, but was concerned we would overlook Whitworth,” Thomaskutty remembered. The Eagles defeated the Pirates, 72-65, before posting their second double-digit win of the season over Huntingdon to advance to the round of 16. “We had great leadership on that team. We had star players like Misha Jackson, Hannah Lilly, and Savannah Morgan. Just as importantly, we had Gabi Whitmer, who did everything behind the scenes and was like a head coach in the locker room. It was a dream year as a coach. Even beyond winning, I just got to coach and do what I love.”

“It was an honor and a pleasure to not only play for, but work for ‘Coach T.’ She is a woman with the highest moral fiber and possesses a pure love for our game,” said Jackson, who is now at the helm of the Emory program and returned the program to the NCAA tournament in 2018-19. “’Coach T’ always made sure to emphasize not only giving back to the game from an X’s and O’s standpoint, but from a worldly perspective as well. Whether that be professional development, youth development, or assisting with our coaches’ association, I can honestly say I wouldn’t be the coach I am today without her guidance.”

The Diagnosis

Thomaskutty was feeling fine. Her primary doctor (and Emory physician) who she had seen for years said he wouldn’t prescribe her anything for any issue if she didn’t come in for a physical so she went for a physical, only her second since college.

“He thought my thyroid looked a little swollen, but I didn’t think much of it. Then the blood work came back abnormal. After an ultrasound, the doctor wanted to do a biopsy,” she relayed. Shortly thereafter, the doctor gave her the official diagnosis of thyroid cancer. “There was so much unknown and I needed to process it so I didn’t even tell my parents at that time.”

After a sleepless night, Thomaskutty received a call from her younger brother, who asked her what happened with that biopsy. “He is the senior vice president at a hospital and he sent me some information. At that point, I was at peace. I have faith and I knew we got it early,” she recollected.

The surgery took place in June 2017. Because the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, she had a scar from the middle of her throat to her ear. “It was my first surgery and I felt fine, but I had a patch on so I had no nausea,” she recalled. “I was thinking I am going to basketball summer camp. Then I took the patch off and I was throwing up a lot. That was very humbling.”

“I remember being utterly heartbroken for Christy because she had just been named vice president of the WBCA, which was a historic win for Division III in the representation of our coaches within our greater organization,” recalled Sain. “Not only were we losing a great coach and competitor, but we also lost a strong voice that had worked tremendously hard in representing Division III.”

In the fall, she needed radiation treatment to make sure the cancer was eradicated. “At that point, my energy was gone, but I was confident I was going to coach. Every day, I kept thinking I will get my strength back,” she revealed. “By October, we are getting close to the start of preseason and I wasn’t sure I could coach. I talked to my family and to (fellow cancer survivor and ESPN broadcaster) Holly Rowe. She told me that you have to be able to rest and that mental health is as important a part as physical health in recovery. I knew it was not fair for me to be half there and I made the decision to step down from coaching.”

ESPN and a New Career

ESPN contacted her when she retired, asking if she would be interested in announcing. With the network seeking former head coaches for analyst roles after the departure of legendary coaches Gail Goestenkors and Carol Ross, Thomaskutty was asked to audition. “I prepped for it like I would for a game. I got a job and eventually they gave me a lot more games and I got entrenched in the SEC,” she remembered.

She prepares for each game she works as she did for an opponent, with one major difference. “I have to study both teams, instead of just the team we are playing as I did when I coached. I remember getting off the air after the first game I did and I felt like I just played,” she vocalized. “I got amped up with all this nervous energy.”

Her favorite part of the preparation is meeting with coaches. “I like being at practice the day before, where you really see it all. I truly love talking to coaches,” Thomaskutty described. “The common fan has no idea of the sacrifices the coach makes. Coaching has helped me so much in this job because I have that experience. I prepare for every game with respect for the game, the coaches, and the student-athletes. Once the broadcast begins, I try to let the game guide me wherever it goes.”

Seeing the practices occasionally makes Thomaskutty miss being on the sidelines, but not for long. “I am jealous at times, but I also feel for them at times. I truly love what I am doing. The main difference between what I do now and being a coach is that I can sleep after games now,” she admits.

“It is so fun to now watch Christy impact women’s basketball in a different capacity. I knew she was going to be a great broadcaster because of her incredible basketball knowledge and work ethic,” McDowell said. “She has always been a student of the game and now she gets to share that knowledge with the entire country.”

Stephenson is not surprised at her success at ESPN. “She was the epitome of professionalism on the bench and in recruiting. She has always been wise beyond her years so she has stepped into every job and found success. She works hard at her craft and has always been a team player,” she said.

“Christy is a consummate professional. Whether coaching basketball or doing color commentary for a broadcast, she prepares and executes at a high level of excellence,” Dingman added. “Christy is a wonderful role model for young women, women of color, cancer survivors, and in the LGBT community. Every curve ball she gets thrown in life, she turns into a home run.”

“I was in Atlanta a lot when Christy was at Emory, but I have had the chance to see her a lot more since she got to ESPN,” Stockton stated. “The current players have gotten to know her better. She was on a call with alumni we had with all our first-year players last week. She is a great ambassador for us at Tulane and for women’s basketball.”

“In December of the year she resigned, she happened to be in Chicago and we got together. We’ve made a point of getting together at the Final Fours and recruiting events ever since. During basketball seasons I’m a ‘fan girl’ texting her pictures when they show her on the broadcast,” Sain added. “Over half of my life has been spent in the UAA. In some ways, Christy has watched me grow up. She has been someone I’ve chased competitively and, in that process, stumbled upon a true friendship that we’ll have forever because we always seem to make time to get together, even if it’s a virtual happy hour during a pandemic. My friendship with Christy will be forever representative of how impactful I believe the UAA to be.”

Thomaskutty, who awaits the safe return of college basketball while raising two puppies with her wife Meg, credits being a student-athlete for her resilience. “I wouldn’t have handled the cancer the way I did had I not been a student-athlete. Whether getting through cancer or a pandemic, athletes have an advantage in that they are always looking to the next practice, the next game, the next step,” she summarized. “Sports can be a catalyst for everything that is good and can help all of us move forward.”