Introducing Nick Rodecap

Editor’s note: We’re excited to announce that we’ve hired a new writer, Nick Rodecap, to the Inside the Hall staff. Nick is a senior at Indiana University at the Media School. His work will begin appearing on Inside the Hall this month.

I was raised on Indiana basketball. Growing up in Indianapolis as the son of a proud IU alum, I’ve watched the Hoosiers more times than I can count. Don Fischer’s voice was a fixture in my household from fall to spring. I still sync my TV to the radio when I watch IU basketball and I know countless others do the same.

I first visited Assembly Hall in November 2019, watching as Archie Miller’s squad thumped Troy by 38 points. Awestruck by the pageantry and tradition that played out on that hardwood floor, I began to understand why my dad takes so much pride in being an IU graduate.

Nothing more needs to be said about that era of Indiana basketball, though.

Six years later, I’m a senior in the Media School pursuing my dreams as a play-by-play broadcaster, but my first love was writing. I began my student media journey covering swimming and diving as well as baseball for The Indiana Daily Student. I also got my first reps on WIUX student radio as a baseball and softball broadcaster.

During my sophomore year, I covered men’s soccer for The Hoosier Network, still writing but beginning to branch out into the multimedia world. It was also during my sophomore year that I got my first taste of big-game Assembly Hall: I had the privilege of doing play-by-play for Indiana women’s basketball’s primetime showdown with Iowa, which was Caitlin Clark’s final visit to Bloomington before she began her professional career.

The noise was deafening. I could barely hear myself think as I called the game from high atop Section K.

I spent my junior year covering football for HN while calling football and men’s basketball for WIUX and I always made sure to look around Assembly Hall and soak in the atmosphere before every broadcast. I knew not to take the opportunity for granted, because countless other student broadcasters would’ve done anything to be in my position, regardless of the team’s on-court performance.

It filled me with a great sense of pride for my university.

Now that I’m a senior, not much has changed in that respect. Last weekend, I wrote a column from the same Kinnick Stadium end zone that Elijah Sarratt sprinted into for a game-winning touchdown. Next weekend, I’ll be on the call from Autzen Stadium as Indiana football visits Oregon.

I’ve always been strong in my convictions and that is especially true in my writing. My understanding of basketball has grown considerably since I began calling hoops during my sophomore year, and, ideally, this convergence allows me to do my best work yet.

Oh, and I’m a Pacers fan too. Mark Boyle is one of my favorite broadcasters. Although last season ended in painful fashion, it made me appreciate even more just how awe-inspiring this sport can be.

It’s an honor to join Inside the Hall and I look forward to making the most of the opportunity that lies ahead.

Follow Nick on X (formerly Twitter) at @nickrodecap.

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