As a sports-obsessed child in Northwest Indiana, Jamie (Gutowski ’06, ’07 M.S.) Stangel turned on the radio and listened to Todd Ickow ’18H describe Valparaiso University men’s basketball games.
Fast-forward to the current season, and Ickow’s broadcasts remain a part of Stangel’s life. But now, she has gone from listener to participant as the former Valpo women’s basketball standout is in her first year as the color analyst for home broadcasts on ESPN+ as part of the conference’s Valley on ESPN package.
The new role is the latest chapter in Stangel’s Valpo story, which began with her time on the women’s basketball team from 2002–2006, continued when she served as a graduate assistant on the coaching staff in 2006–2007 and resumed in 2013 when she returned to campus to teach sport management courses.
“I remember listening to the famous call of the 1998 NCAA Tournament as a kid in the Region, and now sitting next to Todd to call Valpo games has been such a cool experience,” Stangel said. “I have so much respect for Todd — his voice, his style and the way he goes about the job. Getting to work alongside him has been everything I thought it would be, and then some. There is a sense of pride that comes with being involved in the men’s basketball program here at Valpo.”
The Student-Athlete
When Stangel started the recruiting process, staying close to home wasn’t her initial intention.
Her oldest brother played on the Valpo baseball team and her AAU coach played women’s basketball at Valpo, so the familiarity with the University was there from the start. Beginning with her freshman year of high school at Andrean in Merrillville, Valpo’s coaches were omnipresent at her games. The coaching staff stuck with Stangel when she suffered two torn ACLs during her prep career.
“There was something about the way Valpo stuck with me even during the injuries that was important to me,” Stangel said. “Late in the recruiting process, when teams could see I was able to make a full recovery, I got some interest and offers. But Valpo stuck with me throughout my career and that was really important. It felt good to stay home, and it’s still good to be home.”
The way Stangel responded to the obstacles caused by injuries during her high school career impressed Keith Freeman, who served as the head women’s basketball coach at Valpo from 1994–2012.
“When she had those injuries, Jamie always came back with a winning spirit,” Freeman said. “Those trials and setbacks gave her a chance to develop that ‘want-to’ fiber of her being. That enthusiasm is contagious in everything she does. She has a ‘can-do’ personality, and I credit it to those early obstacles that she overcame. That’s one reason why she’s such a blessing to all of the people around her.”
Stangel still ranks second in program history in single-season 3-point percentage and is among the program’s all-time Top 10 in career made 3s and career 3-point percentage. She made key contributions to four successful seasons, including the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance during her freshman campaign in 2002–2003 and a return trip the following season in 2003–2004.
“Both NCAA Tournament games were amazing,” Stangel said. “Playing in the NCAA Tournament at Purdue my freshman year was a really cool experience. We traveled down the road to a Big Ten school that was chalk full of Indiana talent. The next year, we played Kansas State at Minnesota and there were a ton of Minnesota fans rooting for us. We played them tight for 37 minutes.”
The Teacher
After working as a graduate assistant at Valpo and then serving as an assistant coach at Edgewood College from 2009–2011, Stangel began teaching special education at Platteville High School in Wisconsin.
When an opening for a visiting sport management professor became available at Valpo in 2013, Stangel didn’t hesitate.
“It’s teaching, it’s sports, it’s my alma mater,” Stangel said. “I was fortunate that Professor (Barb) Tyree took a chance on me. Teaching feels a lot like coaching. As a former student-athlete at Valpo, I understand the time demands that many of our sport management and sport administration students face. Many of our students have played sports their whole lives, so they see athletics as a participant. As you start to study and research it, sports can be completely different, and it’s fun to show the students that perspective.”
After starting as a visiting professor, Stangel became a lecturer in 2016 and the director of the undergraduate sport management program in 2019.
“Jamie is an amazing human being,” Kinesiology Department Chair Barb Tyree said. “I knew Jamie as an undergrad and grad student. When she returned for a job interview, I was ecstatic. Jamie is one of the smartest people I know. She is very intuitive while working with others. I don’t think she has ever met a stranger. Her inquisitiveness and energy seem to be limitless. While working at Valpo, she has continued to grow her family and completed a Ph.D. while working full time. Students greatly benefit from her knowledge, but they benefit as much, or more, from simply who she is.”
The Broadcaster
Stangel’s desire to enter the sports broadcasting realm dates back to her days as an undergraduate student at Valpo.
The communication/sport management major did an internship with the local Comcast television station, which aired a high school football game of the week and a weekly highlight show. She served as the sideline reporter for the weekly game, and current Valpo women’s basketball and volleyball play-by-play broadcaster Brian Jennings was part of the on-air crew for those telecasts.
Stangel also gained experience as an intern for the Waddle & Silvy show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago. She served as a production intern, researching stats and cutting the show’s podcast.
Over the last several seasons, Stangel has served as an analyst for select Valpo women’s basketball and volleyball broadcasts. She thrived in that role, making her an obvious candidate when the men’s basketball position became available.
“Jamie has an unbelievable understanding of the game,” Ickow said. “She truly has an A+ level understanding of what teams are trying to accomplish. She has been a player and coach and grew up in the game. She has a great ability to explain everything without making it too complicated. She has a great feel for when to chime in and when not to chime in. It’s been an absolute pleasure to have somebody so knowledgeable, professional and prepared working the games with me.”
The significance of a female serving as a broadcast analyst for a men’s team is not lost on Stangel.
“It is still a story, and that’s cool, and it’s becoming less of a story, and that’s even more cool,” Stangel said. “People like Becky Hammon and Niele Ivey have coached in the NBA. There are amazing women broadcasters like Doris Burke and Beth Mowins. I’m certainly not a trailblazer, but I’m happy to continue the growth of women in men’s sports.”
The Family
Sports have always been a significant part of Stangel’s family as her father, Dennis Gutowski, played football at Notre Dame, has served as an assistant football coach at Andrean on and off for the last 30 years and is a member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.
Her uncle, Dave Pishkur, is the longtime head baseball coach at Andrean High School and is the all-time wins leader in Indiana high school baseball. Her husband Brad is a local boys basketball coach and led Andrean to its first state title in boys basketball. He is now the head coach at Hanover Central. Her brother Jeff is the defensive coordinator at Andrean and helped the team to a state championship this past fall after previously coaching collegiately at Mercyhurst for over a decade.
Simply put, sports are in Stangel’s blood. Family remains a big part of Stangel’s life as she and Brad have three daughters — Addison, Anna and Amelia.
“You could tell right away that she came from an enthusiastic sports family,” Freeman said. “Part of what I saw from Jamie during her playing days has a lot to do with why she’s a great mother, great wife and great professor. It’s why when she announces a game, she has an enthusiasm that you can’t take from somebody. I’m incredibly proud of her because I think she’s a great example of what athletics can do for people when it’s done right.”
