Over the last five years, there's a good chance spectators of sporting events have been serenaded with the voice of Brian Sweeney, the MN Announcer Guy. His list of public address announcing credentials includes Simley High School, University of St. Thomas hockey, and Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey. He also pulls double-duty as an announcer and broadcaster for the Minnesota Vixen and the Women's Football Alliance, and he discusses his journey of announcing with Mike Peden.

Founder of The Gibson Foundation (https://www.thegibsonfoundation.org), Donnell Gibson invests in young athletes, offering them a place to develop their skills in sports and other aspects of life. It's an extension of the support he received as a standout player for Johnson High School in St. Paul. Perseverance is a central theme of Gibson's story, as this discussion with Mike Peden illustrates.

Onye Osemenam is proof that you can make a big name in a small school. She won back-to-back Class A state championships with Maranatha Christian Academy, setting the school record for career rebounds and earning an Athena Award for her excellence in academics and athletics. Onye's excellence continued at Missouri State, where she was a defensive stalwart and a three-time member of the MVC Academic Honor Roll. In this podcast, we look back at Onye's athletic career and look forward to her future ambitions in the field of medicine. We also explore her link with Nigerian culture.

There's a saying in the basketball community that getting the chance to play at the college level is a life-changing experience, no matter what division. Destinee Bursch is a firm example of that belief. The Eden Prairie athlete will play for Minnesota State-Mankato in college, the next leg in a journey that started at Eden Prairie, made a stop in Chaska, then returned to Eden Prairie. Destinee divulges what led her to come back to the Eagles, her "twintuition" with her twin brother, and shares some stories from her time as an American football player.

Since fourth grade, Mara Braun had visions of playing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. That vision will soon become reality following Mara's verbal commitment to Minnesota. Before she suits up in the maroon and gold, you can find Mara making an impact for Wayzata on the basketball court and the special education community. Find out more in this episode of Mic'd Up Sports!

Jade Hill is a member of the first family of Minnesota basketball, and is one of three players to score over 2,000 career points at Minneapolis South (Her older sisters, Tayler and Morgan, are the others on that list). Jade will hold a piece of history next year as part of the first Division One recruiting class at St. Thomas. As you can guess, she has a following when it comes to basketball, but as we learn in this discussion, she is also growing her reputation as a dazzling makeup artist!

Changing schools before your senior year is a tough decision. Doing so in the middle of a pandemic brings even more uncertainty, but that hasn't stopped T'Naye Griffin of St. Louis Park from making an impression in the sport of basketball. One thing is certain: Griffin will continue her journey at Alcorn State, and her journey can resonate with anyone dealing with life-altering obstacles. We discuss what led Griffin to leave Park Center and what excites her about the road ahead.

Danielle Williams makes up one half of the Unfinished Business podcast, a platform she hopes will launch her career in sports broadcasting. A graduate of Indiana University and former player on the women's basketball team, Danielle stays involved in the sport as a coach and trainer. We discuss her journey in sports and the friendships she made along the way.

When Jessie Stomski Seim joined the Wisconsin women's basketball team in 1998, she described herself as "rough around the edges," which interfered with a promising prep career as a student at Tartan High School in Oakdale.  Since then, you could call Jessie a "diamond in the rough." In 2020, Stomski Seim was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame, honoring a career that included Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 1999 and a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team in 2001. After a professional playing career overseas, Stomski Seim turned to law and serves as an advocate for Native American causes (she is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation). Stomski shares how her involvement in sports prepared her for law and her hopes for other athletes who may go through some of the challenges she once faced.

There was plenty of hoopla when Paige Bueckers committed to UConn, but no matter how many points and awards she accumulates, she won't be the first Hopkins graduate to attend that school, because Taylor Anderson got there first. Anderson was a dual-sport sensation at Hopkins in basketball and track and still holds the Minnesota state record for the fastest 100m women's race, a feat that helped her get her first car. She went to UConn on a track and field scholarship, and she's hoping to earn a spot on the United States Olympic Team for the summer games in Tokyo. Anderson also knows a thing or two about dynasties, being a part of one with Hopkins girls basketball and a good friend of the UConn women's basketball athletes responsible for their four straight national titles. All of that and more are discussed in this podcast!