Jim O'Connell has been the national college basketball writer for The Associated Press since 1987, 10 years after he joined the wire service. He has covered more than 2,000 games, including every Final Four since 1979, as well as six Olympics, four World Championships and two Pan Am Games. O'Connell received the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Award in 2002, the same year he was inducted into the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Hall of Fame. He has been recognized with awards from the Big East, the NIT, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, St. John's, his alma mater, the Maui Invitational, the New York Metropolitan Basketball Writers and the ECAC. He is married to the former Anne Gregory, who held the record as women's college basketball's all-time leading rebounder until three years ago. Her jersey was retired by Fordham in 2010. They have two sons.