Nicole Briscoe goes to ‘SportsCenter school’ and then jumps right in

Though a familiar face to many ESPN viewers, Nicole Briscoe is in a new position as an anchor for SportsCenter.

Even an experienced TV veteran doesn’t step in front of the cameras on ESPN’s signature show without preparation, as Briscoe can attest after going through “SportsCenter School.”

From the time she joined ESPN in 2008 through the end of 2014, Briscoe was prominent on the network’s NASCAR coverage, first as a host/reporter on the daily studio program NASCAR Now and later as host of the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program, which originated from racetracks.

When ESPN’s contract for live NASCAR race coverage ended, Briscoe signed a new deal to move to SportsCenter. And after reporting from the X Games in January, she enrolled in “SC school.”

“The first week was observing shows, and a lot of meetings and meeting people,” she said. “I’m starting my eighth year with the company but spending the majority of my time out on the road, there were a lot of people who work on SportsCenter that I knew by name but had never met.”

Briscoe sat with anchors and producers, learning how the show comes together, and observed shows from the control room and studio. “Once you have an idea of how it works, it’s easier to see how it works,” she said.

Her on-air debut wasn’t supposed to happen until this month, but openings suddenly appeared the weekend of Feb. 14-15 and she found out on Friday the 13th that she’d be hosting the 3 p.m. SportsCenter the next day as well as the 8 a.m. Sunday show.

“I literally jumped up and down,” Briscoe said. “Put me in, coach!”

Briscoe admitted to being more nervous going into the first show than she was in 2009 when she hosted NASCAR Now from the White House and interviewed President Obama. But after successfully navigating her first two shows, she was thrilled when she received a supportive Tweet from TV veteran and former ESPN reporter Bonnie Bernstein.

“It was really cool, and that sort of support and love means a lot, especially from someone like her,” Briscoe said. “When I was starting out in the business, she was someone I admired greatly. To get a message like that from her after one of my first shows was really nice. It was like a big giant hug from far away and I really appreciated it.”