McCue’s pro hoop dreams set for reality TV series this fall NESN’s own Boston marathon Still picking Stones out of Fenway Their triumph rings on

Hampden Academy graduate Jesse McCue’s quest to play professional basketball will be dramatized on television this fall.

“Inside the Game,” a weekly, hour-long reality TV series produced by Charlotte, N.C.-based Urban Sports and Entertainment Group, will feature McCue and 14 other members of the Team USA Select basketball team during a five-minute show segment.

“I’d actually like to do more with it. It’s still fairly new and people haven’t seen it yet, but I think people will think it’s pretty cool and it’ll catch on once they do see it,” said Mikah Fuller, USEG vice-president.

Team USA is a five-year old organization that holds annual tryouts for recent mid-level and small college graduates and selects 15 members to tour Europe and play in tournaments, preseason and exhibition games on a month-long tour in an effort to market the players and facilitate their chances of landing a pro contract.

“I’m a firm believer in the whole program overall,” Fuller said. “The whole goal is to find a creative way to give Team USA some exposure because [founder and coach Sean Kilmartin] really has a good thing going with them.”

The 10-part series – hosted by former Los Angeles Raiders tight end Ethan Horton – is currently scheduled to air in 28 markets nationally with a concentration in the southeast and on the Atlantic coast. So far, the northernmost station to sign on for the series is in Syracuse, N.Y. Fuller is targeting WB (Warner Brothers) and UPN (United Paramount Network) affiliate stations.

Inside the Game focuses primarily on historically black colleges and sporting events, and since many of McCue’s teammates hail from schools like that, it was a good match.

McCue, the 2004-05 National Christian College Athletic Association Division I Player of the Year, helped lead his Palm Beach Atlantic University Sailfish to two straight NCCAA national tournament berths and a spot in the tourney semifinals last season.

NESN’s own Boston marathon

New England Sports Network’s coverage of the fourth annual WEEI-NESN Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon starts at 6 a.m. today and continues until midnight, with the only interruption being the 7 p.m. pregame Red Sox show, the 8 p.m. Red Sox game, and postgame coverage.

NESN will simulcast Boston radio station WEEI’s Jimmy Fund coverage and show live video from the WEEI (850 AM) studios.

Last year’s event raised $1,564,045 for the Dana-Farber Institute and cancer research. This year’s goal is $2 million.

Still picking Stones out of Fenway

Friday night’s game at Fenway Park between the Boston Red Sox and Detroit will start one hour later than originally scheduled. NESN’s live coverage will start at 8 p.m. as the Fenway grounds crew needed extra time to install new sod in center field after last week’s Rolling Stones concerts damaged the turf.

Their triumph rings on

New England Sports Network will never be accused of not riding the Red Sox express as far as it can go.

The latest video compilation celebrating the Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series championship season has been released by NESN this week. “History Rings True: The Red Sox Opening Day Ceremony” is a 90-minute video – release in both DVD and VHS formats by NESN – which is available at area stores such as Best Buy, FYE, Suncoast, and Strawberries for $14.99 a copy.

Both video formats feature the one-hour Red Sox ring ceremony at the Fenway Park home opener April 11. The DVD features 30-minute bonus coverage of the celebration held at Fenway Oct. 30, 2004 just before the Red Sox “rolling rally” started its tour along the streets of Boston.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600, or at aneff@bangordailynews.net