CSN Mid-Atlantic has chosen Kara Lawson to replace Phil Chenier on Wizards games this season, making Lawson the latest woman to occupy an analyst seat for the upcoming NBA season. The Hornets’ Stephanie Ready last season was the only woman in that role on an RSN or national provider, while YES Network hired Sarah Kustok last week as an analyst for Nets games and ESPN yesterday picked Doris Burke to replace Doug Collins as a regular analyst on its games. “People are more accepting to, literally, different voices in the booth now,” said CSN Mid-Atlantic President & GM Rebecca Schulte. “There was a time when people would expect female announcers to sound like their male counterparts. When they hear Kara, they are going to hear a smart, knowledgeable analyst talking about their team.” Lawson will be paired with Steve Buckhantz on the games. She replaces Chenier, a former player who served as an analyst for 33 seasons. Chenier will move to the studio for most games, though he will call 10-12 games either as the third person in the booth or replacing Lawson when she has an ESPN commitment. Former NBAer Drew Gooden also will appear in studio and will be the third person in the booth on occasion later in the season. Schulte said a group of people went through auditions earlier this summer -- calling taped games from CSN’s Bethesda studio -- and Lawson impressed with her knowledge of the game and chemistry with Buckhantz. “She grew up here. She knows the team. And she knows the market,” Schulte said. “When Kara did her audition, she got along really well with Buck. They clicked.” Lawson is from the DC area and played one season for the WNBA Mystics. She has appeared on air with ESPN since ’04, doing play-by-play, analyst and studio work. She also has worked as a sideline reporter for NBA games and in ’10 became the first woman to serve as an analyst on a national game.
