By On Friday, Space City Home Network (SCHN) and the Houston Rockets announced that Ashley Stroehlein will serve as the team's new sideline reporter.
In that role, Stroehlein is replacing Vanessa Richardson, who recently departed SCHN for a full-time role at ESPN. The sideline reporter works most games alongside Craig Ackerman and Ryan Hollins, the team’s play-by-play broadcaster and lead analyst, respectively.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Ashley to the Space City Home Network family,” said Jim Colasanto, general manager of SCHN. “Her passion for basketball and her storytelling ability will be tremendous assets as she joins our Rockets coverage. Our viewers will quickly see why we’re so excited to have her on the team.”
SCHN broadcasts and streams the vast majority of Rockets games each season (the lone exceptions are broadcasts that are national exclusives). In Houston, Stroehlein’s work begins with pregame coverage for Saturday’s game at Phoenix before taking on the official sideline role during Monday’s home game versus Denver.
“Our Rockets broadcasts provide a great opportunity to showcase the talent and personalities that make this team special,” said Gretchen Sheirr, president of business operations with the Rockets.
“We want fans to experience the excitement of the game while getting to know our players, their stories, and what makes them unique both on and off the court. Ashley brings a strong knowledge of basketball and a passion for storytelling that will help bring both the game and our players to life. We’re thrilled to welcome her to the Rockets family and to Space City Home Network.”
Grateful is an understatement! I’m so excited to join @SpaceCityHN as the Rockets Sideline Reporter! Can’t wait to get started! 🚀🏀✨ https://t.co/ysvqXgnPqI
— Ashley Stroehlein (@ashstro) November 6, 2026
With more than a decade in broadcasting, Stroehlein has worked as a host and reporter for ESPN’s college football coverage and as a fill-in host for SiriusXM’s NBA and NASCAR channels. Over the past two NBA seasons, she served as a sideline reporter for the Charlotte Hornets, where she also filled in as a pregame host, and she also worked select games as a sideline reporter for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In addition, Stroehlein's experience includes work with the NFL Network on its coverage of Conference USA; the Charlotte Knights in Minor League Baseball; and as a pit reporter at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“Grateful is an understatement,” Stroehlein wrote in an X post. “I’m so excited to join Space City Home Network as the Rockets sideline reporter! Can’t wait to get started!”
Stroehlein is a three-time recipient of a Gracie Award, presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation to recognize programming created by, for, and about women across all facets of media and entertainment. She was a four-sport athlete in high school and was named the Virginia High School Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2006.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Ashley Stroehlein to replace Vanessa Richardson as Rockets’ sideline reporter
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ashley-stroehlein-replace-vanessa-richardson-211127949.html
