Sept. 21, 2010

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -

How long have you been calling Maryland women's basketball games? How have you seen the program evolve?
If I have done the math right, this will be my sixth season. I was the public address announcer for the team the year before. I have seen the growth of Maryland women's basketball twice. I was a student here in the 1970s and called games for WMUC. We saw the rise of the Terps to national prominence. Maryland has done the same since Coach Frese has come aboard. The players are now much more athletic and polished. The game has come a long way since the 1970s.

How'd you get started?
I've always wanted to be in broadcasting, even since I was a kid. I actually did the public address for my first athletic event when I was in seventh grade. I announced the 75-lb. Turkey Bowl game for Silver Spring Boys' Club that was held at Blair High School. I actually was too nervous to say anything during the first quarter, but finally got up the nerve to talk in the second quarter. Some say I haven't shut up since. I continued to do public address work for the Boys' Club and the Montgomery County Baseball Association. At Northwood High School in Silver Spring I was the public address announcer for football, basketball and wrestling matches. As a freshman at Maryland I tried out for the campus radio station, WMUC, and was selected for the sports staff. I ended up being the Sports Director my junior year. That year I did my first Maryland women's basketball play-by-play, as well as play-by-play for Maryland baseball. I continued to do those sports through my junior year. My senior year I interned for Johnny Holliday at WMAL Radio, right around the time Johnny was coming on board as the Maryland play-by-play announcer. My relationship with Johnny has been invaluable to me, both on a professional and personal level. Johnny is the No. 1 reason why I am doing games on the radio for Maryland now.

Who have been your different on-air partners over the years?
I worked with Roy Sigler at Mount St. Mary's doing basketball games. Roy was a three-sport athlete at Frostburg and later went on to be the head basketball coach at Boston University. When Roy left BU he was replaced by an up-and-coming young coach named Rick Pitino. I learned a ton from Roy. No one is more passionate about basketball or Mount St. Mary's than Roy. As a baseball announcer in Frederick I worked with Matt Hicks and Kevin Heilbronner. Matt was my partner on Maryland baseball games for a year when we were in college. He is now the radio voice of the minor league baseball team in Corpus Christi and really should be in the Major Leagues. He is that good. He is the one that got me back into radio after a ten year absence. Kevin worked with me in Frederick for a year, and most recently has served as the PA announcer for the Washington Wizards.

What are the differences between calling a game with Dave Preston vs. Vicki Bullet?
Dave is the consummate broadcast professional. He is a terrific interviewer. Dave handles the pre-game, halftime and post-game segments and offers commentary during the broadcast. Vicki is more of a traditional analyst that offers great insight during games. She has more access to inside the team than anyone else in radio or TV since she is a former player.

Is it different doing strictly radio vs. TV?
Yes. You pretty much control the broadcast on radio. Tom Marchitto, our engineer, keeps us on the air and serves as an on-site producer. He sits next to me during the games. On TV you have people talking in your ear telling you what shots are coming up. You have to keep an eye on the monitor as well as the game. The best lesson I have learned is that on radio you paint the picture, while on TV you provide the captions.

What are the most memorable Maryland women's basketball games you've called?
There have been three that have stood out for me. Well, one is actually a pair of games in Freeport, Bahamas. I mean, let's face it, who wouldn't like to go to Freeport for Thanksgiving? It was a very memorable holiday for the radio crew as well as my wife who also made the trip. As far as the court is concerned, the game at Virginia last year was thrilling. It was a huge win for the Terps. It looked like Monica Wright was going to single-handedly beat us, but the Terps triple teamed her. She wasn't able to get off a shot and Maryland hung on to win. The No. 1 day for me, however, was the win at Duke the day Coach Frese's twins were born. From the morning shoot-around when we found out the twins had been born, all the way through the great win in Cameron, it was a day were you could really experience the success of Maryland basketball as well as the great family feeling that the program has. And if you want to go back in the day, two games stand out from my college days. One was playing in the AIAW Tournament at Tennessee Tech and the other was playing in the Manufacturer's Hanover Christmas Classic in Madison Square Garden. It was my first trip ever to New York and the games were held in what many people consider one of the great college basketball arenas.

What are the most memorable Maryland women's basketball plays you've called?
Can I mention the one I didn't call? So many people ask me about the national championship game, but we did not do the game on the radio. I remember sitting in my chair at home, putting my hands over my head as soon as Kristi Toliver shot the ball, knowing it was going in. When it did go in I did a victory lap around my basement. The only other time I have been that excited about a sports event was when the men's basketball team won the national title in Atlanta in 2002, and I have been to a ton of athletic events. Oddly, the other "shot" that really sticks out in my mind was when Aurelie Noirez nailed a three pointer to open her Senior Night game against Duke. The first couple of minutes she played were so inspired. It was special for me to see because I know how hard she worked, both on the court as well as off, to play here at Maryland. I don't know if I could go overseas for college like she did. That shot is still on my personal highlight CD.

Any games or plays you didn't call but wish you had called?
See above! Plus all the games over the past five years that have NOT been on the radio. I am grateful, however, for the chance to do 10 games on the Terrapin Sports Network each season.

What's your day job?
I am a teacher in the Montgomery County Public School System, currently at Northwest High School in Germantown, Md. I run the work study program. Previously I taught English, PE and history at Gaithersburg Junior High (1983-88) and at Magruder High School (1988-2001).

Do you have an all-time favorite Maryland women's basketball player?
From the old days, Kris Kirchner. She was the first really athletic inside player Maryland had. Shay Doron and Crystal Langhorne would be my top two from the Coach Frese years, but every single player that has been in the program with Coach Frese has been an absolute joy to be around. It is a real testimony to the fact that the staff recruits quality kids and then blends them into a tight-knit family.

Do you have any pre-game or in-game rituals?
Not really. I try to have everything done for the broadcast by 15 minutes before we go on the air so I can sit and watch warm-ups. In game, I just try to remember to give the score and time remaining as often as possible and to always tell how many fouls are on a player and the team when a foul is called. This keeps my wife happy. The guys that run the clock and scoreboard, the marketing and PA folks, as well as the stat people that sit around us are terrific people that just add to the positive experience I have working at Maryland.