Broadcast wrap-up: Alumni Basketball Classic

While AAAA won the all-star series without the class' top players and AA taking home third place, the Alumni Basketball Classic in St. Paul proved to have the climax of a Timberwolves game; non-existent. Then again, so was the Miss Basketball ceremony as Tayler Hill got what everyone and their dog saw coming since spring of last year. She certainly had the stats to back her up, and Ohio State will likely welcome her explosive play. If anything, the other nominees may have lost out in this for no other reason than having to graduate the same year as Hill. By no means are they untalented, but they didn't have to reach state tournaments (and win in some cases) by themselves. They were just simply overshadowed, but they'll get their chance to make a name too as they join their respective colleges.

As far as the alumni classic, the quality of play is virtually non-existent. You can tell most of the high school alumni who participate have aged considerably as they get tired pretty fast. Mechanic Arts and friends beat Central 63-51 for what it's worth. The most dramatic moment didn't come from the game, it came from the crew. The director fell ill at the end of the game and had to step out. He had another shoot to work on later that night and I didn't hear anything about his condition. Our producer offered to have him checked out, but he refused. You'll notice a throwback graphics design if you watch the broadcast on SPNN channel 19. Find out when the game will be on by visiting http://www.spnn.org.

For now, the next sporting event I would be involved with in the near future is the Inner City All-Star Classic in the summer, another exhibition event that carries little significance as far as the game is concerned, but will be the last chance to see most Minneapolis/St. Paul players in action before they head to college. The odds for AAU are still not in my favor and other spring sports are virtually impossible to televise, so I may not see play-by-play action again until next basketball season. Something may spring up, but given my luck, I doubt it. I'll post again when the next sporting event I'm called up for comes.

Broadcast preview: Alumni Basketball Classic XVIII

I'm hired to broadcast the 18th annual Alumni Basketball Classic on SPNN, where high school alumni meet once a year from different schools to play each other in a friendly. The level of play is OK; the older competitors don't have the stamina they once held in high school, but what I do enjoy about the broadcast is the chance to do old-school graphics. Since I started doing this a few years ago, I always have at least one game where I use throwback graphics. Because of the change in the event in recent years, I switched from an '80s motif to a '90s motif this year. In fact, I'm using the template and style NBC used for their sporting events for the 1992-93 season.

However, this means I won't be able to televise Saturday's finals for the girls basketball All-Star series. I'm not as disappointed as I normally would be because several players are unable to participate, including Tayler Hill (ineligible), Theairra Taylor (injury) and Megan Nipe (injury). Needless to say, the '09 rendition will have a little more Pro Bowl look to it, although some of the top players in other classes will be playing tomorrow. My guess is they had trouble getting Schoenecker Arena again and had to move their finals from Sunday to Saturday.

I'm not sure what to expect next season. The situation with one of my co-workers is rockier than before; we haven't contacted each other for a month. Considering he had several resources I used for these productions that I currently do not have, it may put the future of broadcasting games in doubt. What this means is up in the air, but it's created an awkward situation as a result of the month-long stalemate. The solutions are few, but I consider this a moment where I find out who my true allies are.

Recap to come soon.