‘Sports Center’ Style Program Continues Successful Path At High School

By Andrew Rote

If you turn on the TV, you can find pro basketball on NBC, college basketball on Fox, and high school basketball on channel 17.

One year ago, junior Brian Budnick was sitting on his couch watching Sports Center on ESPN and an idea formed in his mind. He thought he could do what the anchors were doing and set on a course to see if he could achieve this.

Brian went to the Tech Club who told him to discuss the idea with Video Productions instead. He asked junior Mike Sobo to direct his version of Sports Center and tabbed junior Tom Hunt as a co-anchor.

While the Sports Center pilot went well, it took a long time to produce. Video teacher Mrs Kerry Hrabstock then expressed her interest in filming live basketball games with commentating.

“Then Mike approached me about it and said, ‘you need a partner’,” Brian said. “It took literally two seconds for me to hook up with Tom [Ragusa, junior].”

Brian and Tom commentated Mike’s filming of about 20 boys’ and girls’ basketball games last year, including three live. The program has completely changed since that year in virtually every aspect; however, Brian stressed that without Mike, it never would have started.

“If you look back to the way we did it then, to what we’re doing now it’s like the Stone Age,” Brian said.

The original equipment including just a camera, wire, and microphone has improved to a professional setup.

Changes over the last year include a monitor to capture more of the anchors on camera, the addition of junior Matt Pachniuk to the crew, and live pre-game and post-game shows. The biggest change was Video Productions handing the project over to the Tech Club.

Brian mentioned that the Tech Club displays an incredible amount of enthusiasm for the program. They are constantly updating and making changes.

“Every time I walk into my studio, it’s different,” Brian said. “We went from just some chairs and a table with some mugs to a backdrop with a logo and people calling in. The desk is four times as big as it originally was.”

Brian added that the Tech Club has gotten several impressive interviews on the pre-game shows including fans, coaches and players from other teams, parents, and Newtown Bee sports editor Kim Harmon.

There have been changes with the lighting system as well, but the most noticeable difference is the fan appeal. During live broadcasts, the Tech Club encourages people at home watching to call in with questions or comments about the show or what is being discussed. The message that the caller leaves is sent from the Tech Club to a printer near the anchors where Brian receives and addresses it on the show.

Brian and Tom stressed that they could not be doing what they are without the Tech Club. They are always there helping the anchors in any way possible even when it comes down to just getting more comfortable chairs or a glass of water.

“They absolutely love what they’re doing. I can’t compliment them enough,” Brian said. “Every single thing that’s going on with this broadcasting has absolutely fallen into our laps.”

Tom agreed that the Tech Club makes the anchors’ job very easy.

“It’s like a fantasy,” he said.

Brian is not sure if commentating is a future career for him, but he looks at it as something worth following as a hobby. He said he has too much fun to think about making a living out of it.

“I look at the color guys in the history of sports,” Tom said. “I try to model myself after the way they do it.” Tom accepted Brian’s offer to be a part of the program because he is a big fan of basketball, and like he expected, he is having a lot of fun doing it.

Brian, Tom, and Matt have countless memories over the two years of basketball commentating, including one game during a blizzard. The weather was so bad that the bleachers were not pulled out because too few people showed up to make it worthwhile. Now-“moderate regular” on the show Tim Byrne, sophomore, was sitting at the top of the pushed-in bleachers and was yelling at the other team’s players. As he yelled, he fell off of the bleachers. A snowball fight between Brian and Matt capped off the memory-filled night.

As for playing sports, Brian joked, “We’re Senior League hard-core players.”

All three anchors take part in Parks and Rec Senior League basketball. In addition to Senior League, Matt plays health club basketball and is an all-state soccer goalie. He hopes to play Division One soccer on a scholarship in a couple of years, and is waiting for his name to be placed on the banners in the school gym.

The unique aspect that Matt brings to the commentating team is his experience when it comes to sports.

“He’s by far and away the most athletic out of all of us,” Brian said. “He played jayvee [basketball] last year, he played freshman basketball, he knows [varsity] Coach [Mr John] Quinn well, he knows the players well because he played travel since he’s been in the fourth grade. The only tendencies that Tom and I pick up on the players are from what we’ve seen, that’s why Matt’s a great addition.”

The three come together and seem to work well as co-anchors.

“We make the three-man broadcast look easy,” Tom said. While some three-man broadcast crews could trip over each other’s words, it is clear that Brian is the play-by-play commentator while Tom and Matt are color.

Brian is very content with the way things are now and the only change he wishes for is to see more people dial 270-6122 to leave messages for the anchors during the shows. There has been talk of a regular weekly show on Fridays once the season ends, but more audience participation would be necessary for that to be a success.

“I really hope that if I come back after I graduate, someone else would be doing it in place of me,” Brian said. “I simply do it because we have too much fun not to.”