Westwood One Radio has announced its announcers for the NCAA Final Four and it’s nice to see Bill Walton returning to college basketball. Here’s the roster.
WESTWOOD ONE ANNOUNCES ALL-STAR BROADCAST TEAM FOR THE 2010 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL FINAL FOUR–– Kevin Kugler– Play-by-Play, John Thompson – Color Analyst, Bill Raftery – Color Analyst, Jim Gray – Courtside Reporter, John Tautges – Pregame and Halftime Host – Bill Walton—Pregame/Halftime Analyst–– Broadcast will Air on More Than 500 Stations Nationwide —New York, NY – March 31, 2010 – Westwood One/NCAA Radio Network is proud to announce the all-star broadcast team for the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four: Kevin Kugler, John Thompson, Bill Raftery, Jim Gray, Bill Walton and John Tautges. The 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four airs live from Indianapolis, IN, on Saturday, April 3, 2010 and Monday, April 5, 2010 and will be heard on over 500 radio stations across America.NATIONAL SEMI-FINALSSaturday, April 3, 2010 @ 5:00 p.m. ET(5) Butler vs. (5) Michigan State (tip-off 6:07 p.m. ET)(1) Duke vs. (2) West Virginia (tip-off 8:47 p.m. ET*)*tip-off time is only approximate and depends upon the length of the first gameNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMEMonday, April 5, 2010 @ 8:00 p.m. ET (tip-off 9:21 p.m. ET)Butler / Michigan State winner vs. Duke / West Virginia winnerFor information on stations carrying these games in your area, please visit www.westwoodone.com/ncaaKevin Kugler will once again provide play-by-play for the national semi-final doubleheader and championship game with former Georgetown and Hall of Fame coach John Thompson and former Seton Hall coach Bill Raftery adding color commentary. Emmy-winning sportscaster Jim Gray returns as courtside reporter and John Tautges serves as pregame and halftime host for Westwood One’s Final Four™ coverage. Three-time NCAA Player of the Year and Hall of Famer Bill Walton joins the crew this year, offering analysis during the pregame, halftime and postgame shows. Westwood One will also present The Final Four Show and Championship Monday, hosted by John Tautges. The Final Four Show will air two-and-a-half hours prior to the National Semifinal game, while Championship Monday will air two hours before the National Championship game. In addition, Westwood One presents the NCAA Final Four Radio Row, a special all-star broadcast event live from Indianapolis. Westwood One’s NCAA Final Four Radio Row will feature sports radio stations broadcasting daily to top markets across America.Westwood One’s NCAA Radio Network is the exclusive provider of complete NCAA basketball coverage including major conference championships, March Madness®, the NCAA Men’s Final Four™ and Championship Game, as well as the NCAA Women’s Final Four® and Championship Game.Westwood One is the leader in play-by-play sports broadcasts on radio. In addition to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and Final Four, upcoming events on Westwood One include the Masters, the Frozen Four, and the College World Series.
Westwood One NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four Broadcast TeamKevin Kugler returns as the radio play–by-play announcer for the NCAA Men’s Final Four broadcast. Kugler is also familiar to listeners as the lead announcer for Westwood One’s regular season college basketball package, where he pairs with Pete Gillen. Kugler also currently serves as a play-by-play announcer for Westwood One’s coverage of the NFL, after spending three seasons as their voice of College Football. He has also called the past six Men’s College World Series for the NCAA Radio Network and most recently co-anchored Westwood One’s nightly coverage of the Winter Olympics from Vancouver. Additionally, Kugler co-hosts a daily sports talk show host in Omaha, and has won the Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year Award six times in the last seven years.John Thompson returns for the 8th straight season as color analyst for Westwood One’s NCAA Radio Network coverage of the Final Four. Thompson, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999, is best known as the former head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas. Thompson was named NCAA Coach of the Year seven times and led his team to 24 straight post-season appearances, three NCAA Final Fours, and the National Championship in 1984.Bill Raftery also returns as an analyst for Westwood One in his 18th consecutive year sitting courtside for Westwood One’s Final Four coverage. From 1970-1981, Raftery served as head basketball coach at Seton Hall University, where he led the Pirates to seven straight winning seasons and a record of 154-141. Raftery led the team to four ECAC post-season tournaments and two National Invitational Tournament appearances. Raftery also serves as a television analyst for the New Jersey Nets and college basketball on CBS.Jim Gray returns as courtside reporter for the NCAA Men’s Final Four broadcast. Gray also serves as host of Westwood One’s Monday Night Football pregame and halftime shows. Gray covers boxing for Showtime, is a contributor to NBC’s Today Show, and also served as a courtside reporter for the NBA on NBC and ESPN for many years. Gray’s numerous credits include: seven Olympic Games, 23 Masters, 14 Super Bowls, seven World Series and 15 NBA Finals. Gray has won eight Emmy Awards and also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Bill Walton will be making his first trip to the Final Four with Westwood One, but is a veteran to college basketball’s greatest stage. Walton led UCLA to three straight Final Four appearances as a player from 1972-1974, and captured two NCAA titles as a member of the Bruins. His 44-point performance in the 1973 Championship Game vs. Memphis is still an NCAA record, and garnered him the Most Outstanding Player Award. He was named the NCAA Player of the Year three times, and was an Academic All-American three times as well. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. Walton also worked as an analyst for CBS Sports in the early 90’s during the NCAA Final Four and then for the NBA on NBC for many years. Since then, he has also worked for ABC, ESPN, Turner, and NBA TV as a game analyst.John Tautges returns to the Westwood One/NCAA Radio Network as the host for the Final Four, a role he served from 2003-2006. In addition to anchoring the network’s tournament coverage throughout the month, John has hosted all four major golf championships for Westwood One, and is a play-by-play announcer for both College Basketball and College Football. Just prior to March Madness, John was in Vancouver, where he co-anchored Westwood One’s nightly coverage of the Winter Olympics, his 6th Olympiad with the network.
Do I have more press releases? Yes I do and they’re coming up.
