cinderella goes to the ball.

History shall recognize Thursday, 3 Feb 2k5 as a pivotal moment in the life of Kevin the P.A. Announcing Monkey. Just as that November evening in 2k1 was momentous in that I graduated from P.A. duties at an NAIA school to an NCAA D-I school, last night I moved up to working at Conseco Fieldhouse.


All alone in this big, empty house. Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis.

Conseco Fielhouse is:
* one of the finest basketball arenas in the country
* home of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever
* where Ron Artest is currently being held without bond

I do P.A. announcing for the IUPUI Jaguars and we played our first game ever at Conseco last night. It was, without a doubt, a major moment for the program. Sadly, we lost the game, but it did not dampen my ability to bask in the moment. I got there early yesterday, knowing it would be a great opportunity to take it all in; sort of like that scene in Rudy when Rudy's dad entered The House That Rockne Built for the first time.


That's me, standing right directly on Conseco Fieldhouse's Center Court. Yeah, the stat guys giggled when they saw me doing this.

Okay, that's a little puffery, but it's not everyday I get to step foot on the same court used by Jermaine O'Neal and Reggie Miller. So what did I do?

* Stood on Center Court and made phone calls to my brother and my boy Franny
* I called my mom whilst dribbling a basketball on that spot and said, "do you hear that? I'm dribbling a ball on the floor at Conseco!!!"
* I shot hoops in the shoot-around with the team (under asst. coach's instructions, I was not permitted to leave the court until I made a shot...I think I was one-for-eight from the field and couldn't hit an NBA three to save my life.

Doing P.A. with real, professional equipment was something to behold. To hear my own voice echoing throughout the Fieldhouse was both cool and frightening.

My initial thoughts on the floor:
* It seems "bigger" on TV
* It's really surprising how well you can see faces far away from the floor
* You can feel the floor vibrate under your feet when you pound the basketball
* The nets are actually hand-woven; not pre-woven
* Stat guys are the same, no matter age or place

Do I have visions of pursuing this beyond my gig with the Jaguars? I'd be lying if I said taking a shot at it, should it come available, isn't a private goal.

In the meantime, I shall bask in the moment. Even if we did fucking lose the game.