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**remy23** · 03-13-2006, 08:12 AM

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March 13, 2006
One-on-One with Cavaliers TV Play-by-Play Man, Michael Reghi

The Cavaliers should consider themselves a lucky organization. Not only are they blessed with one of the NBA’s most dynamic young superstars in LeBron James. But they have two of the most prolific top play-by-play men – Joe Tait and Michael Reghi – to color the canvas with his exploits.
Michael Reghi has been working with the Wine and Gold for over a decade – through the thick and thin of Cavaliers basketball. His unorthodox style is every bit as expressive as King James’ and you can hear Reghi’s rim-rocking, sweet-stroking, dribble-driving descriptions of him 82 times per year.

Cavs.com sat down for a little one-on-one with the man behind the mic. Of course, we could never contain the television voice of the Cavaliers in one sitting. In today's Part I, Michael talks about how he got his start, his seven TV partners and walking the line of objectivity.

So here’s Part I of a three-part series with the inimitable Michael Reghi …

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First things first. How did you get your start in broadcasting?
Reghi: Well, I always had an interest in broadcasting, and wanted to be a play-by-play guy. And I started thinking about doing that at a very young age.

In high school, in addition to playing sports, I took as many speech courses as I could. I was fortunate enough to go to a high school in Detroit that had a broadcast curriculum; and I started it there. And then I majored in television and mass communication in college.

So right from there I was fortunate to start working right here in Ohio, around the Toledo area. I was doing Division III college football and basketball and a lot of high school play by play on the radio. And I got into television a couple years later and still did radio.

I’ve been blessed and fortunate. Believe it or not, it’s been 26 years now in the broadcast industry. I really haven’t had any other job out of college. It’s really a passion; I really love what I do. And I hope that comes across to viewers and fans of the Cavaliers.

How long have you been with the Cavaliers?
Reghi: I started in the 1990-91 season doing the pre-game and post-game and beginning in the 1994 season, I got the play-by-play slot on SportsChannel. So actually, it’s 12 years with FoxSports Net and two years after that I added the duties of the Cavaliers Television Network and that kind of brought me to where I am now, doing every game.

All told, I’ve been with the Cavaliers for 15 years now.

How many color analyst/partners have you had since you’ve been doing play-by-play?
Reghi: Former Cavalier center, Jim Chones, was my first partner. We worked together for four years and then when I started with the Cavaliers Television Network it was Quinn Buckner.

Let me run through the partners for you: Jim Chones. Quinn Buckner. Brad Daugherty. Matt Goukas had the seven-year run with me on FoxSports Net. (He’s one of the consummate color men in all of basketball.) After Matt, it’s was Mark Price and now Scott Williams. And, of course, for the last seven years on the network side, it’s been Austin (Carr).

What's your philosophy on working with your different partners?
Reghi: I think in TV today there’s a couple elements. First, I think the color analyst has to be the guy that shines. And of course, there’s also some entertainment value to the game.

It’s not like it was the 60s and 70s, where you just call the game when you pretty much did the game and didn’t offer opinions or insights or have a laugh. Well, that’s changed now.

I go by the premise that it’s my job, in incumbent upon me to let the color analyst stand out and shine and show his expertise. And if I don’t do that, then I’m not doing my job.

So what I do is I spend a lot of time with my partners, I get to know their personalities and I’ll try to push the right buttons on the air the same way I would off the air, just like us hanging out as a couple of guys. I agree with the philosophy that for most viewers it should be as comfortable as two guys maybe sitting in a bar. So you try to keep it lively and conversational.

Mark Price as a first-time guy was a little reserved and cautious about what he was going to say and when he was going to say it. So I had to ask him more questions and draw it out of him.

A guy who's been comfortable from the starts has been Scott Williams. Scott's has been absolutely terrific. He’s got a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm and he’s very lively about the game. And he’s willing to have fun.

And same with Austin, we clicked early on. And we’ve become good friends – not that you have to be do a good telecast, but Austin’s a guy who I’ve always had a great deal of respect for. I have a lot of fun with the guys I work with.

For the first few games that I work with a partner, I sit back and I assess my partners, and I figure out what’s the proper way to go after it on the air.

How do you walk the line of objectivity? How honest can you be calling a game on television?
Reghi: First and foremost, I’m a fan. And sometimes I’m afraid to get caught up too much. There’s a fine line there.

As far the criticism goes, if a team’s having a bad night, you’re able to say it. First of all, I think it’s important to build up enough respect within that locker room and the front office. That’s why I talk to Danny Ferry and Mike Brown. Because I know if they have a good feeling about me, and they know I’m a guy who’s around and who cares about what we’re about as an organization.

That’s why when the Cavaliers are having a bad night and you say, ‘The guys just aren’t getting it done tonight.” – they respect it. They know that you’re somebody who cares. There’s a big difference between being constructively critical and being downright malicious. There’s a way to say that something’s not working, and you have to say that if the Cavaliers don’t get it together, it’s gonna be a long night.

I would hope that whether people like me or not, or like my style or not, that people would say, ‘I know one thing: he’s a guy who knows what he’s talking about and a profession who does his homework every day. But he also wants the Cavaliers to do well.’

In Part II, Michael talks about how he paces himself for the season and how he'll handle the Cavaliers in the postseason.

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