I have been quiet on here as I'm in the midst of a lull due to winter break. I have a couple weeks off from any play-by-play and about ten days between PA announcing gigs. So I've gone back and I've put together four continuous basketball play-by-play samples. 

So it's not just highlights, but a better chance to hear how I sound at any given moment during a game. I tried not to pick "the best" parts because I want to get useful feedback. If I purposely only put up my "best" work, I may not get the feedback necessary to improve. Of course I have to toe the line there, especially when I apply for jobs. 

On the air tonight with a basketball doubleheader - UMass Lowell vs. Stonehill. Women at 5:30, Men at 7:30. Watch HERE.

Back on the play-by-play mic in Lowell, but today it's just a single game, as the women host the Queens College Knights of the East Coast Conference. River Hawks are 2-1 this season and are led by Bianca Simmons. She was close to a triple-double last Wednesday against Saint Michael's. 

Queens is 2-1 this year, but the Knights were 1-25 last season. I'm going to be on Simmons triple-double watch today. I know most people will be busy watching football, but at halftime of the 1 p.m. games you should tune me in for a little a while. 

Here are today's spotting charts. Not as much time to work on these as I would like, but that's the price to pay for a busy freelance broadcaster.

Starting my fourth year of broadcasting WPI basketball tonight. The men's team is hosting Castleton State at 6:30. Live Audio - Live Video.

This game was a frantic, up-and-down contest. It certainly looked like the opener to the conference season with both teams trying to find their stride. It also did not help that Bentley was sporting new black uniforms with very small numbers that are hard to read. So I had some trouble at times ID-ing No. 32, 33 and 35 for the Falcons.

Doubleheader broadcasts are tough. End of story. But, I think for first one of the season, things went fairly well. It can only get better.

Here's the highlight package.

Making it more of a priority to cut up my audio as the season goes instead of going back at the end of the year. So here is a highlight package for Wednesday night's UMass Lowell women's game against No. 2-ranked Bentley University. Men's basketball highlights to come later.

Going on the air in about 10 minutes for River Hawk basketball doubleheader vs. the Falcons of Bentley University. Women at 5:30, Men at 7:30. Tune in HERE.

I finally had some time to relax for the last two days after a hectic start to my winter schedule. Last Wednesday was the opener of my basketball season, followed by Friday's stint as a color commentator for Brown hockey. Saturday was my football finale (as of right now) for the season. Of course Sunday, I was back on WEEI in the morning.

The last two days have been filled with mostly relaxation, but I have also been preparing for tomorrow's Northeast-10 opening doubleheader for the UMass Lowell women's and men's basketball teams. Some finishing touches tomorrow morning and I should be beyond ready.

Saturday's football game was fun and a challenge for sure. I was not TALL enough to see OVER a window rail, but not SHORT enough to see UNDER the rail. I ended up leaning forward, hunching, to see through the window most of the game. Took me some time to get comfortable but I think by the middle of the second quarter things were going very smoothly. The third quarter started with back-to-back kick returns for touchdowns. The first of which by AIC's Markell Rice, Ray's brother, that was completely surprising because no one from New Haven seemed to make any effort to tackle him. My play-by-play of it sounded, well, rather surprised. I think I made up for it when the Chargers answered back with their return.

Friday's hockey game ended up being very intense. The Bears were down 3-0 in the second period before they roared back to a 3-3 tie. Dan Rubin (@DanRubin12) proclaimed me as an "oracle" after I successfully predicted Brown's first power-play goal of the season mere seconds before it happened. It looked as if the Bears had won the game in overtime, but it was waved off due to the goaltender being bumped in the crease. Still, it was a spirited and important tie for Brown.

So, two days to rest, and back at it. Basketball doubleheader tomorrow. A single basketball game on Thursday night. Harvard women's basketball on Friday night. Brown women's hockey on Saturday. And, let's not forget, WEEI on Saturday and Sunday morning! I would not have it any other way!

Here is a look at a pair of my spotting boards for basketball tomorrow:

We need practice games, too, or at least I do! After eight months away from basketball play-by-play, I was certainly rusty last night. The biggest problem I had was keeping up with the action (I was winded 10 minutes into the game) and I was having trouble finding the right words to describe certain things.

When I listened back to the game before bed last night, it did not end up sounding as bad as I thought live, but still, I am glad to have that "practice game" under my belt. I made sure on my drive home to fire up the Celtics game and listen to Sean Grande and take some mental notes.

In fact, I like to do that often, whether it is Grande or other NBA play-by-play broadcasters. One of the advantages of having a Sprint phone is the NBA Game Time app which gives you access to every team's live radio broadcast. The night before my own broadcast, I like to flip around and listen to the pros.

Anyways, UMass Lowell ended up with a blow-out victory over Clark and the regular season begins next Wednesday. I am confident I will be ready to go then, but it will still take a few games to get back into a comfortable groove. 

Meanwhile, tomorrow night I will be serving as the color commentator for Brown University men's hockey against St. Lawrence in Providence. The last few days I have been preparing for that, but I am also getting prepped for Saturday's Northeast-10 Football Championship Game between New Haven and American International.

I will be back tomorrow night with an update before the hockey game!