Jeff McCarragher can’t really describe what it’s like when Kansas University’s men’s basketball team plays in Allen Fieldhouse.
That’s unusual for a man who makes his living painting word pictures.
“You can’t put it into words,” said McCarragher, a KU graduate who is now the play-by-play radio broadcaster for the UNC Greensboro men’s basketball team.
“I’ve tried to explain it,” McCarragher said. “I can remember being in the student section and Kansas would be up by 20 and we’re yelling so loud you’d think it was a two-point game.
“It was so deafening it was hard to maintain your equilibrium. When we were students, we were ruthless.”
Later, McCarragher, a 1997 grad, had worked his way down from the student section to the east sideline where he was broadcasting KU games for KJHK, the student radio station.
A native of Iowa City, Iowa, McCarragher came to Mount Oread because he wanted to be a meteorologist.
“The best schools were Iowa State and Kansas,” he said, “and being from Iowa City I couldn’t see going to Iowa State, so I visited KU and I loved it.”
After a couple of years at KU, McCarragher decided he didn’t love meteorology that much so he switched to broadcast journalism, specifically sports, when veteran broadcaster and KU professor Tom Hedrick suggested he give it a try.
“I took a tape recorder to Memorial Stadium where Lawrence High, I think, was in a playoff game,” McCarragher said, “and I sat up at the top all by myself and did that football game, and Tom said it sounded pretty good.”
During the summer after he graduated, McCarragher wrangled a job as host on Royals Central, a studio show that inserted scores from around the country into Royals’ broadcasts. That gig led him to his first play-by-play baseball job with the Greensboro Bats, a Yankees’ Class A farm club.
At the same time, he hooked on as UNCG’s men’s basketball play-by-play man during Fran McCaffery’s first year as the Spartans’ head coach.
“I came at a great time,” McCarragher said. “Fran McCaffery has really turned the program around. He’s gone from five wins to 12 wins to 15 wins to 20 wins last year.”
UNCG qualified for Friday night’s Preseason NIT meeting with Kansas by disposing of Wagner College, 84-65, on Tuesday night.
During his stint as the Voice of the Spartans, McCarragher’s college roots have become common knowledge ” particularly among the veteran UNCG players, like senior forward Luke Boythe.
“With about eight seconds left and the game pretty well in hand,” McCarragher related, “Luke was at mid-court and he looked over at me and said, ‘Rock Chalk Jayhawk. We’re going to Kansas.'”
And a homecoming for Jeff McCarragher.
“I’m really excited,” he said, “I think the last time I was in Allen Fieldhouse I did the KU-Iowa State game for KJHK.”
Jeff McCarragher can’t really describe what it’s like when Kansas University’s men’s basketball team plays in Allen Fieldhouse.
That’s unusual for a man who makes his living painting word pictures.
“You can’t put it into words,” said McCarragher, a KU graduate who is now the play-by-play radio broadcaster for the UNC Greensboro men’s basketball team.
“I’ve tried to explain it,” McCarragher said. “I can remember being in the student section and Kansas would be up by 20 and we’re yelling so loud you’d think it was a two-point game.
“It was so deafening it was hard to maintain your equilibrium. When we were students, we were ruthless.”
Later, McCarragher, a 1997 grad, had worked his way down from the student section to the east sideline where he was broadcasting KU games for KJHK, the student radio station.
A native of Iowa City, Iowa, McCarragher came to Mount Oread because he wanted to be a meteorologist.
“The best schools were Iowa State and Kansas,” he said, “and being from Iowa City I couldn’t see going to Iowa State, so I visited KU and I loved it.”
After a couple of years at KU, McCarragher decided he didn’t love meteorology that much so he switched to broadcast journalism, specifically sports, when veteran broadcaster and KU professor Tom Hedrick suggested he give it a try.
“I took a tape recorder to Memorial Stadium where Lawrence High, I think, was in a playoff game,” McCarragher said, “and I sat up at the top all by myself and did that football game, and Tom said it sounded pretty good.”
During the summer after he graduated, McCarragher wrangled a job as host on Royals Central, a studio show that inserted scores from around the country into Royals’ broadcasts. That gig led him to his first play-by-play baseball job with the Greensboro Bats, a Yankees’ Class A farm club.
At the same time, he hooked on as UNCG’s men’s basketball play-by-play man during Fran McCaffery’s first year as the Spartans’ head coach.
“I came at a great time,” McCarragher said. “Fran McCaffery has really turned the program around. He’s gone from five wins to 12 wins to 15 wins to 20 wins last year.”
UNCG qualified for Friday night’s Preseason NIT meeting with Kansas by disposing of Wagner College, 84-65, on Tuesday night.
During his stint as the Voice of the Spartans, McCarragher’s college roots have become common knowledge ” particularly among the veteran UNCG players, like senior forward Luke Boythe.
“With about eight seconds left and the game pretty well in hand,” McCarragher related, “Luke was at mid-court and he looked over at me and said, ‘Rock Chalk Jayhawk. We’re going to Kansas.'”
And a homecoming for Jeff McCarragher.
“I’m really excited,” he said, “I think the last time I was in Allen Fieldhouse I did the KU-Iowa State game for KJHK.”
