Byline: Mike Waters Staff writer
Chris Duhon spent Monday and Tuesday preparing for his future.
Duhon played for the New York Knicks last season, his sixth in the NBA, and averaged 7.4 points and 5.6 assists. The 28-year-old Duke graduate recently signed a 4-year, $15 million contract with the Orlando Magic.
But his preparation had nothing to do with the Magic. Duhon's focus was fixed well into the future, when his still-burgeoning playing career is over.
This week Duhon joined four other NBA players in Sportscaster U, a program that develops members of the National Basketball Players Association for a career in broadcasting. The three-day crash course takes place at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications under the director of SU adjunct professors Dave Ryan and Matt Park.
'You never know when your playing career will be over,' Duhon said during a break on Tuesday. 'One of my best friends is Jason Williams.'
Williams, the former Duke star, had his NBA career ended when he suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident.
'I was always taught to be prepared,' Duhon said. 'My main focus right now is on basketball and getting better, but you have to be concerned about the future, too.'
In just its third year, the Sportscaster U program already has a list of successful alumni.
Last year's class consisted of six NBA players. Three continued their playing careers this past season. The other three were Malik Rose, Donyell Marshall and Brevin Knight. Marshall became a studio analyst on the Philadelphia 76ers' pregame and postgame shows. Knight joined the Charlotte Bobcats radio team. And Rose spent the 2009-10 season doing radio work for the NBDL's Austin franchise, while also becoming part of the MSG network's studio crew.
Eric Show, a member of Sportscaster U's inaugural class in 2008, is now a fixture on NBA TV.
Joining Duhon in this year's class are Steven Hunter, Gary Trent, Antonio Daniels and Pat Burke.
'The program is going great,' said Rich Rinaldi, the NBA Players Association's liaison to Sportscaster U. 'The key is they all want to be here. They're very engaged. They've made the effort to be here and they obviously care about life after basketball.'
Daniels, a 12-year NBA veteran who is a free agent this summer, called Sportscaster U an eye-opening experience.
'It's been harder than I expected,' Daniels said. 'I had no idea what went into the production aspect of a broadcast. The homework. The preparation. The timing. Learning how to multi-task. Listening to a person's voice in your ear, while you look at the camera and talk like you're not being spoken to.'
Duhon said he's gained respect for the former NBA players who have become successful television analysts.
'You see guys like Jalen Rose, Mark Jackson and Tim Legler and they make it look so easy,' Duhon said. 'It's definitely harder than what you think. You think it would be easy because we're talking about basketball, which is what we've always done, but when the camera comes on and you have a set amount of time to get your thought across, it's definitely hard.'
The curriculum at Sportscaster U consists of studio shows, production meetings, on-court demonstrations of the kind seen frequently on ESPN's College GameDay and doing an actual game broadcast. This year's players/students will get to broadcast Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. ESPN senior coordinating producer Gerry Matalon will speak to the class and offer one-on-one evaluations.
Ryan, a former ESPN announcer who now works for the CBS College Sports Network, said the ones who can tap into their experience and work ethic as players usually make the best students.
'They're used to being coached,' Ryan said. 'They're used to watching themselves on film and critiquing their performance. They've been doing that all their lives. So, even in this environment, they're very coachable and more than willing to work.'
The NBPA has established similar programs for coaching and business. Two years ago, Daniels got a coaching internship through the players association.
'This sends me in another direction,' Daniels said of Sportscaster U. 'I think it's important to plan for the future and have an idea of what you want to do after basketball. The best way you can get there is to experience it for yourself. This is a great experience.'
Mike Waters can be reached at 470-3086 or mwaters@syracuse.com.
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Clay Willis / The Post-Standard
MATT PARK (center), an adjunct professor at SU, discusses broadcasting methods with former NBA center Pat Burke (left) and former NBA forward Gary Trent at the Melo Center on Tuesday.
Clay Willis / The Post-Standard
CHRIS DUHON,a guard for the
