Over the course of his career, Ian Eagle has called what seems like a million basketball games. His approach for all of those games, whether it was the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, nationally televised NBA games, or college basketball games, has always been the same. And when it came to taking over as the new play by play voice for the Final Four last week in Arizona, Eagle remained consistent with that approach.
Eagle subscribes to theory that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fit it”.
“I recognized that I didn’t want to make sweeping changes to my approach because it was a bigger stage,” said Eagle. “I wanted to be myself and do the games the way that I’ve done them for a number of years now and I think that comes with experience and maturity and muscle memory. I do think that having done so many NCAA Tournaments put me in a very advantageous position of knowing what I was walking into.”
One part of that approach was to have fun. It’s certainly a job that comes with a big responsibility because of the big stage and the number of eyeballs that are on you, but doing play by play is a lot of fun and a really cool job to have, no matter what sport or what level.
In Eagle’s case, he made sure that he was not only prepared for the job at hand, but he also made sure he was having a good time with his crew that included Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson.
“We had a blast,” said Eagle. “I made a conscious effort to remind myself to enjoy it. Sometimes in life, we forget that it’s supposed to be fun, and it’s supposed to be joyous. I had this sense of calm just before going on air for the Final Four. I didn’t feel nerves. I didn’t feel stressed. I felt in the moment and comfortable and excited.”
This was a moment for Eagle that had been in the works for a few years and something that he certainly had been thinking about. When it was first reported that legendary play by play announcer Jim Nantz would be winding down his long run as the voice of the Final Four, it had been suggested that Eagle was going to be the heir apparent.
In October of 2022, CBS and Turner Sports announced that the 2023 Final Four would be the final one for Nantz and that Eagle would take over in 2024.
For Eagle, it was big shoes to fill succeeding Nantz, but he knew the transition would be smooth and that his job was not to be Jim Nantz but to simply be Ian Eagle.
“I think because it was being discussed over the course of a few years, I never felt that level of enormity,” said Eagle. “For me, it was recognizing that Jim was synonymous with this event and respecting the run that he was on. It was incredible. No one is ever going to match it so why think of it in those terms? Just go do your job and be you.”
Perhaps this could be viewed as a “passing the baton moment,” but on the day before the national semifinals, a message came up on Eagle’s phone.
It was from Nantz.
“Yeah, he texted me on Friday,” said Eagle. “We had a really nice exchange. I think he was being very respectful with the job that I had to do. There’s a high level of respect between the two of us.”
Even before the Final Four, Eagle had established himself as one of the great play-by-play voices in sports broadcasting. From his days as a student at Syracuse University to his early days at WFAN in New York, to being the radio and television voice of the Nets and national NBA and NFL games, Eagle had already accomplished so much in this industry.
A premier event like the Final Four seemed like the appropriate next chapter of his career.
“It felt very much like the next step,” said Eagle. “I think all of your experiences play a role in some way. Even while you’re experiencing them, you have no idea how that’s going to affect you down the road.”
It has been quite a ride for Eagle, and it was a road that started as a producer at WFAN before that run morphed into an on-air role hosting and ultimately becoming the radio voice of the New York Jets.
The road to the top has to start somewhere and for Eagle it was at the nation’s first sports radio station.
“My time at ‘FAN…I learned so much,” said Eagle. “I was around some of the most legendary figures in sports radio history and I benefited greatly from osmosis of being in this really unique situation that helped me when I got the next job and then the next job and then the next job.”
From hosting “Bagels and Baseball” on WFAN to doing play-by-play for the Final Four, it’s been quite a ride for Ian Eagle.
“It’s pretty wild if I take a step back and think about it but when you’re in the moment, you don’t necessarily reflect,” said Eagle. “This time is allowing me to exhale a bit and truly appreciate the path.”
And who knows where that path is going to take him next.
Peter Schwartz writes weekly sports radio features for Barrett Media. He has been involved in New York sports media for over three decades, and has worked for notable brands such as WFAN, CBS Sports Radio, WCBS 880, ESPN New York, and FOX News Radio. Peter has also served as play by play announcer for the New Yok Riptide, New York Dragons, New York Hitmen, Varsity Media and the Long Island Sports Network. You can find him on Twitter @SchwartzSports or email him at DragonsRadio@aol.com.
