One Game At A Time, Play-By-Play Announcer Christopher Cox Heats Up The Mic With The Potawatomi Fire
During a historic first season in TBL, the native Texan has showcased his vast broadcasting skills as the Fire have become one of the must-follow squads in '22.
Shawnee, Oklahoma — There seems to be a unique similarity within the world of professional basketball that’s taken shape this season in The Basketball League.
Whether it’s the NBA, G-League, or even throughout overseas and international basketball, the broadcasters and announcers for their respective teams and pro leagues are frequently the most in-tune people with the happenings of their franchise, are super knowledgeable of the facts and figures utilized during their play-by-play and reporting duties, and remain a go-to-source for constant coverage that props up and helps promote the team in full.
It’s a fraternity of sorts where the camaraderie comes to life with each description of a play call or game winner.
Tons of prep time and research goes into the craft. Capturing the feel and emotions of a moment on the court is at the heart of their work. And even during a short-season pro league like TBL, it’s been guys like Christopher Cox of the Potawatomi Fire who are blazing a whole new trail from preseason to postseason during the 2022 season as a must-see squad.
A native of Carrollton, Texas who honed his broadcasting skills at Oklahoma Christian University in Edmond, Oklahoma, Christopher hit pause in his preparation for the Fire’s next game on Saturday against rival Enid Outlaws to discuss his start in the business of sports broadcasting, how the Citizen Potawatomi Nation have embraced professional basketball in Shawnee, the rigors of calling multiple TBL games each week, and how the upstart Fire continue to make a lasting impression on him during their inaugural season.
How would you describe what it means to not only have the Potawatomi Fire as part of TBL this season in Shawnee, but to also have the opportunity to become the voice of the Fire as the team’s play-by-play announcer?
It means a lot to this community.
Being the first professional sports team in Oklahoma owned by a native American tribe (Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN)) is a point of pride around here. CPN doesn’t do anything half-heartedly and the Fire are a manifestation of that commitment to excellence. The players, to their credit, embody that commitment as well. From their involvement in the community to the way they carry themselves on and off the court, you can tell these guys are proud of making history this season.
I think Shawnee is the quintessential TBL market. It’s a smaller market that knows basketball. It’s a community that is passionate about its sports and athletes. Having TBL here gives the entire community a team they can support and rally behind.
CPN’s commitment to making Fire games an affordable, fun, family event is also something that has resonated with the Shawnee community. The fact that the Fire have been able to sign several Oklahoma natives or guys who played college basketball here, like Anthony Allen (Oklahoma State), have only made it more entertaining for the fans.
For me, it’s been a blast to be the voice of the Fire. I’ve had the opportunity to broadcast high school and small college sports for the past 12+ years, and it’s all been great. But to have the opportunity to broadcast professional sports, is a whole new thrill. I’m thankful that CPN has put their trust in me to broadcast these games and I hope the people who have watched on TBL TV or listened on KGFF Radio have enjoyed the games.
With the TBL season only running from February to June how have you approached these games and this short-season so you can do your job of broadcasting and announcing games?
Time management is key to make sure none of my duties with the Fire or at KGFF slip. Luckily, both the Fire and KGFF Radio are enterprises of CPN, so I don’t feel like I’m working two separate jobs. I feel like my work with the Fire is simply an added duty to my job description at KGFF. Both of my supervisors, Mike Askins at KGFF and David Qualls with the Fire, are understanding of the fact that I have duties at both places.
Sure, some of the days are long with my first newscast at 7 AM and basketball not wrapping up until 10 PM or later, not to mention the long bus rides home after road games. But this is what I love to do. What do they say? Find something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life. I can’t say it never feels like work, but I do love what I do, and I try to find enjoyment in it every day.
In addition to your role with the Fire, you also serve as the News and Sports Director at KGFF Radio in Shawnee and can also be heard calling games at Shawnee High School on the Wolves. How are you able to juggle it all and what’s helped you be able to balance that workload along the way?
In terms of juggling the Fire and Shawnee High School, there really hasn’t been a conflict. I only broadcast the SHS football and basketball games. Football is in the fall and high school basketball in Oklahoma wraps up in the middle of March, so I only had a couple weeks where there were conflicts.
That said, that stretch early in the season was busy. Due to bad weather, some of the high school postseason tournament games got delayed this year and in one week, I had SHS games on Monday and Tuesday night, our weekly Grand Casino Coach’s Corner with Fire coach Derrick Rowland on Wednesday night, another SHS game on Thursday and then Fire road games on Friday and Saturday. So that was a busy time.
Balancing the workload during that week was tricky because it was probably the busiest stretch of my professional career. But, like athletes and coaches say, I took it one game at a time and got through the week. Outside of that one chaotic week, it hasn’t been too tough to juggle because I’ve pretty much been able to focus solely on the Fire and my normal News and Sports Director duties.
The biggest juggling act is at home. We have a two-year-old daughter and a newborn son that was born just before the All-Star break. That in itself can be a juggling act. It’s fun and exciting, but it’s hard work, nonetheless. Add in the fact that I am gone the better part of the week and that makes it tough. I do everything I can to get my work done at the office or when the kids are asleep so I can be with my family when I’m home but that isn’t always easy with multiple games a week and my other work duties as well. Thankfully, my wife, Kilee, has always been fully supportive of me and my career and has taken on even more since I’m not home as much during the season. Without her, I don’t know what I’d do. She’s a wonderful, loving, patient wife and an even better mother. I couldn’t do what I do without her support.
How did you get your start in broadcasting and what do you appreciate the most about that particular field within sports?
I got into broadcasting during college. I knew I wanted to work in broadcasting since I was young. I went to Oklahoma Christian University in Edmond, Oklahoma since they have a well-respected broadcasting department. It’s a smaller school and they allowed students to lead the basketball broadcasts when I attended. I always wanted to try play-by-play, even though I always thought I’d be a more traditional reporter/anchor. I had the opportunity my senior year to be the voice of the Lady Eagles basketball team and fell in love with play-by-play during that season.
Following graduation, I got connected with Mike Askins and KGFF through a family friend. Their play-by-play person had just left, and he brought me on to fill that role. As a fresh-faced 22-year-old, I don’t think I realized how lucky I was to have the opportunity to broadcast sports at that age. After doing this for more than a decade, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to get started.
The thing I love most about this field within sports is the personal connections you make. To be a good voice of any team, you have to know the team. You need to know the coaches and you need to know the players. The better you know them, not just on the court but off the court as well, the better you can talk about them during your broadcasts. Now, you don’t have to become best of friends with each and every person, but you need to develop a friendly work relationship with them. Also, the more you know about a guy’s likes and dislikes, the more you can incorporate that into a broadcast so the fans can feel like they are getting to know the players. Broadcasts are for the fans and the more you can make a fan feel like they truly know the team, the better the broadcast.
Favorite past and/or current broadcasters or play-by-play guys you draw inspiration or influence from?
Oh gosh, this is hard because there are a lot of guys I like and try to take something from.
I’d say my two favorite play-by-play guys are probably Joe Buck (which might be a hot take for some) and Mike Tirico. Both of those guys have a lot of versatility in the sports they call. They also do a good job letting the game happen and not stepping on the toes of their analysts. In my opinion, they don’t try to be the star of the show, they let the game be the star.
I also really like Eric Nadel, the radio play-by-play voice for the Texas Rangers. Solo broadcasts are hard. While he’s had some help the past few seasons, he didn’t for the longest time. He did every Rangers game all by himself. That is truly incredible.
A couple guys from the past I always enjoyed were Pat Summerall and Dick Enberg. Both knew just how to set a scene and tell you what you need to know without getting in the way of the game.
Break down your game day prep: How much time, energy, and notes really goes into calling play-by-play for a single game?
A lot. When I was first getting into broadcasting and play-by-play, I was taught that you needed two hours of prep for every hour you’re on the air. For example, a typical three-hour basketball broadcast would need about six hours of prep. For me, that’s the minimum. I probably spend close to 12-15 hours per game just prepping, and that doesn’t include the work I do to get ready for our weekly coach’s show.
I start my prep by making sure my rosters are still up to date. Those might change throughout the week, but I need to have my rosters virtually set before I do anything else. I then update stats. I have a couple of stat sheets I keep for my broadcasts. Luckily, the TBL website does a pretty good job keeping things up to date, so I don’t need to spend a lot of time with data entry like I do with high school sports. After getting rosters and stats for both teams ready, I look back at past games between the teams and the recent win/loss trends they are on. I try to find key stats that point to wins and losses for each team. After I do all of that, I compile all of my notes onto a couple sheets of paper, so I can easily grab them during the broadcast. I end my prep by writing my pregame show and coming up with any questions for in-game or halftime interviews I might have. Honestly, I probably don’t use half the information or notes I collect, but I’d rather have far too much info than too little.
Also, I love prep work. I like to learn and that is what prep work is. It’s researching and gleaning information to learn more about the teams and players you’ll be covering. I feel like I learn something new every time I prepare for a game.
It takes a lot to get ready for a game, but the prep work is where the broadcasts are made. Sure, there’s talent and practice that goes into calling a game but if you aren’t prepared, the broadcast will suffer.
For the people in Shawnee and the Potawatomi Nation in general, how do you feel the Fire have done in introducing and rolling out this first season in TBL as an expansion team? What has been the response from the community now that they’ve seen a winning product take the floor?
Basketball has a rich tradition in Shawnee and Pottawatomie County. Several of the high schools, big and small, consistently compete for state championships and Oklahoma Baptist University has also consistently been competitive in men’s and women’s basketball.
This is an area that loves basketball. To have a professional team here is very exciting. Shawnee is about an hour from downtown Oklahoma City. So, it can be difficult, at times, for people here to go to NBA games. Having high quality, professional basketball in their backyard has been exciting.
The response from the community has been great and winning has helped, for sure. But without the players' willingness to enmesh themselves with the community and get involved in the schools, the response wouldn’t have been as good. The players and head coach Derrick Rowland deserve a lot of credit for the success of this team, not just on the court but off the court as well.
Deshawn Munson has certainly heated it up this season. Do you feel like each time on the court the guy is going to get another triple-double?
It’s almost shocking when he doesn’t get a triple-double. He’s a talented player with a high IQ. The way he sees the floor and attacks the glass is remarkable. But it’s the way he can drive and get to the basket that is second to none. I’ve never seen a guy, in person, have a skill that is virtually unguardable. Munson’s ability to drive to the basket is just that. You have Kareem’s skyhook, Dirk’s one-legged fade away, and Munson’s ability to drive.
While Deshawn would be great no matter who he played for, I think he and his teammates complement each other well. He’s got shooters he can dish the ball to, post players that can clear the lane for him and clean up the rare miss, and good defenders that help lock down guys on that end of the floor. Deshawn makes his teammates better and, I think he’d agree, they make him better.
What’s it been like just to get to become more familiar with these current and aspiring pros on the team? Who are some of the guys you’ve been impressed by the most this season?
It’s been great getting to know these guys. All of these guys are good basketball players and even better people. No one seems to put themselves above the team. All of these guys appreciate the grind. I think you call it the “Hardwood Hustle.” They are playing in this league because they love basketball. After the season, a lot of these guys will go to different countries to play because they love basketball and are constantly looking for that one big shot. The talent in TBL is very high and a lot of these guys could play in bigger leagues around the world. They just need to catch the attention of the right person at the right time.
A lot of guys have impressed me this year. It’s tough to name them all and I know I’ll leave some out, so I apologize to anyone I don’t mention.
Obviously, Deshawn Munson has impressed me for the reasons I mentioned above. But another guy that has impressed me is Mustapha Traore. He's a quiet guy but is kind of like a silent killer. He might be the most consistent player I’ve seen. He rarely makes a poor decision. Sure, his shot might not fall every night. That happens in basketball. But you know you’re going to see a lot of effort on defense, he’ll rebound well, and again, just not make many mistakes.
Another guy that has impressed me for the Fire is Tevin Foster. He’s not the biggest guy but he plays his role so well. He can light up the scoreboard when given the chance. But one of his most impressive games was against Little Rock last Sunday (May 8th). He only scored five points, but he only gave up one point on defense. He also has hit clutch shots and free throws in the fourth quarter all season, including in that game.
Again, I feel bad for not mentioning everyone on the Fire roster because all of the guys are great players and people.
A couple of opponents that have stood out to me are Quinn Taylor and Sean Gardner from Rockwall and Chuck Guy with Enid. All three of those guys are great players that elevate their teammates around them.
The Central is stacked with talented teams between you guys, Enid, Shreveport, and Dallas just for starters. Which visiting teams have made an impression on you and why?
Because of quirky scheduling, only Enid, Little Rock, Rockwall, and Sugar Land have made the trip to Shawnee thus far and we won’t see Dallas at all unless it’s in the playoffs. But Enid has obviously impressed me. They are very talented and also have this ability to get under your skin a little bit. The Fire-Enid matchup was billed a potential rivalry to start the year and it has lived up to that billing. Those games are always fun, generally close, and sometimes a little chippy. That always makes for a fun game.
Little Rock has also been impressive. Even though they don’t have a stellar record, they play hard and play well as a team and that allows them to stay in a lot of games. If they can keep their core intact, they could be a really tough team the next couple of years.
With the regular season drawing to a close, how do you feel the postseason will play out for the Fire?
I feel the Fire have as good of a chance as anyone to make noise. They will have to get by Enid, who is the defending champion, but the Fire have the talent to compete with anyone. If they play to the best of their ability, they can certainly make a run.
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Wendell Maxey has covered and written about professional basketball and sports for 19 years and has previously been featured on ESPN.com, NBA.com, USA Today, FOX Sports, and SLAM Magazine among other publications and outlets. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn or read through his archive on Linktree.