(October 20, 2017) It’s not often that a broadcaster gets to call games for his alma mater, but that’s the opportunity earned by Greg Wong. An STAA member, Wong is the new women’s basketball voice at UC Davis.
At Davis, Wong joins fellow STAA member Scott Marsh on the broadcast staff. Marsh is the voice of Aggies football and men’s basketball.
When Wong was a student at Davis, the student radio station was also the flagship station for women’s basketball. “I was fortunate enough to be the primary play-by-play voice for the women’s basketball team both my junior and senior years, calling upwards of 70 home and road games,” says Wong.
In addition to honing his craft, the experience allowed Wong to build relationships with the Aggies coaching staff and athletic department. When UC Davis athletics became a property of Learfield Sports this year, Wong correctly guessed the school would discontinue using student broadcasters and would hire a women’s basketball voice.
“I have to give a special shout out to the three SIDs at Davis, Jason Spencer, Eric Bankston and Mark Honbo, all of whom I was able to build great relationships with when I went to school at Davis. They were the ones that recommended me to Learfield.”
Listen to a highlight from Greg
Aggies women’s basketball coach Jen Gross also put in a good word for Wong.
“It’s a great thrill to be able to broadcast for my alma mater, which was the place I fell in love with broadcasting and gave me the opportunity to learn and grow as a broadcaster. It’s incredible to be able to go back and be the voice of a team that has meant so much to me.”
Wong spent this summer as a broadcasting and media relations assistant for minor league baseball’s Harrisburg Senators. In 2016, he held a similar position with the West Virginia Power. His resume also includes Menlo Park Legends baseball, Diablo Valley (CA) College football, high school football on the Internet for the NFHS Network and a variety of experience on the UC Davis campus station.
He plans to continue in minor league baseball next summer. “I look forward to being able to pair this with a baseball broadcasting opportunity, which would allow me to stay on the air almost the entire year.”
Understanding the value of relationship building is one area in which Wong has grown since joining STAA in 2015. “STAA helped me realize the importance of networking and being persistent when pursuing potential jobs,” he says. “Last year I was frustrated when I contacted various schools and couldn’t find any basketball openings, but STAA and Jon Chelesnik have really help me understand that you never know when something is going to pop up as long as you stay active in the job market.
“That couldn’t have been more true here.”
(Visit Greg’s STAA Talent Page).