WATCH: Monmouth basketball wins on ESPN3

WEST LONG BRANCH – From his chair in the small production trainer behind Monmouth University’s state-of-the-art arena, Greg Viscomi was the maestro of all he surveyed, calmly orchestrating the students seating in front of television screens packed into the tight space in a seamless dance amid a seemingly chaotic mix of light and sound.

Meanwhile, inside the Multipurpose Activities Center prior to the Hawks recent men’s basketball game against Manhattan, Viscomi’s words set off a flurry of activity in the hour prior to tip-off, as students operating cameras and audio equipment handled pregame taping and other assignments.

And what ultimately emerged on screens across the country, or anywhere in the world for that matter, was an ESPN3 broadcast that had the look and feel of a Final Four.

In many ways, this is Viscomi’s baby, with the school’s associate athletic director for new media and marketing having nurtured the school’s groundbreaking broadcast capabilities, and alignment with the ``world-wide leader in sports,’’ from a seemingly harebrained idea three years ago, to a model that schools around the country are now using as a blueprint for success.

``We’re basically doing what a full ESPN show, one ESPN2 or ESPNU or the flagship station can do on a basketball game,’’ Viscomi said.

Which is a heck of a statement when you consider Monmouth is a mid-major program, with an enrollment of less than 5,000.

And the timing of it all has been nothing short of perfect, with the broadcast of all the Hawks’ home games providing the perfect vehicle for a team that’s been one of the best stories in college basketball this season.

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Now a hoops junkie from Southern California interested in checking out Justin Robinson,  a casual fan from the Midwest intrigued by the Bench Mob, or simply a perspective student trying to get a better feel for the school, are just a click away from one spectacular marketing tool for the university and its student-athletes.

``I trust Greg implicitly, and he said this is the way we needed to go and this is how we can get it done,’’ athletic director Dr. Marilyn McNeil said. ``There were some heavy start-up costs, but President (Paul) Brown was very helpful and bought into it. I think there was a period where I think Greg never left my office for three months.’’

Now there’s real value in the decision.

The broadcast platform has increased visibility for the school, which will ultimately be quantified by a rise in applications and admissions, as well as providing a powerful recruiting took for all the school’s athletic programs. Everyone from the soccer and lacrosse teams, to football, baseball, softball and field hockey have games on ESPN3.

``You hope to get to the point where people want to put you on TV,’’ said Monmouth men’s basketball coach King Rice, whose team sits atop the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings with a 23-6 record heading into Friday night’s clash with Rider.

``We were one of the first leagues to dive into ESPN3, then our school did it. We’re very fortunate for those things. I’m fortunate to be the coach, our players are fortunate to go to school here and have this type of exposure. We have the best athletic director in the country. She’s always trying to make things better, and when you join a league like the MAAC, it puts you in prime time situations. I think we have done a good job of marketing our school and our team.”

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It also gives the Hawks a competitive advantage since ESPN3 serves as a powerful recruiting tool, providing visibility for potential student-athletes that few athletic programs at Monmouth’s level can provide.

``People are really starting to pay attention to this,’’ McNeil said. ``Now you can say to athletes that every time you’re at home we’re on television, and that’s a huge recruiting tool. Before that you might hope for FOX or MSG or a game or two in conference to be televised. Now you can say you’re going to be on TV, and that’s what kids want to know.’’

Play-by-play announcer Ed Occhipinti was a student announcer on WMCX, the school’s radio station, as an undergraduate when the Hawks went to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2006. Now, as he sits behind the microphone courtside along with color commentator Steve Bazaz, a member of the 2006 team, there’s a sense the Hawks could be returning to March Madness for the first time in a decade.

``When I was an undergraduate and we were doing WMCX and Hawk TV, we treated it as if it was our own ESPN, we put so much into it,’’ said Occhipinti, now the assistant athletic director for digital properties and broadcasting. ``Now if you’re a student it can go on your resume that you produced games on ESPN3 and all the other stuff we do, and we would have killed for an opportunity like that back then.

``It’s not just being able to highlight the team, because of the success and the attention on SportsCenter and other outlets. It’s been pretty cool and we’ll get the numbers after the season in terms of viewership and click-throughs, but it’s not only about the teams. Because on our games if you tune in at halftime you’ll see me interviewing Neal Sterling or the women’s lacrosse coach for see a feature on the university or the athletic programs. So while the initial interest may be what the team is about, or what the bench is doing, you’re going to learn more about everything we have to offer.’’

Inside the trailer, Viscomi, who had no real experience directing a broadcast of this magnitude, counted down as the crew began taping that night’s opening, his words touching off a series of perfectly timed events that end with Occhipinti and Bazaz finally setting the stage for that night’s game on the television screens before him.

As the evening progressed, Viscomi’s crew handles everything from replays, the complex graphics packages, the various camera shots and delicate audio feeds like professionals.

``The whole process has been unbelievable,’’ Viscomi said. ``Not only from an educational standpoint of the students who work inside the truck, but just for the Monmouth brand in terms of getting the athletes on ESPN3 . We’re one of the smallest schools in the country able to put something like this off. We were the first in the country to have a production truck.

``The administration has been great, from Dr. McNeil to President Brown. It was not cheap venture to get into. It require capital for the different equipment we needed, and it also required staffing.’’

By evening’s end, it was another win on the court for Monmouth, which turned back a Manhattan team that had defeated them a month earlier. But it was also another huge victory for the school and the athletic program, delivering the game and their message to anyone interested.

And the foresight, as well as the financial investment, by Monmouth will continue to pay dividends well into the future.

Staff writer Stephen Edelson is an Asbury Park Press columnist: sedelson@gannettnj.com