SIUE broadcaster Pott relishes school's — and his — 1st NCAA tourney appearance, albeit brief

Joe Pott is in his 17th year as the radio voice of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville athletics, having arrived in 2008-09 when the Cougars were moving up from Division II to Division I.

So he’s seen a few highs and a lot of lows — the men’s basketball team had 14 consecutive losing seasons after entering the top division before finishing at 19-14 two years ago. It finally broke through this season with its first NCAA Tournament appearance, and Pott couldn’t be happier — not just for himself but for others, too.

“It’s really special. It’s pretty satisfying to see the school, the (athletics) department and the basketball team get to this spot,” said Pott, who had an emotional call as the Cougars wrapped up their recent victory over Southeast Missouri State 69-48 in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament title game to give them the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA tourney.

“The SIUE fans rising to their feet!,” he excitedly proclaimed as the final seconds ticked away. “The greatest season in SIUE basketball history is going to include a trip to the NCAA Tournament. ... Time is out! Time is out! SIUE is going dancing! ... In their 17th season in Division I, the Cougars are going to the big dance!”

Pott, 47, called it a career highlight.

“It’s all because I’ve been so invested in what SIUE has done over the last 17 years,” he said. “It was a culmination of all of that. ... It’s been such a long road, I’m just thrilled that we’re at this point.”

So those last few minutes of the OVC title game meant a lot to him personally.

“It really did,” he said. “It’s just because I’ve seen where it’s come from and I’ve seen all of that. I started thinking about (people) like Brad Hewitt, our athletic director — the one who brought me on back in 2008 — and our old chancellor and the coaches, the players and all those people that have come before. All just came to my mind and I was thinking about all those people that have had so much to do with where SIUE has come from and has gotten to now.”

But the storybook was slammed shut Thursday afternoon. SIUE had the 16th (and last) seed in the Midwest regional and was a 28-point underdog to top-seeded Houston. As expected the team from Texas rolled to victory, 78-40, in a contest played in Wichita, Kansas.

So it’s back to reality now for Pott, who fills many roles. Not only does he broadcast SIUE sports, but he also oversees communications and broadcasting endeavors for school’s athletics department. In addition, he serves as weekend and fill-in host for pregame and postgame programming on the Cardinals’ vast radio network and makes other occasional appearances on its flagship station, KMOX (1120 AM).

But SIUE just reaching the spotlight for the first time was highly rewarding for Pott.

“Without a doubt, I obviously would love this run to continue on,” he said before the game about the likelihood the team would lose. “But I think that just being able to be a part of this and to be here as it happened has been really great.”

KFNS sale looming?

It has been nearly nine months since KFNS (590 AM), the market’s longest-running — though not continuous — sports radio station dropped its local programming in a cost-cutting move as owner Dave Zobrist put it up for sale.

In the interim it has been airing national sports shows as he has had trouble finding a buyer. But he might have one in a small group fronted by Dave Greene, who has had a long career in radio advertising and management as well as podcasting. Zobrist and Greene also are investors in Sports Hub STL, which discusses area athletics on a digital video platform that operates out of KFNS’ facility in Kirkwood and has some well-known local sports media personalities delivering commentary and reports.

Zobrist said Thursday that talks “are in the early stage,” and that he is ready to leave the radio business.

“No one else has shown interest” in buying the station, he said, adding that “if I was betting I’d say ‘yes’” to the likelihood of the sale happening. “But I know how that can go.”

Greene was noncommittal.

“We are looking into it and it will be a few weeks before we know anything further,” Greene said,

He did not want to comment on possible programming/format changes, but outside sources have said at least some local sports talk could return.