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Globetrotters Recruit Channel 8 Tech As Emcee

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By KEITH MORELLI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2008

TAMPA - A News Channel 8 production technician has landed a dream job: He's going on the road as arena announcer for basketball's Harlem Globetrotters.

Kevon Wilson, 23, has worked at WFLA-TV just more than a year, coming to Tampa from South Florida, where he attended Florida Atlantic University and worked as a studio technician for two television stations.

His path has always been clear: broadcast communications, he said.

When not in the studio at WFLA, he has been taking classes at the University of South Florida to finish his degree.

Wilson, who has been maneuvering robotic cameras on the studio floor and doing floor direction and other technical duties, said he first saw the Globetrotters job opening last year. He applied and they offered him the job for the second half of the team's tour in February.

He said no then.

"I declined due to the fact that I was learning stuff here, behind-the-scenes stuff, and I was still in school."

It's a great career opportunity, he said, even though the contract job is seasonal, and there is no guarantee he will be hired again.

"If I do a good job," he said, "I guess they'll call me up again."

Wilson joins a basketball tradition. The Globetrotters have been entertaining audiences for 82 years with their comedic basketball exhibitions, accompanied by their whistled theme song, "Sweet Georgia Brown." The team has played more than 25,000 games.

This season's tour begins in Cincinnati on Dec. 30 and travels across the United States and around the world. Games are scheduled for Mexico, Israel and Turkey, according to the team's Web site.

Wilson' training session this month also will take him away from his coaching duties for Blake High School's football team. He's the offensive coordinator for the junior varsity squad and wide receivers coach for the varsity team.

"I will miss two weeks of the football season," he said, "But I'll be back to finish the season here with the guys."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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