US Lacrosse Magazine welcomes back ESPN play-by-play announcer Anish Shroff as a contributor for the 2021 college season. Shroff’s weekly columns on USLaxMagazine.com will include top-10 rankings and insights.
Shroff also is the co-host (alongside ESPN broadcast teammates Paul Carcaterra and Quint Kessenich) of the US Lacrosse Magazine show, “Yard Sale” (Tuesdays, 8 p.m. ET on YouTube).
ESPN College Lacrosse Schedule | TV/Live Stream Listings
Last week, I wrote that the North Carolina-Virginia game seemed like a great chance to “grow the game.” Fast pace. Plenty of offense. Star power. It had all the ingredients to entice a new fan.
Well, I decided to put that theory to the test with friend and colleague Roddy Jones.
Roddy played football and baseball at Georgia Tech. These days, he’s a football and baseball game analyst for ESPN and the ACC Network. A few weeks ago, I texted Roddy during a Georgia Tech baseball game that he was calling. Roddy let me know that they had a promo read coming up for that weekend’s Syracuse-Virginia lacrosse game. Seeing the opportunity to promote lacrosse to a baseball audience, I bombarded Roddy with talking points — and Roddy sold it!
Hey @QKessenich @paulcarcaterra @kettkettering - WE GOT @RoddyJones20! Showing some love this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/KDdFBxNaV4
— Anish Shroff (@AnishESPN) February 24, 2021
I worked football games for two years with Roddy, so he’s heard me ramble on about lacrosse. But until last week, he had never watched a full game. I thought his perspective would be enlightening. What does this game look like to a sports fan who is unfamiliar with lacrosse? What cuts through? What’s confusing? Could lacrosse win over Roddy?
Q&A with Roddy
Anish: What was your impression of lacrosse before you sat down and watched a full game?
Roddy: I've watched parts of games before, mostly to support my friends calling the games, but my feeling was I wouldn’t enjoy a full game because I had no idea what was going on. Growing up, I felt it was a niche sport for those that were a lot richer than me, so I probably still have some of those feelings.
Anish: What did you make of the physical and athletic demands of being a lacrosse player?
Roddy: I’m not sure I realized how much those dudes run — especially in a game like that. Between the physicality and the speed, it’s like every guy on the field is a running back or linebacker. If you want the ball, it’s impossible to avoid physical contact.
Anish: A few minutes after you started watching, what jumped out at you right away?
Roddy: The variety of athletic and technical skills needed. Speed, quickness, toughness, vision. There were a lot of parallels to sports that I already watch.
Anish: What were some of the things that confused you as someone watching the game for the first time?
Roddy: Oh man. Number of players. The amount of players in one area and the restrictions/roles for them. Different stick lengths. Why would someone ever want to be a goalie?? Stand here with a big net on the end of your stick and we’re going to hurl the ball at you at God knows what speed ... and if you do save it, you’re going to get harassed!
Anish: What were some of the things (rules, strategy, etc.) that you were able to figure out as the game went along?
Roddy: I figured out pretty quickly that you don’t want to mess with the dudes with the long sticks. Also, you figure out quickly how the shot clock plays into everything. Paul Carcaterra and Chris Cotter did a nice job of letting me know that a big reason we hadn’t seen a whole lot from UVA’s best player was because of No. 24 for UNC [Will Bowen]. That made me watch [Bowen] more and made me appreciate another side of the game that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. It was pretty easy to see the big changes in strategy with penalties, too. That was easy to pick up.
Anish: What was your takeaway from watching the faceoffs?
Roddy: If you’ve got a good or hot faceoff guy, it’s like a cheat code. Makes it fun if the team behind starts to dominate them. I still have no idea how one guy gets it over the other, but it’s pretty badass!
Anish: What parts of the game appealed to you the most?
Roddy: Loved the quick passes to cutters for scores and the fast breaks. Also, the goal that Chris Gray scored with his back to the goal — that was an “Oh s%&#” moment.
Anish: Were you able to connect with any of the players? If so, who and why?
Roddy: I found myself rooting for guys that I found out were from Atlanta. I definitely walked away with favorite players, but as a Black guy, I would have loved to see more dudes that looked like me. Not faulting those schools or teams at all; my impression is it’s the nature of the sport, but it is something I noticed.
Anish: What — if anything — did you feel the game was missing?
Roddy: A microphone for the ref. Poor dude had to yell the whole time.
Anish: As broadcasters, we try to toe a fine line. We want to educate the novice fan but not insult the hardcore fan. Cottter and Carcaterra both do a great job of making all parts of the audience feel included. As someone new to the game, did you feel included?
Roddy: I did. There were enough nuggets that they threw in, be it analogies or descriptions of penalties, that helped me understand what was going on. I’ve worked with both of those guys before and have heard them a lot doing football. I appreciated the combination of insider lingo (1-3-2, shortie) that I had to ask about, mixed with the basics. Most of all, I was drawn in by the passion of both guys. As an analyst, I want to make people feel like I did listening to Carc. He loves the sport, and he had the same awe I did when he saw incredible displays of athleticism. The chemistry that he and Chris have is A+. “Broadcaster goalz.” Alright, enough compliments for Cotter and Carc.
Anish: You listed Chris Gray in your notes a few times. Describe watching Chris Gray.
Roddy: I saw a dude that is the type of player you want to watch, no matter the sport. Not the biggest, but a really good athlete, relentless competitor, creative, strong, tough. I’m always drawn to those guys that pop off the screen. I really enjoyed watching William Perry, too! He looks like one hell of an athlete.
Anish: So, will you watch another game?
Roddy: Yeah man, I love the way UNC plays, so if they’re on, I’ll watch. UVA’s physicality was fun, too, and I’ve talked to Lars Tiffany a few times and love each opportunity to do so. Seeing his team’s playing style was really cool. Those guys fought their tails off. I now want to learn more about the game, see other great players and see different playing styles. I feel like I have an entry point, though. I know I like watching those two teams. If nothing else, I’ll start there.