Syracuse basketball has undoubtedly been through a rough patch recently: Missing March Madness since 2021, the retirement of legendary coach Jim Boeheim, missing an NBA draft pick since the 2020 draft, and an overall drop in competitive play against the other ACC power programs. Despite strong summer league performances, there are currently only two former Orange players on NBA rosters: Portland’s Jerami Grant and Minnesota’s Jesse Edwards. While the on-court production has seen a recent dip, Syracuse’s bread and butter has shown through; NBA broadcast booths have been jam-packed with Orange alumni.
The S.I. Newhouse School Of Public Communications, commonly referred to as Newhouse, has one of the largest and most successful sports media programs in the country. Newhouse has produced top writers such as ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, and sports talk phenoms such as FS1’s Nick Wright and Danny Parkins. The “Newhouse Mafia”–as alums proudly call it–has connections in every position throughout the sports media industry. Additionally, Newhouse is where many all-time great play-by-play broadcasters took their initial steps behind the microphone. Legendary names such as Bob Costas and Mike Tirico are just two examples of the string of talent. NBC Sports Boston’s Drew Carter, the voice of the Boston Celtics since 2023, detailed why orange skies continue to fill the sports media world:
“You start doing a little research and you realize that Syracuse stands alone and is basically an empire in terms of turning out successful sportscasters. It immediately became my number one choice, and that is the case for a lot of kids.”
Carter took advantage of every student-media opportunity that Syracuse offered. In addition to writing for the Orange Fizz, he led big-time broadcasts on student radio and the ACC Network as well his sports news work for the university’s TV station.
“Once you get there, you have a plethora of opportunities to get on the air and learn how to do the job by actually doing it, which is the best and I think really the only way to learn. You get Citrus TV, Z89 (Radio station), I think WAER (Radio) was the most important for me. I think a lot of people would say the same. You can write for the Orange Fizz or the Daily Orange. You have a ton of opportunities, and then ACC Network, which launched my senior year. The kids with passion have opportunities to actually get reps on the air and then you have an alumni network that really cares and people who really want to help the next generation. You are able to step off the campus and feel like a professional who will be ready to walk into the industry.”
While working in the sports industry sounds like a dream to any fan, getting to the top requires tireless drive and professionalism. However, Carter quickly learned that this shared grind unites current students and alumni:
“(Newhouse) Is for somebody who has a lot of passion for what they want to do, because the reason you go to Syracuse is if this is the only outcome you see for yourself professionally: being around sports and working in them. It all stems from having a real desire and almost like a need to be in and to stay around sports and get paid to do it. For all of us who have come through there, this is the only thing we want to do. It’s also just fun to hear different experiences throughout the generations: I talk to people who went to Newhouse and they talk about going to Chuck’s and different places on Marshall Street that didn’t even exist when I was there, and then I realize that the same thing is happening to me. The places that I went to are no longer there and they’ve been replaced by Chipotle or Five Guys.”
Carter started with the Celtics in 2023, calling road games on NBC Sports Boston. He was named the full-time voice in 2024 following legendary broadcaster Mike Gorman’s retirement after 43 seasons. Carter fully understands his role as being the voice of such a historic franchise:
“It’s an incredible opportunity, but also a burden that I feel a lot. I felt a lot of pressure because I know what this franchise means to so many people. And I know specifically how much the announcers mean to so many people; I think the Celtics are rare in the level of connection. Mike (Gorman) and Tommy (Heinsohn) did it for 40 years and I’ll walk around with Gorman and it feels like every other person we pass will stop him and say that they grew up listening to him. It gives me an idea of what I’m shooting for one day, but it’s also a little overwhelming and intimidating because I have to follow this guy and I have to try to do right by him. I think my first year I was trying to walk this tightrope between emulating Mike, because he and I have different styles, but also being myself. Then this past year, while doing all the games, I felt a lot more natural and comfortable in the role and did a better job of letting the game come to me. But the weight of the job is not lost on me.”
He was tasked with being the successor to Mike Gorman; he was tasked with his first season as the everyday voice of the Celtics to be a title-defending season. Even with these factors, combined with the already sports-crazed Boston market, Carter’s fun style kept fans watching. He paired well with analyst and former Celtics champion Brian Scalabrine, with the duo constantly engaging fans with deep-knowledge fun facts and stats. Through this, in addition to his work with ESPN, Carter has quickly become one of those “Newhouse names” that aspiring sportscasters at SU look up to. The Sports Media Center has asked him to come back and share his tips and tricks with current students.
“When you’re there, handle yourself like a professional,” Carter said. “I say treat everything like it matters because it really matters to those who are watching or listening: Whether it’s 100,000 watching or 10. The way you carry yourself should be consistent every time. There are a few things you can control, do the best you can with that no matter what the show is.”
Carter certainly utilized this advice in his own career: Since graduating from Syracuse in 2019, he has worked on both ESPN and the B1G Network in addition to the Celtics. However, he remains very passionate about his Orange past and follows the teams as much as possible. Carter witnessed one of the best periods of Syracuse basketball as a student; Jim Boeheim was on the bench coaching NBA-level talent such as Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lyndon with a Final Four run in 2016. While he didn’t provide any Brad Stevens esque changes for Syracuse hoops, he gave logical reasons on why Orange fans should stay optimistic:
“There’s such a rich history there, it just feels like if we have the right guy (Adrian Autry) leading the program we’re not that far away. It’s like we’re a sleeping giant right now. I know there’s a ton of passion from the alumni base, there are still young alumni who are really passionate and hungry for the team to be good. The money is there, we just have to find the right way to get it and then the right way to present it to these student athletes. Just a glimmer of hope is all we need, and will be all the way back in.”
Carter is just one of the Syracuse voices in the NBA. Noah Eagle, another 2019 Newhouse graduate, will be a part of NBC’s NBA coverage team starting this fall after previously calling Brooklyn Nets games and Team USA basketball. The always-energetic Erick Collins has been the voice of the Charlotte Hornets since 2015. Mike Tirico will be the lead voice for NBC, taking the weekday primetime matchups while also continuing his duties with Sunday Night Football. Syracuse grads are always making an impact in the arena; It just might take a little longer to put the Orangemen on the NBA hardwood.
