Voice of the Memphis Grizzlies takes time to reflect on his journey as he prepares for his 14th season covering our city’s team

By Josh Rivera

September 12, 2018

 

Radio play-by-play announcer for the Memphis Grizzlies Eric Hasseltine is ready to tackle his 14^thinvigorating “grit-and-grind” season, but he always stops and takes a look back to remember the journey of his incredible career.

 

Following the sudden death of his mentor and Grizzlies legend play-by-play announcer Don Poier in the middle of the 2004-2005 season, Hasseltine was given the hard task to take his spot and be the new voice for Grizzlies fans. Hasseltine knew what responsibility it was going to take and how much he had to live up to Poier’s legacy.

 

“He (Poier) was unreal.  His preparation was just absolutely legendary.  I couldn’t keep up with his preparation, much less his reputation, and he wanted me to be good and even though he knew I wanted his job, he still taught me and he was patient.”

 

Growing up in the Bay Area, Hasseltine was a sports fanatic.  He didn’t root for the Celtics, or even the Lakers.  Instead, his team was “Dr. J” and the Philadelphia 76ers.  He loved to play basketball and football with his friends in high school but he knew early on, he probably wasn’t going to have a career on the court or on the field. That is why he chose radio and broadcasting, it was the next best thing. But soon, he fell in love with it and knew he was meant for it all along.

 

“By the fall of 1995, I was hired as the sports director and the play by play caller (for the University of California-Davis) and let me tell you, it was super hard to manage because it was way too fast for me to keep up with.  I remember it was against Western State University in Colorado and I did absolutely terrible.  Thank God I don’t know where to find that recording of it.”

 

Hasseltine also hosts a radio show on 92.9 ESPN, and he says he prefers radio just a tad more over television.  It is like being the gateway for sports fans to connect themselves to a game that they can’t see.

 

“You don’t have to describe as much.  I enjoy as we say, ‘Painting the Picture,’” says Hasseltine, “They need you to tell them who’s got the ball.  We paint the imagination for listeners, we set the scene.  You can bring the passion and the energy better on radio.”

 

The secret to his successful career is right there: Passion. Anyone can go on the radio and just talk about it for four quarters, and clock in the next day.  It takes true heart and passion to radiate excellence in your career, simply, just love what you do. That is exactly what Hasseltine has been doing for 14 seasons with our Memphis Grizzlies, and why thousands of Memphians appreciate him to represent our fantastic city in the NBA family.

 

“I love the game.  Even if it wasn’t because of my job, I would still be at the game just as much as any Grizz fan,” he says, “Any live sporting event is an open canvas. I’m here to paint it.”