Local Talent Helped Keep TBT Running Smoothly in Wheeling
Derek Redd Trending
WHEELING -- While college basketball alumni from West Virginia University, Marshall and more competed throughout the past week on the court at The Basketball Tournament, locals played a significant part off the court making sure the games ran smoothly.
The tournament concluded its maiden run at WesBanco Arena on Sunday with Herd That, made up mostly of Marshall alumni, defeated Boeheim's Army, made up mostly of Syracuse alumni, in the TBT quarterfinals.
When it came to getting the best of the best of Wheeling sports officials and announcers for their tournament, TBT organizers went straight to Mountain East Conference staff. Since the MEC works with local officials whenever they hold games in Wheeling, they were able to give TBT organizers the names of the most experienced sports personnel in Wheeling.
One of these names was David Flatley, who was the Wheeling Nailers' public address announcer for 30 years until his retirement in 2022.
Flatley was the go-to choice to be "the voice" of the tournament due to his extensive announcer experience, and he acknowledged that his work at WesBanco Arena has "logged him more hours in the building than the average person."
Flatley believes his years of work with the Nailers is what made TBT staff contact him since "no one has to babysit him." He added that announcing at TBT is "almost the same setup" as MEC games, making the transition seamless.
The one difference between TBT and MEC games for Flatley is the increased energy of TBT crowds, as he noted the fans have been as lively in Wheeling as when the tournament was held in Charleston.
Another benefit of using local sports personalities and officials at TBT is the built-in camaraderie between those running the games. Flatley said he was "comfortable" with the group he's working with at the event, and Rick Soos, who runs the scoreboard at TBT, echoed this sentiment.
Soos is known as the "stats guru" of WesBanco Arena, as he does the scorebook for MEC basketball games, making him an obvious choice to run the scoreboard at TBT. Like Flatley, Soos sees little difference between his MEC work and TBT scorekeeping, except for some "small rule changes."
"We have a great table crew, and the camaraderie here is excellent," said Soos, "When the game starts, it doesn't feel very different from a MEC basketball game for us."
While Soos is working the scoreboard at TBT, former West Liberty University running back coach Chuck Haggerty, is running the clock. Haggerty has worked with the MEC since they began hosting games at WesBanco Arena, becoming involved with officiating events through his time as a coach in the MEC.
When he was contacted by TBT to run the clock at the tournament, Haggerty said all he thought was, "Why not?" and accepted the offer. While he made a career in football, Haggerty says he loves to watch basketball games, making the transition from coaching to running time easy for him.
"Working at these tournaments is great because I like basketball," added Haggerty. "It's always fun to watch these types of events, especially one that has national prominence."
On top of officials hand-chosen by TBT organizers, a dedicated group of volunteers is also working to make sure TBT runs without a hitch. One such volunteer is Chris Thoburn, who is the director of development for the YMCA. Thoburn became involved with TBT through his work with WesBanco Arena as the current public address announcer for the Nailers.
When TBT organizers reached out to Thoburn to make a donation to the YMCA in exchange for volunteers, he said it was "an obvious" decision for the YMCA to help at the tournament. Thoburn said he jumped at the opportunity for him, along with other YMCA employees and members, to run the merchandise table at TBT.
Thoburn views working at the event as "another opportunity to give back to the community," not only in donations of time and effort through volunteer work but also a portion of merchandise proceeds will go towards the YMCA.
"Not only is it good for the YMCA money-wise to be at TBT, but it's also beneficial for our organization just to be seen at these popular community events," said Thoburn. "I'm thrilled we're playing a part in what TBT has going on here."
Thoburn's goal for the YMCA at the tournament is to fulfill its own fundraising needs while also helping TBT achieve its goal of giving a great experience to fans. He believes that merchandise is an important part of a fan's experience, and he commended TBT staff for their design skills.
"The names on all the T-shirts are catchy, and that's what you need to sell them," he added. "I am happy the YMCA can be a part of the event just by selling merch and giving fans something nice to wear."
The one statement echoed by officials, announcers and volunteers at the tournament was that they were thrilled to have the opportunity to see local basketball stars face-off through their work with TBT and WesBanco Arena.
"I enjoy working sports, this is what I've chosen to do for a living," said Soos. "These TBT games are fun to watch, and, as a bonus, I'm getting paid to watch them."