High school basketball season is well under way across Alaska, and thanks to increasingly efficient streaming technology, fans anywhere can get a piece of the action. But with streaming comes the need for broadcasters, usually people embedded in their respective communities.
Mathew Hunter is one young broadcaster from Bethel who has become a familiar voice for Warriors fans. He spoke to former KYUK reporter Francisco Martínezcuello at Bethel Regional High School on Jan. 20 about what it takes to be a high school basketball announcer.
Martínezcuello: I'm here with this guy named Mathew Hunter. He's kind of a big deal out here in Bethel. What's up Mathew?
Hunter: Hey Francisco.
Martínezcuello: How old are you?
Hunter: I'm 24 years old.
Martínezcuello: And what Bethel [Regional High School] class are you?
Hunter: Class of 2018.
Martínezcuello: You had to play basketball, but any other sports that you played in Bethel?
Hunter: Apart from basketball, I did wrestling, two-time state placer in my division. And I participated in the Native Youth Olympics, and also cross-country. And that's about it.
Martínezcuello: So what did you do after you graduated?
Hunter: In 2018 I graduated, and soon after I went to college for a semester. And then I came back to work.
Martínezcuello: What do you do now?
Hunter: Right now I work as a deli clerk at AC (Alaska Commercial Company), and I do part-time commentation for KYUK, for the radio.
Martínezcuello: What was the genesis of being a broadcaster? I would argue you're a professional broadcaster, Mathew Hunter.
Hunter: Thank you. I just recently started the new job. And it's very fun, and I get to meet a lot of new people from the schools coming in: the coaches, the players. All in all it's just very fun.
Martínezcuello: What do sports mean to Bethel?
Hunter: It brings the community together. We're all in the same environment rooting for the same people, for the same team. Sports means a lot here in this little town of Bethel. We're not on the road system, so not a lot of stuff for entertainment. So sports, it's one way to bring the community together.
Martínezcuello: Talk to me about what got you into broadcasting.
Hunter: It actually came out of nowhere. I was just another spectator in the audience watching basketball, and Beverly Hoffman came up to me, and she asked if I wanted to watch her and just kind of see what she did on the commentator side. And I was like, "Why not?" You know, it's something different. I've never actually been involved with sports on that end. And it was very different coming from that perspective. It really brought a whole new perspective for me. Because, meeting new players, I was never really into that growing up. I never really knew how to approach commentating, it just sort of came to me. And I just took the opportunity, and I'm still here five, six years later commentating part-time for a little bit. And it's just, it's been great.
Martínezcuello: How do you better yourself as a commentator? What's that growth, what's that development, and where would you like to see it go?
Hunter: You really have to immerse yourself into the game. You have to be proud of the game, and you have to be disciplined about what you say and how fast you can keep up with the game. And like I said, I never knew how to approach the commentating side, but one day I'd love to become a journalist and just cover sports for the community, or maybe even nationwide, who knows? You really have to be disciplined. You really want to do it, and [are] able to grow from it. And it's very interesting, it's a different side of sports that a lot of people never really dive into. And you just have to be very disciplined and immerse yourself, and you gotta talk to the coaches, talk to a handful of players, and just be your true authentic self.
To hear Bethel Warriors basketball announcer Mathew Hunter at work, catch upcoming basketball games by tuning into KYUK 640AM, or watch the games livestreamed on KYUK’s Facebook page.
