By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- A question asked just over a year ago led to a new and interesting experience for Willamette University women's basketball player Ava Kitchin (Jr., P, Redmond, OR/Redmond HS). Kitchin asked the question of former Willamette football and basketball webcast announcer Mike Allegre while he was announcing a high school basketball game for the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) Radio Network during the 2022 Class 5A State Tournament.
"Ava visited the OSAA 5A hoop tourney last March to watch the Redmond teams play," Allegre explained. "She saw me broadcasting games so she stopped by. This was weeks after my retirement from WU. I explained that I'd been involved with the OSAA for over 25 years and had been doing the 5A State Tournament for nearly 10 years. She asked if she could help broadcast a game in 2023 if I was back. I said 'Yes'."
Whenever Kitchin saw Allegre during the 2022-23 Willamette basketball season, she always made sure to ask if the offer to announce at the State Tournament was still available.
"She reminded me several times since last fall and on Senior Night (for Willamette women's basketball)," Allegre recalled. "I told her she could do Redmond games or choose two games that fit her schedule."
The result of Kitchin's interest in announcing high school basketball games is that she did announce games involving Redmond High School at this year's OSAA Class 5A Boys Basketball State Championship. She announced the quarterfinal playoff game between Redmond and Mountain View High School (from Bend, Ore.) on March 8, and then announced the semifinal playoff game between Redmond and Summit High School (also from Bend) the next day.
Kitchin had to handle her responsibilities as a student before heading to Corvallis, Oregon, for the tournament.
"She passed a test at Willamette in some class last Wednesday, and then drove to Gill Coliseum and was courtside 10 minutes before tipoff," Allegre said. "Ava was a little quiet the first half of the Mountain View versus Redmond game, as I nudged her along, but later, using some team notes and determining what she could say to fit the speed of the game, she began talking more. Ava got better each quarter. She had gained some good confidence overnight. She did very well."
"The easiest part was simply commenting on some of the players' moves. I feel like from my experience watching and playing basketball all my life, the lingo came fairly easily," Kitchin commented. "There were also stat sheets given to us at each quarter that we could draw information from, which helped tremendously in presenting some trends within the game. The most challenging part was trying not to say filler words, such as 'um, oh, like,' etc. My mother called me after the game and informed me that I had said 'definitely' about 100 times!"
Kitchin knew the coaches at her alma mater, Redmond, which gave her an edge in being prepared. "The coaches were excited to see her with a headset on. She also had practiced (as a player) against a few of the current seniors who were freshmen at Redmond when she was a senior."
As the first game and the second game advanced from the first quarter to the fourth quarter, Kitchin gradually improved as a broadcast commentator.
"I enjoyed being behind the press table with our former announcer and being able to gain some experience in something I have always wanted to do," Kitchin said. "Mike was very helpful and encouraged me to jump right in, and I felt excited but also comfortable."
"Once she became comfortable with just talking with me, Ava was able to dissect and describe little nuances in the game as they occurred," Allegre noted. "In the second half of game two, Ava was more confident with her comments and analysis. She understood about keeping her thoughts succinct. And she added comments about the players that she knew as freshmen when she was a senior at Redmond."
Part of Kitchin's excitement when announcing those two games was the sense of reunion with her former high school coaches and their teams.
"It was fun announcing games that involved my former high school because I saw so many familiar faces and personally knew the coaching staff," Kitchin said. "Mike also gave me the opportunity to shout out to my younger brother who was playing in the Redmond band that traveled to be at the tournament for the boys' team, as well as shout out to our family-owned food truck back home."
For Kitchin the experience was great. It had a significant impact on her, so it might not be the last time she works as a sports broadcaster.
"I figured that someone, as well spoken and outgoing as she is, could combine her years of basketball experience to give color commentary a try," Allegre said, recalling Kitchin's initial question. "She did very well and I would not hesitate to have her back broadcasting in the future. I was excited for her as she's a nice young lady who knows basketball and is a tremendous Bearcat student-athlete representative. Her dad was there both days and listened on his phone while her family listened in Redmond. I gave her high marks and encouraged her to do it again."
Allegre checked with the OSAA and found out that there have been a handful of women who have joined broadcasters courtside at the 6A Championships in recent seasons. Ava was the first female announcer to participate in an entire game on a broadcast produced for the OSAA at the 5A Championships.
"I would love to broadcast events in the future as it has always been an interest of mine," Kitchin commented. "This was an amazing opportunity and I had so much fun and learned so much."
