As a Hornets fan, nothing beats watching the game live at The Hive, but if you watch from home announcers Dell Curry and Eric Collins will not disappoint. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to meet and interview Mr. Collins, one of the most unique and enthusiastic announcers to ever call an NBA game. As an avid sports fan and aspiring sports writer and analyst, I thoroughly enjoy listening to him announce and have great respect for how he got to Charlotte. Hopefully, this will be the first of many meetings he and I have this season.

Question
Were you like me, obsessed with sports when you were my age?

Answer
He said that he was just like me. He was very into sports. He loved watching his favorite teams; the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Cavaliers. When he was a kid only a select number of games came on the TV so he made sure to watch every one he could.

Question
What did you study in college and did that fuel your interest in announcing?

Answer
Mr. Collins went to a small school in upstate New York called St. Lawrence University, which is where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. He said that a lot of people who have jobs similar to him have degrees in Sports Journalism or Broadcasting, but he wanted to be unique and learn a variety of things. He also got a master’s degree at Syracuse. His dream has always been to become a sports announcer.

Question
I have heard that Mr. Collins watches games now with the sound off, so I had to ask him if that was true.

Answer
He said when he was a kid he would, of course, listen to games with the sound on. But for the past 20 years when he has really gotten into announcing he has started watching games with the sound off. He believes this helps him be a better announcer. It is all part of his aim to be unique. He wants to be the only voice he hears in his head during games.

Question
I love the enthusiastic way Eric Collins announces. He uses funny phrases like “good golly Ms. Molly” and “hum diddly dee” which really makes him stand out among other announcers today. My fourth question was where did these awesome calls come from?

Answer
Mr. Collins said that his mother-in-law says “good golly”, musician Little Richard used “good golly Ms. Molly”, and “hum diddly dee” was used by a rap group called Heavy D & The Boyz. Most of the cool phrases that Eric Collins says aren’t just made up, they are in fact him paying tribute to someone.

Question
My favorite play of the season was Miles Bridges’ poster dunk over Clint Capela. I loved the play itself, but Eric Collins’ call on that play will be something that I always remember. I asked him what was running through his mind during that play?

Answer:
He said when he calls he isn’t really thinking about announcing, he is just talking as a fan. He agrees that it was an amazing play, something he will always remember, and was honored to make the call.

Question
Lastly, I asked him since you’ve seen the Hornets make changes for the better this past year, what would your predictions be for this upcoming season?

Answer
He believes that we will be a 5th or 6th seed. He said that Gordon Hayward is a very important piece to the team and loves the addition of Kelly Oubre, a solid option if Hayward gets injured. Mr. Collins said he loves Terry Rozier and Lamelo Ball and is really looking forward to seeing what Miles Bridges can do this season and believes he will take a big leap. He says as long as we can stay healthy and out of the play-in tournament we are good.

I was honored to be able to interview Eric Collins. He taught me to be distinctive in what I do, work hard, and always stay true to what I love.

Thank you, Mr. Collins.