San Diego – FOX Sports San Diego (FSSD) announced today an all-star broadcast team for the "Battle on the Midway" basketball game to be played on Friday, Nov. 9 atop the flight deck of the historic USS Midway Museum Aircraft Carrier anchored in San Diego Harbor.
Pregame coverage will start at 4 p.m. PT, with tipoff planned for 5 p.m. PT. The game will be the 2012-'13 season opener for both teams.
The game, which will feature the reigning back-to-back Mountain West regular-season champion San Diego State Aztecs and the reigning Big East regular-season champion Syracuse Orange, will be called by Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Dick Enberg, who will provide the play-by-play.
Joining Mr. Enberg will be FOX Sports' versatile broadcaster Erin Andrews, who adds “Battle on the Midway” to her growing list of assignments. Ms. Andrews, who currently hosts the FOX COLLEGE SATURDAY college football pregame show and makes significant contributions to the network's NFL and MLB coverage, will report from the sidelines and contribute to pre- and post-game coverage.
Calling the game alongside Mr. Enberg and providing color commentary will be Steve Kerr, the five-time NBA Champion and current TNT NBA Analyst. Mr. Kerr also called the NCAA Final Four and National Championship the past two years.
FOX Sports San Diego's Mike Pomeranz will host pre- and post-game coverage.
“We're thrilled to have this first-class team announcing the game,” said Henry Ford, Senior Vice President and General Manager of FOX Sports San Diego. “Viewers can expect to be treated to the basketball showcase between San Diego State and Syracuse and enjoy a wonderful tribute to our military professionals.”
Host to the largest naval fleet in the world, San Diego became the inaugural location of a similar event last year and Syndicus Entertainment plans to keep the tradition alive in San Diego by presenting “Battle on the Midway.” The event features a matchup of college basketball champions representing the West versus the East Throughout its coverage, FOX Sports San Diego plans to showcase these conference champions while also honoring San Diego's devoted military professionals.
The game will be produced and televised locally by FOX Sports San Diego. FOX Sports will distribute the game nationally on FOX Sports Networks (FSN) and its affiliates.
Notes on the matchup:
• The matchup features two of the winningest active coaches in college basketball -- Syracuse's Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim and San Diego State's Steve Fisher, both of whom have won a national championship.
• The Aztecs are coming off a 26-8 season and are the reigning back-to-back regular-season Mountain West Conference Champions.
• Syracuse, champions of the Big East regular season, finished its season at 34-3 after an Elite 8 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Notes on the USS Midway aircraft carrier:
• Commissioned a week after the end of World War II, the USS Midway was the longest-serving U.S. Navy carrier of the 20th century and largest ship in the world between 1945-1955.
• More than 225,000 Americans served on the USS Midway during its active duty.
• After serving as the Persian Gulf flagship in Desert Storm, the Midway was retired in 1992 and became a floating museum in San Diego Harbor in 2004.
Proceeds from the game will benefit several national and local veterans' organizations.
