On March 21 Professor Byron Evers took his sports reporting class to its annual Denver Nuggets game. The class was treated like the professional media and got to do everything the big shots do.
The Nuggets won 123-90 and at one point led by 43 points. Yeah the game was exciting, but nothing can top what the students learned by talking to Benjamin Hochman, beat writer for the Nuggets. He gave us tips that all of the students will never forget.
“Treat every story like it is the Super Bowl. Why not?  If you go into the assignment and just try to survive it, that’s all you are going to do. You need to attack it,” Hochman said. “You might write an okay story that has the reader going ‘ah not bad’ but what is the point of that? Attack the story, it takes energy and work ethic but there are people out their with quotes and stories. Don’t just go out there and interview the winning teams quarterback and coach. Interview the quarterback’s mom, don’t ask yes or no questions and find out something significant that no one knows about.”
The reader wants to hear why someone performed so well in the game. He doesn’t just want to see the stats. Maybe a bench player scored a lot of points to help lead his team to victory and the thing that fueled was the anniversary of his grandma’s death. Hochman used many examples on how to write sports stories and just stories in general. He told everyone to read a newspaper they wouldn’t normally read for just five minutes a day and you will become a better writer. Hochman didn’t just connect with the students going into journalism but he also connected with students going into TV and Radio Broadcasting, Advertising, and Public Relations.
Hochman talked to the class for over 45 minutes in the media lounge while big name media people like Scott Hastings and Chris Marlow, color analyst’s for the Nuggets on Altitude, ate and went over scripts for the game. It was a wonderful experience and probably a once in lifetime type of thing. Everyone got to go stand courtside and watch the teams warm-up, and then after the meeting with Hochman they went up to the press box and watched the game.
After the game everyone in the class was able to go down and watch George Karl’s, coach of the Denver Nuggets, press conference and ask questions. Karl was happy about the game because they beat a team they were supposed to and he talked about the trade of former star Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the Knicks and the gel the Nuggets now have with their new players.
“The gossip of the trade was one-sided – celebrations in New York and we just got the scraps. We never felt that way. We felt we had a hell of a chance to be a good team,” Karl said. “Play hard, play together and stay together has kind of been the theme and good things have happened. There’s a spirit, an enthusiasm. There’s an intensity, an energy. Every day it’s fun to be around. It’s a good place.”
After the press conference students took pictures with the coach and players. We were all amazed by the size of NBA players. Hochman said the best way to write good stories when you are a beat writer is to get to know the coach and players on a personal level so they trust you. Seeing the players after the game, you realize that they are human after all. Getting to know them is not as hard as it sounds.

afix@mesastate.edu