A viral moment that made the rounds on a series of ESPN shows has been honored appropriately by the Nebraska Broadcasters Association. On Wednesday (Aug. 10), the association awarded KTMX 104.9 Max Country and Concordia University with the Gold Award for Best Sports Broadcast. The award was handed out in recognition of the play-by-play call voiced on February 16, 2022, by the duo of KTMX/KAWL Sports Director Parker Cyza and Concordia Director of Athletics Devin Smith.
The broadcast pair depicted the mid-February pandemonium that featured a length-of-the-court pass from Carter Kent to Tristan Smith for the game winner that sunk Briar Cliff, 74-73, at the buzzer. The moment initiated an eight-game win streak and carried Head Coach Ben Limback’s Bulldogs to GPAC regular season and tournament championships and a spot in the NAIA national quarterfinals.
The call on Max Country by Cyza and Smith stood above other nominations from across the state of Nebraska for the award. “We tried to capture the excitement and pure shock of that play,” Cyza said. “I think we did that. It’s fantastic to share this award with Concordia, and add an extra footnote to that tremendous moment for Bulldog basketball.”
“I’m proud of Parker and Devin for their great call on an exciting Bulldog win,” KTMX Station Manager Anthony Jacobson said. “Winning the Nebraska Broadcasters Association award demonstrates our great partnership with Concordia University and exemplifies our commitment to cover local sports in our communities.”
The play will go down in Concordia Bulldogs lore, both for the action on the court and for the passion that came pouring out of the radio. After Briar Cliff made an acrobatic 3-point shot to go up 73-72 with 1.0 second on the clock, Concordia inbounded the basketball from underneath its own hoop. The call of the ensuing play went like this:
Cyza: They will have to go the length of the floor here to win it. Carter Kent will throw it in. Baseball pass down there to Smith – look at this!
Smith: Look at this! Look at this!
Cyza: Tristan Smith!
Smith: The crowd goes wild! The game winner-chicken dinner! Length-of-the-court pass and Tristan Smith catches it and puts it in.
Cyza: I can’t believe what just happened. Friedrich Arena is going crazy – fans on the court. The Bulldogs have knocked down Briar Cliff.
Smith: The Chargers are shocked!
The play was viewed and heard more than 200,000 times across social media platforms and was picked up by ESPN shows such as SportsCenter, College GameDay and Around the Horn. The social media analytics prove the play to be the most viral singular moment in the history of Concordia Athletics.
Max Country is home to Concordia basketball, football, volleyball, and the Concordia Bulldogs Coaches show at 5:30 p.m. CT every Thursday. The 2022-23 athletic year will mark the eighth season of the partnership between Max Country and Concordia.
