Report: Travis Demers assumes Trail Blazers TV Play-by-Play duties... for now
The Trail Blazers have finally found their new television play-by-play voice, and they didn't have to look very far to find him.
The move, hopefully, puts an end to a rocky month of October for Portland. It was on October 1st that the Trail Blazers announced they had hired young up and coming broadcaster Braiden Bell to replace the legendary Kevin Calabro on the mic. The hire was met with excitement, but just hours after he was hired the excitement was gone. After some problematic social media posts surfaced, the Trail Blazers announced they were no longer moving forward with the Bell hire.
At the time, the Blazers were just three weeks away from their season opener and found themselves searching for a television voice once again. The scramble to find the new-new television voice didn't have to run far. The team just had to run up the stairs to the radio booth at the top of Section 113.
However, there are still questions as to whether Demers will be the long-term answer.
Demers was called in on short notice to do the television play-by-play for the preseason game against the Warriors, and he impressed enough during that one game to get a chance moving forward — but he will still have to earn the seat in the long term. According to Freeman, Demers will take over on a "trial basis."
Freeman notes that Blazers will continue to keep their options open and will evaluate the broadcast all season long. The team may use other voices during the season — not unlike when they had fill-ins for Kevin Calabro over the last few seasons — allowing the team to "try out other personalities and give Demers a break" according to Freeman.
Demers has been the radio voice for the Trail Blazers for the past seven seasons, taking over for legendary fan-favorite Brian Wheeler, so, needless to say, Demers is no stranger to taking over the seat left by a hall of fame voice.
Demers is well established in Portland, has a long history on the mic, and will quickly find his footing on the TV side of things. For those used to listening to Demers on Rip City Radio, you might just say this hire is a "Rip City Winner."
Trail Blazers fans will get a chance to hear Demers on the TV broadcast when the team opens the season on Oct.21st when they play host to the Phoenix Suns.
Comments