Curtis Terry settling in as Rebels’ radio voice

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Monday, Jan. 6, 2020 | 2 a.m.

A couple weeks ahead of UNLV's exhibition opener in October, longtime radio color analyst and program legend Robert Smith suffered a serious stroke. When it became apparent that Smith's recovery would keep him from being part of the broadcast team this season, it left the production with a difficult task.

Smith is a beloved figure in Runnin' Rebels history, so replacing him — especially on such short notice — was going to be a delicate undertaking.

Learfield IMG, the company that produces UNLV broadcasts, needed to find an analyst with deep knowledge of the game and the program, and who possessed the communication chops to convey it to listeners in real time.

Fortunately, there was a logical choice ready to step in.

According to play-by-play man Jon Sandler, former player Curtis Terry was the only real consideration for the job.

"Curtis' name was seemingly at the top of everybody's list," Sandler said. "He's been around, we know how intelligent he is, we know how much he knows the game, we know how popular he was and is with the fans. It just seemed like an absolute slam dunk."

Terry played four years at UNLV (2004-08) and was a key member of the 2006-07 team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. After a pro career both in the states and overseas, he returned to UNLV as a grad assistant in 2014 under Dave Rice. In 2015 he served as an academic support counselor for the Rebels.

Terry studied journalism at UNLV and was already set to do some announcing work for UNLV's streaming broadcasts in 2019-20 when Learfield general manager Dan Dolby called him about the radio gig.

"It was about 10 days before the season," Terry said. "I met with Dan Dolby, then I met with T.J. [Otzelberger], and then I met with Desiree [Reed-Francois] the week of the exhibition. Then it was like, let's go, let's do this."

After one more meeting with Sandler to lay out the structure of the radio broadcast, Terry sat in for his first game on Oct. 25. In the 16 contests since, Terry has grown more comfortable in his role, drawing praise from Sandler for his preparedness and ability to break down the action in a concise manner.

Terry credited Sandler for helping him settle into his new role on the air.

"I've got a really good relationship with Jon, so it was easy," Terry said. "We've had so many conversations. When I sat down [for the first game] it was like, 'Okay, I'm just going to follow your lead.' I don't want to say it's easy, but it's easier than I thought it would be because it's just talking basketball."

"I want to be lighthearted and have fun," he continued, "but also give the fans and listeners insight to the game that they might not normally get. Radio is so much different than watching a game on TV. When you're listening on radio you're dependent on the color and play-by-play guy to paint that picture. So I let Jon paint the picture and I try to describe the details of what's going on."

Terry has a full-time job working for a local company that facilitates fundraising efforts for high-school athletic departments, but now that listeners are leaning on him for insight he makes sure to devote as much time as he can to studying the Rebels and their upcoming opponents.

"I treat it just like when I was a player," he said. "I watch a ton of film, I try to read up on the previous teams, read through the scouting report, just so I'm as prepared as possible."

The most difficult aspect of the job for Terry is not letting his scarlet-colored perspective color his analysis. He admits that as a Rebels lifer he has a hard time separating his rooting interest from his duty to call it as he sees it.

"I've got to bite my tongue a little. I love UNLV so much, obviously. I'm a diehard. There's times when I'm critical of the guys and the program, but it's because I want them to be so successful."

Though the job puts Terry in a position of sometimes having to scrutinize UNLV, he said the best aspect of the job is the connection with the team that it provides. The radio broadcasters travel with the Rebels for road games and are allowed access to team activities that are typically closed to traditional media, like shoot-arounds.

For someone who gave so much to the Rebels, being involved with the team again has been invigorating.

"It really connects me back to the program that I love so much," Terry said. "When coach Rice left the program and I left from working with him, it left an empty void because I didn't have a real tight connection with the Rebels anymore. Getting that back, it gives me that sense of pride again."

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.