Listen to any radio broadcast of a Penn basketball game and you know you’re listening to lifers.
Vince Curran and Brian Seltzer are the perfect pair to represent Penn on the air.
Though they try to present an honest and fair representation of the action on the court, it can sometimes be hard to repress their undying school spirit.
“I don’t think we’re unreasonable homers, but last year when Penn went into overtime against Harvard, we were definitely excited,” Seltzer said. “When Penn does something well, it’s just the natural emotions coming out.”
Seltzer, a 2007 College graduate, became involved in broadcasting at nearby Cheltenham High School. He chose to come to Penn because of the notable alumni working in sports broadcasting and the chance to work at a professional station in WXPN.
Seltzer got a major break when he was asked to do a play-by-play for the Quakers in his junior year.
“I never, at any point, envisioned that when I was a student, I would have been given the chance to do a play-by-play,” he said. “That was a ridiculously, probably undeservingly fortunate break.”
But now, after seven years on the air, Seltzer has certainly earned his place. Not only has he stuck with both Penn football and basketball, but he has also expanded into covering the Philadelphia Eagles and being the sole radio voice for the minor league Reading Phillies.
Seltzer is extremely grateful for the opportunities Penn has given him and his commitment to his alma mater is clear.
“If you had told me when I first started doing this in high school, that a couple years out of college, I’d be doing a Division I basketball program, an extremely competitive FCS football program, and the Double-A affiliate of the baseball team I grew up following, I would have called it a great career,” Seltzer said. “I could not ask for more.”
Seltzer considers his partner in the basketball booth to be a life mentor, a man who showed him how to work hard and have fun at the same time.
Unlike Seltzer, broadcasting is not Curran’s primary career. The 1992 Wharton graduate has a successful real estate business and was recently involved in the production of the movie, The Mighty Macs.
But for the former Quakers center and assistant coach, Penn basketball will always be an important part of his life.
“Vince is so ridiculously passionate about the program, having played here,” Seltzer said. “He really believes in it.”
Penn’s success on the court not only brings smiles to the faces of the two broadcasters, but it also makes their job easier, as their listeners are primarily Penn fans. Lucky for them, Seltzer sees a promising season ahead.
“I was surprised that they were picked fourth in the preseason media poll,” Seltzer said. “Certainly, I could see a way that they could finish fourth, but also a way that they could definitely be a lot higher.”
Seltzer highlighted the strength of Penn’s backcourt, led by Zack Rosen, Miles Cartwright and Tyler Bernardini. He said that having Bernardini healthy to start the season is a “big plus for the team.”
Regardless of how the season progresses, Curran and Seltzer will be on the air for every minute, every play and every game.
The two diehards wouldn’t have it any other way.
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