By Scott Semanchik
December 5, 2024
Jim Scott stands out in public. And it’s not just because of his 6-foot-4 stature, it’s the presence he brings to the environment around him along with his booming voice that can be heard across buildings.
Scott puts that strong voice to use in the best way possible, he is the public address announcer for High Point University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams. He’s been the PA announcer at HPU for four years, but he has history being a PA announcer for multiple organizations in North Carolina.
A public address announcer, or PA, is the person whose voice you hear echoing throughout a stadium or arena. Whether it’s calling out lineups, in the words of Scott, “Kimani, ‘the Five-Man’ Hamilton” or just adding to the environment of the game like “D-Mar for three-mar” when D’Maurian Williams hits a big 3-pointer.
From being an advertising company agent, to meeting Mickey Mantle’s business agent, to being found on the radio, Scott’s pathway to being a local celebrity comes from his ability to work a crowd.
“The owner of the Hornets said do it your way. So, I did it my way,” Scott said, “I grabbed a wireless microphone and went and sat in the stands and just related to the fans on a more personal basis.”
Scott’s ability to go above and beyond to engage with the audience is what makes an announcement from him different from any other PA announcers’.
“I learned from radio how to communicate to a large crowd individually,” Scott said.
He got his start in public speaking through radio, which is where he learned most of his skills. He simply took what he learned and applied it to public address.
Scott was with the Greensboro Grasshoppers for 10 years, becoming a bit of a local celebrity, getting recognized around town. He also spent time working for the Greensboro Coliseum, University or North Carolina–Greensboro and the Cardinal Amateur Golf Tournament.
However, after 10 years in the industry, Scott had one priority that took away opportunities at places like the Carolina Hurricanes and other larger venues. He cared about his family more than anything. His top priority is spending time with his two children, making sure he gets to stay close to them and not miss them grow up.
“Baseball, you work almost every night, weird hours, it was too much time away from my family. Basketball though, that’s once or twice a week, set time and date, close to home, it was a perfect opportunity,” Scott said.
That opportunity was nine years after he called his last game for the Grasshoppers, when the PA announcer for High Point University, Joe Cristy, moved on from the university for other opportunities.
“High Point called, I knew Joe Cristy was leaving, they said ‘We need a PA announcer, would you give it a shot?’ I was kicking and screaming,” Scott said. “I went in there and just had a good time, hearing myself in the new arena.”
Scott had been working at his alma mater, UNC Greensboro, for about seven years before he got that call.
“I’m getting a kick out of college basketball, especially at my alma mater. The roaring fans, you don’t have to create enthusiasm like you do sometimes with baseball, it’s already there,” said Scott.
Finding a passion, taking a step away from it for your family, and ending up returning to that passion at another alma mater (HPU) while being able to balance your work and your home life. It sounds like a perfect fairytale ending for Scott.
Scott’s reality isn’t only due to luck. He’s not like any other PA announcer. Scott goes the extra mile.
“That’s a common denominator among PA announcers, everyone has a good voice. It’s how you use it,” Scott said. “So, I did some acting, learned how people interpret words and use inflection and variety and incorporated that into my role.”
Scott doesn’t hold his incredible use of inflection for just saying names like “Kimani, ‘the Five-Man’ Hamilton” he uses it in his teaching, and in his normal conversations.
Scott is a public address announcer, but it’s not a job for him, it’s his life. Through my 10-minute interview with him, he changed his voice at least nine times to emphasize what he was saying.
From cupping his hands to his mouth to represent old PA announcers, to showing how he learned inflection, to giving his classic PA calls that he loves to say, the mini celebrity label that Scott earned didn’t get left in Greensboro but followed him to the campus of High Point University.