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As Buckeyes host Central Michigan, Ohio State's Joey Lane to make TV broadcast debut
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- As Buckeyes host Central Michigan, Ohio State's Joey Lane to make TV broadcast debut
Life was already about to change for Joey Lane. After graduating from Ohio State in 2019 and primarily living in Columbus, the former walk-on guard and team captain had accepted a new job and was preparing to move back to his native Chicago when his phone rang earlier this fall.
It was a producer from the Big Ten Network, inquiring about his plans for Nov. 29. Would Lane like to make his broadcasting debut when his alma mater hosted Central Michigan at Value City Arena ?
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"I remember I was driving and I said something to the effect of, 'I don't know what I have going on that day, but it's not as important as this so count me in,' " Lane told The Dispatch.
Former Ohio State guard Joey Lane shadows the broadcast crew before the Buckeyes host Oakland on Nov. 6, 2023 at Value City Arena.
Although he'd been working toward this moment for a few years, Lane still had no idea the call was coming. It was two summers ago that he participated in what amounted to a broadcast boot camp hosted by the network, where 10 participants from various sports practiced calling games and learned the details of the shows airing before, after and at halftime of games.
Since then, Lane has stayed as active as possible and remaining in contact with the network while hoping for an opportunity.
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That was scheduled to arrive later this season, when Lane will be calling Ohio State's games against both New Orleans and Miami (Ohio) in December . Those will both be on BTN+, the network's streaming-only subscription service. First, though, he'll get his shot on the main network.
Before he took art in the Big Ten's camp, Lane said it was while he was at Ohio State that he first realized he enjoyed being in front of the camera. He would interview his teammates during media day and gradually started helping with some videos for the team's social media channels. He graduated with a degree in marketing and, while working full-time, started his "Drive the Lane" podcast with friend and co-host Andrew Zoldan.
Lane has done on-camera work for The Basketball Tournament and done some sports radio work in Columbus, helping further build his both his voice and his confidence.
"I was just always very comfortable speaking in front of other people, being in front of the camera and I definitely am obsessed with college basketball, too," he said. "Then I think eventually people started saying, 'Wow, you'd be so good on Big Ten Network or ESPN,' and I guess I just listened to them and started to believe in myself."
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Lane's parents, Scott and Nancy, were a constant presence at Ohio State games during his playing career. This will be the first Ohio State game he's been a part of that Lane said he's had to explicitly tell his parents not to attend.
"The first thing they asked was, 'Do we need to buy tickets? A flight, come in for the game?' " Joey Lane said. "I was like, 'No, you have to do the opposite.' I even told my friends to go home, stay home and turn on all your TVs and have a TV set up for your dog. That's all we need."
Lane played his first two years at Ohio State for Thad Matta and finished his tenure playing for Chris Holtmann, who named him a team captain for the 2018-19 season . Holtmann said he doesn't typically listen to any of the broadcast when he's going over game film, but this might be an exception.
"I might watch that one," he said with a smile. "I'm really happy for Joey. He's got a really good feel for college basketball. He knows the Big Ten exceptionally well. I'm excited for the Big Ten that they've added him to their crew."
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After leading the "Towel Gang" from the end of the Ohio State bench, appearing in 36 games and scoring 33 points during his four years, Lane said this view won't be much different from how he's accustomed to watching a game. He just won't be able to openly cheer for the Buckeyes this time.
That's not tampering his enthusiasm for Wednesday's debut one bit.
"I'm excited to show that guys at the end of the bench can do this just as well, if not better, than guys who were all-stars," he said. "I definitely am taking the same mentality of those first years as a walk-on, proving that I belong as a basketball player and taking that into this new journey and proving I belong as a broadcaster even though I might only have 30 points to my name. I'm ready for a new challenge."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's Joey Lane to make broadcast debut on Big Ten Network
