Unrivaled Announcer Brendan Glasheen Is the Ultimate Glue-Guy

Travel Ball Wizardry 

In his bedroom, with a handful of socks, Glasheen was the greatest player to ever grace that carpet. On the court, he was the greatest teammate to ever lace up a pair of basketball shoes, at least in travel ball.

“At that time, I got obsessed with collecting jerseys,” said Glasheen. “So, my dad loved to go to Building 19, and I got the red Tracy McGrady Rockets jersey. I would wear that and one long sock, and one short ankle sock for practice. My nickname in travel ball became ‘one sock’. I was kind of ahead of the game with that. That kind of encapsulates how I loved being on a team and watching our team play.”

He was a decent player, but his mind was on a different level of the game; at just ten years old, Glasheen was the unofficial scout for his team. His intellectual eye was constantly focused on how his teammates played the game. 

“I probably didn’t know what the heck I was talking about, but I was processing the team and how we were built, “ Glasheen said. “I was obsessed with figuring out why we put a player in a certain position, or, when I was in Little League, I would be in right field, talking into my glove about what pitches were being thrown. I think that’s a big reason why I’ve ended up where I am, kind of taking the 10,000-foot view of everything.”

Staying Practical Leads to Big Moment 

Glasheen had to be realistic. Growing up in a big city, he ended up going to a big high school, which educated at least 4,000 kids. It was certainly overwhelming trying out for sports, since he was going up against a much larger pool of competition. So in order to stay involved, he took on another route with sports.

“In my sophomore year, my mom sent an email to the local radio station in my hometown,” Glasheen said. “She said, ‘Hey, my son wants to maybe get into broadcasting, he really enjoys it. Is there anything he can do to help out?’ They did a Friday night show called Pigskin Press Pass, which was broadcast on the station 980 WCAP in Lowell. So, essentially, I would drive to surrounding towns for football Friday nights, and anytime there was a scoring play, I would call in and just give pregame hits.”

Volunteering Leads to Big Moments

That volunteer work gave him the motivation to pursue a broadcasting career. He began commentating for local basketball teams. He was around the huddles, using his full repertoire while covering games. He would even play a significant role, covering the regional finals at Boston TD Garden for the Massachusetts Inter-scholastics Athletics Association.

“I didn’t call it, but I was still in that same sideline role. I got to walk on the parquet at the Garden,” said Glasheen. “I’m like, this is freaking cool. I wrote my college essay about it. There I was, the same geeky kid watching Paul Pierce and the Celtics. Now, I’m covering a regional finals on the court I grew up watching so many games on.”

Joining an Elite Communications School

Completely set on the decision to work towards a broadcasting career, Glasheen began applying to communication schools. He was set on the University of Massachusetts. He had the hoodie, he did the tour, the whole deal. But an acceptance at the perfect school would ultimately change his mind.

“I got into Syracuse, but I didn’t get into their outstanding communication school,’ Glasheen said. “So I was like, well, if I’m not in the program that I want to be in, that kind of defeats the purpose, right? I was set on UMASS, but then I get mail in April or March of my senior year. Syracuse accepted me off the waitlist into the Newhouse Communications school.”

He added, “That was a game-changer. I ended up starting there in the fall of 2011.”

When they first begin their careers, journalists and broadcasters might have to cover things they won’t have much interest in. In his sophomore year of college, Glasheen and many other students had to observe a board meeting and take notes to write an essay later on.

Syracuse Orange

Syracuse, a school known for producing excellent on-air talent through the Newhouse Communications school, was loaded with students pursuing the same profession. Still, Glasheen’s mindset never changed.

“When I joined the student radio station, I’m looking around the room and I see so many people from all over the country and the world,” Glasheen said. “The school has that big of a reputation. I was mentally prepared for that, going to a big high school as I did. When I started as a freshman/sophomore, there was a real hierarchy.”

Glasheen started cutting highlights of basketball, football, baseball and lacrosse. By his junior year, he was calling games on WAER radio, which was aired on an NPR station.

He graduated from Syracuse in 2015. After various experiences, highlighted by calling a Jim Boeheim-Syracuse-led basketball team-versus-Virginia matchup, Glasheen had to find a job. His consistency and glue-guy mentality on the court as a 10-year-old signified Glasheen’s mindset as a developing broadcaster; he did everything, no matter how small or big the event was.

Building a Foundation 

His first job—being a small fish in a big pond—ended up being a job in Batavia, New York, announcing baseball games for the Batavia Muck Dogs; a single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins.

“They say, ‘you’re going to have to grind’,” explained Glasheen. “When they say that they mean you’re going to have to get the repetitions, while not making that much money.

After the Batavia Muck Dogs gig, Brendan found a gig with Holy Cross football as the color commentator. They allowed him to interview the coach at halftime and then do a player interview.

“I could go on and on about my [get my foot in the door jobs], but it was a period of time where I was cold calling and sending emails, just waiting for my next opportunity.”

Holy Cross Answers a Prayer

It was tough for Glasheen. The silence, no call-backs, it was crickets; all of which were part of the grind. He would grind for about five years, and during that time, would gain invaluable knowledge and experience in his desired field of work. He would even create his own job as a play-by-play announcer with Holy Cross basketball.

“Color commentating wasn’t going to get me where I wanted to go,” Glasheen said. “I’m not a former player or coach. Holy Cross would [insert] the radio play-by-play into the stream on campus insiders. I went up to the video director and asked him, would it be possible if I announced the games for the video version? He says, ‘I can’t pay you much’. I said, that’s fine. So I did it.”

Using his new source of highlights, Glasheen was able to create a reel to send out to other places. His opportunistic mindset propelled him into that role, and to this day, he tells people, “You have to reach out. They might say no, but at least you tried.”

“I’ve been there, wanting someone to get back to me. My mindset is if you’re going to sulk, someone will outwork you. I’m proud that I’ve maintained that mindset.”

Lacrosse Role Leads to Basketball 

In 2017, Glasheen got a job with the New England Black Wolves of the National Lacrosse League. He announced games in the Mohegan Sun Arena, the same arena that the Connecticut Sun play in. After the National Lacrosse League shut down mid-season in 2020 due to the pandemic, Glasheen would receive the opportunity of a lifetime.

“[The National Lacrosse League] put my mind on the W. I knew who the big names were,” Glasheen said. “In those two years working with that lacrosse team at Mohegan, I would always mention to the Vice President, ‘Hey, if you ever need someone to do basketball, I’d love to do basketball.”

He added, “The announcer at the time was Bob Heussler, and after the world shut down, the TV producer for the Sun reached out to me and said, Bob’s retiring.”

Brendan Glasheen interviewed for and won the Sun broadcasting job in March of 2021.

Full-Circle Moment 

A few years after starting with the Sun, Glasheen experienced a special career moment. It was full circle for him. Not only did he flashback to his childhood — he was reliving his cherished high school senior year moment in the same arena.

“Two years ago, we hosted a game at TD Garden. It was the Sun versus the L.A. Sparks,” Glasheen said. “I’m on the parquet, holding the mic, doing a pregame hit on NBC Sports Boston, which was a station I watched when I was 10. I was calling a professional basketball game at TD Garden — the same arena that I wrote my college essay on. That was cool.” The game was also the first-ever women’s basketball game played in TD Garden, which added to the fantasy of the event for Glasheen.

Brendan Glasheen Is Unrivaled 

His immediate success with the Connecticut Sun allowed him to take on an Unrivaled play-by-play announcing role with TNT. Glasheen is now in the midst of his second season with Unrivaled. It’s a role that has taught him a whole new way of thinking about basketball.

“It’s a really fast game on the court. You can’t be left on an island on defense, you have to be able to get buckets and defend,” he said. “There’s no relaxing or hiding as a defender. There’s no help defense, which leaves a player wide open. If you’re a big, you have to be able to run the floor, so conditioning is [paramount]. It’s a lot of transition, so you might have to be okay with getting beat.”

In addition to his roles with Unrivaled and the Connecticut Sun, Glasheen also works with 98.5 The Sports Hub, NBC Sports, and announces games with the Big East Women’s Basketball network.

Chip on the Shoulder Mentality 

 A big fan of Tom Brady, Glasheen likened his journey of getting overlooked and not being the first option to Brady’s free agency period, before he was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“He was 43 and won six Super Bowls, yet he only got two offers,” Glasheen said. “He was like, ‘you’re going with that guy over me?’ For him to still have that edge and that crazy mindset to be the best in the game. I think it’s healthy to have some of that.”

A Team-First Approach 

Just as Brady led the Buccaneers to a championship, Glasheen hopes to provide the same impact towards any broadcast team he’s a part of.

“I want my legacy to be when someone turns the game on, they say, that guy really knows how to command a room. From the stats guy, to the floor manager, to the production team, to the camera guy, I want everyone to know that I’m a great teammate, and I’m going to do what’s right to make a great show.”

Never fading from that glue-guy mentality as a child—on the court and off the court—Glasheen is the point guard of the broadcast team. As the play-by-play announcer, he has to make sure everyone is on the same page. He’s making sure everyone is organized. He might work with a particular analyst who’s more focused on X’s and O’s to tell the story of a game. Glasheen has to be in tune with everyone’s strengths.

Consistency, Determination, and Perseverance

Glasheen concentrated on the job in front of him, and he crushed it every single time. He didn’t obsess over what could happen. Whether that was calling Holy Cross football games, announcing single-A baseball games, or being a part of the Black Wolves’ NLL broadcast team, he stated the course, remained humble and worked his way through the sports broadcasting industry ranks.

He proved that being bought in and fully engaged to the task at hand can lead to life-changing opportunities.

“That’s why I talk about luck and timing. I was doing indoor lacrosse, where most of the players had other full-time jobs, and one thing led to another. Now I just finished my fifth year with the Sun. As long as I keep those things in mind, I’m going to do this for as long as I can. Until I can’t speak anymore.”