Dave Popkin enters his 21st season as a basketball commentator with the Seton Hall Basketball Radio Network alongside play-by-play broadcaster and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Gary Cohen. He is in his 24th year playing Voice of Northeast Conference basketball.
Dave was one of the first guests on SportsJam with Doug Doyle It was 15 years ago and his career in sports, philanthropy and music has continued to flourish ever since.
Most recently, Dave joined the WBGO content team as a freelance news and music contributor. You can check out his interviews with Robert Cray, “Kingfish” Ingram, Coco Montoya and Eric Gales….at WBGO.org.
Dave came back to SportsJam in November 2023 to talk about his latest projects. He has a new radio talk show/podcast about college basketball called “Crashing The Boards.”
“I felt like New Jersey college basketball needed more coverage. There are a few other good shows on the subject but there’s a void there. Austin Johnson, the color commentator for Rutgers and I are going to have a friendly debate about Seton Hall and Rutgers. We will also talk about New Jersey’s six other Division I teams. We will talk to former players and renowned high school coaches. This is for serious basketball fans. It will air Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. on FOX. Sports Radio NJ.”
Popkin says Seton Hall will be part of the formidable Big East Conference this season. What does the new season look like for the Pirates and second-year head coach Shaheen Holloway?
“Well, the coaches picked them ninth out of 11 in the Big East. I think they’ll be better than that. I don’t know how much better they’ll be. Even if they have the same record and the same result at the end of This year the league is so much tougher. I think it’s going to be tough to hit .500 in the Big East because there are national championship contenders. UCONN is the national champion in title. They are back and at least as good as last year. Creighton and Marquette are Final Four contenders. St. John’s is better with (coach) Rick Pitino. Georgetown is better with Ed Cooley. Xavier is great. I haven’t even mentioned Villanova yet. The Wildcats could win the national championship. I think it’s going to be tough for Seton Hall this year. I think they have more depth. I think they have more shots you have to have in college basketball, especially the 3-point shot. I think they have more shots in those areas. areas, but this remains to be seen. »
Dave thinks there’s a good reason why the Big East conference is so strong this season.
“First of all, coaching. That’s the one constant. If you can bring in a Hall of Fame coach like Rick Pitino, get Sean Miller from Arizona, bring Thad Matta back to Butler, Ed Cooley is a guy who takes his team to the NCAA. “Tournament almost every year you can go up and down in the league. Greg McDermott is one of the best offensive coaches in the county at Creighton. This is the constant of these programs. If they can keep these guys for 10, 15, 20 years, “It builds continuity with the staff, the players and the fans. I think the Big East has had continuity by not losing members. If you look all these other conferences like the Pac 12 that evaporated. All but two left for other leagues. You see changes in every conference except the Big East. They got UCONN back. Except These are the same ten teams that reformed the league more than a decade ago. The Big East’s national television contract with FOX and their relationship with Madison. Hosting a tournament at Square Garden each year has strengthened the continuity and strength of the league.”
Dave emphasizes that he loves being a part of Seton Hall basketball.
“Really. It’s different than just skydiving with other stuff I’ve done with FS1, CBS Sports Network or the NEC games. I’m on the bus with the guys. I’m on the charter. You Learn to know the players. I would say that gradually, over the last five or ten years, it’s easier to talk to these players. They’re recruiting really smart, nice guys.
Popkin, a University of Miami (FLA) and Neptune High School (NJ) senior, recently called men’s and women’s college football, women’s basketball and college baseball on FS1. Dave named eight different sports for CN8 and MSG Varsity. He has 20 years of play-by-play experience in minor league baseball, including currently playing in select road series for the Buffalo Bisons – Toronto Triple A (Year 10). He has called Power 5 college football and basketball games for ESPNU and ESPN3 (8 years) and has appeared on numerous national and regional networks including: NBCSN, MSG, YES, MASN, NESN, Fox Sports Net and FloSports.
One of the hardest-working sports broadcasters, Dave was honored as a Literacy Champion by Write On Sports. He and Brooklyn Nets announcer and former Wagner coach Tim Capstraw hold sports broadcasting camps at Montclair State University each year.
A rare opportunity presented itself in 1998 for Dave to call into action a professional team coached by one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He called a season-opener of the USBL’s New Jersey ShoreCats season at the Asbury Park Convention Center.. This team was coached by legendary shooter and Hall of Famer Rick Barry.
“I think I was the only one who got along with Rick Barry at the time. He’s a brilliant guy and a great coach, but he was difficult for a lot of people because he’s a genius and n “He doesn’t have a lot of patience with people. I got along really well with him and it made the job a lot easier.”
Popkin is also CEO of an events company, Hilltop Management, and chairman of the board of the nonprofit organization, Nutley Family Service Bureau. The mission of the NFSB is to strengthen the emotional and social well-being of individuals and families through affordable mental health counseling and social service programs.
Dave and his wife Cindy Tirrell have been giving back to their community and beyond for many years. They are also longtime supporters of WBGO.
In 2017, Popkin created “Rock Hunger,” a music festival that raises funds for the Nutley Family Service Bureau. Dave sings in two bands that have played for these charity events, “The Attic” and “Porch Rockers”, a five-piece band that plays punk, rock and new wave pop at local establishments around New Jersey.
“Music is my favorite thing in my life, even more than sport.”
A huge Bruce Springsteen fan, Dave and his wife Cindy named their beautiful and affectionate dog “Clarence” in honor of the late E Street saxophonist Clarence Clemons.
You can SEE the entire SportsJam interview with Dave Popkin here.
