Ryan Lavender
Sports Reporter
A graduate of the journalism program at Humber, Eric Smith is in his third season as the radio analyst for the Toronto Raptors on the FAN590. This is also the tenth season for Smith as the host of the Raptors’ pre, half, and post-game radio broadcasts. Smith and play-by-play announcer Paul Jones host the weekly show Double Dribble, on Raptors NBA TV.
Q: Is there one thing from your time at Humber that still stands out in your memory?
A: One of the biggest memories I have is covering basketball, really for the first time. I played the sport, and was a huge fan of it growing up. But the first chance I ever had to cover the sport, like I am now, was at Humber.
Q: If you were not working in broadcast what would you be doing?
A: Honestly, I always was intrigued by the idea of being a private investigator. That may be just a cheesy, childhood love of Magnum P.I.
Q: If you could bring back one former player to help the Raptors who would you pick?
A: Alvin Williams. It’s sad what happened to Alvin. He may not have had the most talent in the world, but you’d be hard pressed to find someone in the history of the Raptors with more heart.
Q: With the Leafs facing another year without a playoff appearance what will this do to the popularity of the Raptors?
A: It seems to me like there is this ridiculous divide between hockey and basketball, where if you are a fan of one you can’t like the other. Hopefully, for the Raptors sake, they can actually go further than the first round because, for me, that is where they really need to grab the attention of fans. By an extended stay in the playoffs.
Q: NBA commissioner David Stern wants to raise the entry-level age by another year in the next collective bargaining agreement. Is this a good idea?
A: Not every kid becomes LeBron James. There’s probably way more stories on the other side of the coin; where kids come out of high school and think they will have a great career, and fall flat on their face. I can see the positives for it, but if I were in charge I don’t think I would have ever raised the age limit. I would have left it where it was.