Meghan Huerter Takes the Spotlight: A Thrilling New Adventure in TV Broadcasting at UAlbany

On Friday evening, she learned a lesson in that ability on a different medium.

On Saturday afternoon, moments after she entered the game during the first quarter against Binghamton at Broadview Center, Huerter effortlessly sank a 3-pointer in what became an impressively effective offensive day for her UAlbany women’s basketball team in a 74-47 triumph.

Friday evening presented a different scenario for the former Shenendehowa standout, currently in her second season with the Great Danes.

Huerter made her television broadcast debut as an analyst alongside Rodger Wyland for cable channel My4’s High School Game of the Week featuring the Catholic Central and Holy Names girls’ basketball squads, and although that new role was challenging on its own, Huerter faced a lopsided game.

This resulted in ample time to fill during a lackluster fourth quarter.

Consequently, Huerter shared some interesting tidbits about how her mother, Erin, happened to be a graduate of Catholic Central and was a novice in basketball when she and her husband Tom, a key contributor on Siena College’s first NCAA Tournament team in 1989, raised four children who progressed to play Division I college basketball.

“She always learns, every fact, whenever she watches us play,” Meghan Huerter mentioned on-air. “She has definitely improved since my high school years. She consistently provides us positive support. If we had a poor performance, my dad was certainly more critical than her. And my mom’s always like, ‘You did amazing, sweetie.’

“At times, that’s valuable to have.”

That’s the insight she received from her father, who has been a Siena men’s basketball analyst for two decades alongside Robert Lee, following Meghan’s television debut.

“I thought she performed well. After the initial nerves, she did a splendid job,” Tom Huerter commented during halftime of Meghan’s game at Broadview on Saturday. “It was a challenging game to commentate. Therefore, considering it was her first game, and the match itself was, let’s say, in control early, it’s not straightforward for a commentator to fill that time.

“However, I believed once she found her rhythm, she did a commendable job.”

Meghan Huerter was approached in December by My4 producer Joe Calderone regarding the possibility of covering a high school game with Wyland.

Huerter ticked off numerous criteria for the assignment: articulate and experienced in front of a microphone from post-game interviews with the press; a local basketball talent from a family that includes siblings Kevin of the Sacramento Kings, former Siena player Thomas and sister Jillian, currently playing for Fairfield University; and the daughter of a former broadcaster.

“It was more of an experience that was outside of my comfort zone, something I felt would be quite engaging and enjoyable to pursue, particularly with someone like Rodger Wyland,” Meghan mentioned on Friday afternoon, prior to the Catholic Central-Holy Names match.

By that point, she had conducted as much research as she could, balancing her course load and basketball commitments at UAlbany.

This involved seeking out as much online footage of the teams and players as was accessible.

“A couple of weekends ago, Holy Names faced Albany Academy at Siena, and my dad and I actually attended that game just so I could get acquainted with at least one of the teams’ playing styles,” Huerter shared.

“Then for Catholic High, their top player was a News Channel 13 all-star, so I viewed that interview. Then Rodger conducted an interview at Holy Names earlier this week where he spoke to the coach and discussed the upcoming game tonight, so I watched that too.”

After all that, she leaned on the best support available: her father.

“He mentioned it wouldn’t be too daunting, especially with Rodger kind of steering the ship, and I would merely follow his lead.”

“I advised her, ‘Don’t be anxious, it’s basketball. Just discuss basketball, you’ll do great,’” Tom Huerter commented. “I also mentioned that the role of the color commentator is to stay out of the way of the play-by-play announcer.”

Following a night “outside of my comfort zone,” Meghan Huerter returned to familiar territory on Saturday afternoon, assisting UAlbany in improving to 6-0 in the America East and 16-3 overall with the decisive victory over Binghamton.

UAlbany executed offensively with precision.

When the Great Danes surged to 58-30 midway through the third quarter, they accumulated 20 assists on 24 completed baskets.

Huerter has a significant amount of basketball ahead as a key player on a team poised for serious NCAA Tournament ambitions.

Whatever broadcasting opportunities may await her, those will remain a matter of coincidence.

“Unfortunately, no. I’m an econ [economics] major. So, two very different fields,” she laughed, when asked if her major had any relation to television broadcasting.

“For now, I’m just undertaking it as a learning opportunity that I wouldn’t necessarily seek out. However, I believe it would be enjoyable to say that I’ve experienced it.”

“She got to observe the production aspects of it, as she remarked there seemed to be 10 people working, and she had never comprehended the scale of organizing a production for a game like that,” Tom Huerter noted. “She left that experience with a greater appreciation, but also I think she found it enjoyable, so who knows what she’ll pursue after graduation. But I believe she’d like to remain connected to basketball in some form.

“If that’s an option, fantastic, and if it isn’t, then she had a great time doing it this one time.”