Four Students Cover NCAA Men's East Regional as Part of Pirates in the Field Program

After sending four students to Madison Square Garden in early March for the Big East Tournament, Seton Hall’s Center for Sports Media chose four lucky students to cover the Men’s NCAA Tournament East Regional at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Seton Hall students Nick DiBlasi, Brian Henderson, Tim Lang and Jackson Shank were selected through the Pirates in the Field program to attend and cover the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, featuring Duke, Alabama, Arizona and BYU. Henderson and DiBlasi – both visual and sound media majors – recorded pregame content for the Center for Sports Media on the @hallsportsmedia Instagram account before the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight.

Throughout the games, Lang, a junior visual and sound media major, was on the court taking photos. “Being courtside on the biggest stage in college basketball was a great experience,” said Lang. “The Center for Sports Media does a great job of incorporating students into real-world events and the Eastern Regional couldn’t have gone any better. Working in these environments will only continue to help me prepare for my career once I graduate from Seton Hall.”

Before Duke took on Alabama in the Elite Eight, Shank, a senior journalism major, got to interview Alabama’s star point guard Mark Sears. “Working the East Regional was an incredible experience,” said Shank. “I got unparalleled access to players and coaches thanks to the Center for Sports Media. The highlight of the tournament for me was getting to sit one-on-one with All-American Mark Sears ahead of his matchup with Duke. We talked about his historic performance against BYU, how he planned to attack Duke differently and his nickname ‘March Sears.’ It was an experience unlike anything I’ve ever done in the sports media field and I’m grateful for the Center for Sports Media for granting me this opportunity.”

After another dominant performance against Alabama in the Elite Eight, Duke earned a ticket to San Antonio and a spot in the Final Four. After the game concluded, the students were on the Prudential Center court during the trophy presentation and the cutting of the net.

DiBlasi, who also covered the Big East Tournament for Pirates in the Field, was incredibly grateful for the opportunity to cover this once-in-a-lifetime event.

“I would first like to thank B.J. Schecter and Matt Sweeney for the opportunity to be a part of the magic at the Prudential Center,” he said. “As someone who grew up watching college basketball, to witness the trophy presentation and net cutting firsthand was a fantastic experience that I will always remember. It is not every day that you get to share the court with stars such as Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. I am so grateful for the Center for Sports Media for granting these opportunities to aspiring students in the sports media field.”

The first year of the Pirates in the Field program has already been an immense success, but it is not done yet. Lang and Shank will travel to San Antonio to cover the Final Four from April 5-7.

About the Center for Sports Media
The Center for Sports Media, which resides in the College of Human Development, Culture and Media, was created to highlight the critical intersection of sports, media and society. Established in 2021 with a gift of $2 million from executive founder and ESPN icon Bob Ley ’76, the Center’s mission reflects Ley’s pioneering work on the long-running ESPN show "Outside the Lines," which won multiple Emmys and a Peabody Award during his tenure. The Center’s activities provide students with an interdisciplinary foundation for academic training and theory with practical experience in the rapidly evolving sports media industry, while also drawing professional and scholarly attention to the industry’s impact on contemporary social life.

Categories: Athletics