By Whitney Spencer
Most University of Louisville fans may not be able to point out Sean Moth in a crowd of people. But when the ball is in the air and the elongated “three-eeee” reverberates throughout Freedom Hall, he becomes everyone’s favorite person in the arena—right after the player that scored, of course.
As the final game in Freedom Hall rapidly approaches, Moth is preparing to say farewell to a building that he has come to know well in his 11 seasons at U of L. Even now, he feels he’s only played a minor role in the history of Freedom Hall.
“It pales in comparison to the 37-plus years that John Tong put in before me,” said Moth. “It’s funny; I don’t feel like it’s too big of a deal, just because he was here for so long.”
In 11 seasons one can only imagine the plethora of moments that Moth has had the privilege to take part in. Whether it was the last-second comeback against the University of Tennessee in 2001, Edgar Sosa’s 3-pointer to defeat the University of Kentucky as time expired, or watching Marquette University’s Dwayne Wade dominate the Conference USA tournament in the early 2000s, he has witnessed plenty.
His appreciation for the history of Freedom Hall was evident as he named several historic events that have taken place inside the building. One of his favorite aspects of Freedom Hall is the passionate and knowledgeable fans that fill the arena each and every game.
“What impresses me is just their knowledge and how they understand the game,” said Moth. “How when you get on the floor to get after a loose ball they show their appreciation. It’s not all about the made baskets, the dunks and the threes. It’s the shot clock violations and just playing good defense. It’s so many of the little things…they appreciate it.”
A native of Colorado, Moth announced games at Colorado State University while he attended there. He made contacts in the professional sports world, announcing for the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL for four years and the Denver Nuggets of the NBA for two years. He thought he had his dream job in Colorado before the offer came from U of L athletic director Tom Jurich.
Moth couldn’t pass up the opportunity, so he moved to Louisville to take the position as a sports information director. In addition to announcing men’s basketball, he announces women’s basketball and volleyball. He also lends his voice to the radio for baseball and handles the football public address. Moth has found a passion for collegiate athletics.
“It was an opportunity for me to not only be around collegiate athletics again, but to have a full-time opportunity to watch these young people come through our program as freshmen and leave as seniors and then move on,” said Moth. “It’s fun to be around the student athletes.”
As someone who has worked in newer arenas such as the Pepsi Center, Moth is ecstatic about the prospects of announcing in the new arena next season. Though he admires the history of Freedom Hall, he describes the new arena as the “complete package.”
The unpredictability of sports is what drives his passion for his job. As everyone prepares for Freedom Hall’s last U of L basketball game on Saturday, March 6, Moth admits that there are still more memories to be made and an outcome to be decided. When it’s all over, Moth will look forward to what his future could be in the new arena.
“I really feel like this is John Tong’s building because he was the voice of Freedom Hall for over 30 years,” said Moth. “So I feel like I’m just sitting in his seat. That’s one of the things that might be fun in the new arena. I might be able to be linked to that. He’s the voice of Freedom Hall.”
As the final buzzer sounds and Moth’s voice takes its last bounce off the walls of historic Freedom Hall, he, along with countless fans, will prepare to hear his voice make a new set of memories next season in a new arena.
