When a high school player hits the free-throw line at the Alamo Convocation Center, Gus Cordova makes it a memorable experience.
SAN ANTONIO — If you’ve ever attended or played high school basketball inside the Alamo Convocation Center over the last decade-plus, you know getting fouled on the offensive end means just a little bit more.
“Trying to give them (the high school athletes) that experience and that nice announcing when they are making their shots or being introduced,” said Gus Cordova. “I like to make them feel really special.”
Cordova is the longtime basketball public address announcer for San Antonio ISD. For more than a decade, he’s been on the “hot mic,” as they say.
And just like every PA announcer, he’s got his one catch phrase that sticks out more than any other.
“At the line will be No. 35, Dante Jones,” he said over the PA system one recent game, revving up his trademark call. “He’ll be shoooooooooooooooooooting two!”
The quirk didn’t come immediately. But it quickly caught on when it eventually did.
“I think I played with it the second or third season I was calling games here,” Cordova said. “I’m starting with a ‘shooting two,’ but I’m starting with the shoooooooooooooooooting two.”
Cordova even sometimes says “shoooooooting one” after a basket plus the foul, but there’s little doubt the “shooooooooooting two” line is the best of the best.
“You get the crowd to get quiet during the foul free throw,” he said.
I’ve herad it now several times: People in stands, especially first-timers, think Cordova is telling them to “Shhhhhhh,” and be quiet for the player on the charity stripe.
He’s not.
“It is unintentional,” he said. “My intention is to never hush the crowd. It’s just to announce that they are shooting two.”
Cordova said what he does often get from student athletes is that when he’s out for whatever scheduling conflict or sickness, the kids will wonder where he’s at.
“They’ll say, ‘Sir, where were you?'”
And who knows? As a lifelong San Antonio Spurs fan, it would be a dream for Cordova to someday get the call to center court with the Silver & Black!
“Maybe some day, somebody will give me a call and say, ‘Hey, would you be interested?'” he says. “And if it is only one game, that would be great. I would love to get to call, ‘Victor Wembanyama at the line, shoooooting two.'”