By Greta Klein
Sports Editor
TW: @gmklein
From Intrust Bank Arena to Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, from the Cleveland Cavaliers to Ohio State University, and from Hutchinson to Indianapolis. Massive arenas and smaller venues are no stranger to Scott Stiles.
Stiles has been well known in Hutchinson, beginning in 1984 when he came to Hutchinson Community College to play quarterback for the Blue Dragons football team.
Stiles, originally from Ohio, is not officially a Kansan, but he might as well be, given Hutchinson’s influence on him.
“I’ve always considered Hutch like my second home,” Stiles said. “Even though I haven’t always lived there, just going back and getting a hug or a handshake and a big smile, and remember-when stories, that’s what it’s all about.”
While Stiles hasn’t been in Hutchinson recently, he still has deep roots that have stayed in the community.
“I played there in the 80s, coached in the 2000s then after that, did PA for a long time,” Stiles said. “I believe I did (PA for) nine or 10 national championships in a row there before I moved to Florida. I have a history there for over 34 years.”
Since Stiles hadn’t been in Hutchinson for many years and the NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship needed more public address announcers for the games, Tom Reilly came up with the idea to bring Stiles back to the Sports Arena, like the good ol’ days.
Stiles worked for Fox Sports Ohio and did play-by-play after coaching for the first time in Ohio. He then started doing PA work in the early 2000s, making his PA career around 25 years.
“I’ve only been probably back in the arena a handful of times in the last 10, 15 years,” Stiles said.
“So it’s kind of come full circle.”
Even though Reilly doesn’t work directly with the NJCAA, he is the NJCAA Tournament’s local assistant director which aids in tournament management. Reilly knew that Stiles would be the perfect person to recruit because of his experience and love for PA.
“(Scott) is a legend,” Reilly said. “First of all, he’s talented. He’s very good at what he does. Scott’s had opportunities to do this on a national basis, so we’re lucky to have him.”
Not only does Stiles have the talent for PA, but he is part of the tournament and part of the Hutchinson community.
“The history Scott has, setting aside the talent, he’s kind of part of the fabric of the tournament and we wanted him back,” Reilly said. “He’s had some health issues recently, so having Scott back is like having your long-lost son come home. So it was really exciting to have him back.”
Despite doing PA countless times and in much larger arenas with thousands of people listening, Stiles had some butterflies in his stomach when he did PA on March 25 for a second-round game during the NJCAA tournament.
“I was actually really nervous and I don’t know why,” Stiles said “I don’t get nervous very often.”
Nobody would have guessed that Stiles was nervous at all with his calm and unique flare like he normally does.
“One of the things that I always try to do is make sure I get there early enough to prepare,” Stiles said. “There are parents or families involved, you don’t want to say the wrong thing. So I meet with the coaches, assistant coaches, make sure that pronunciation is down and that sort of thing. And any player who makes a great shot deserves the accolade. So I tried to blur it up a little bit.”
Stiles not only values the athletes playing, but anyone that comes across his path.
“He’s smart and gregarious,” Reilly said. “He’s the kind of guy that as soon as you meet him, you know him. There’s no strangers with Scott.”
The memories Stiles has made in his second home will never be forgotten by him or the community of Hutchinson.
“I still think of the times and the big games at Hutch,” Stiles said. “When I put that (headset) on it just puts a smile on my face, because that’s some of my fondest memories of those games over the years and the relationships.”
