Hornets.com’s 1-on-1: Hornets TV sideline reporter Jordy Hultberg

Devin Brown (left) and head coach Byron Scott are two major reasons why the Hornets were able to withstand an incredible number of key injuries.

February 19, 2007

Want to know the in-game injury status of a Hornets player? Want to know what play the Hornets might try to run out of a timeout during a crucial late-game possession? In his role as Hornets sideline reporter for Cox Sports Television, Jordy Hultberg has the answers.

The former LSU basketball standout joins Hornets play-by-play announcer Bob Licht and color analyst Gil McGregor in covering 65 games each season on Cox. Hultberg also hosts the Hornets’ informative TV pregame, halftime and postgame shows.

As the Hornets gear up for the stretch run of the 2006-07 regular season, Hornets.com caught up with Hultberg for a one-on-one interview.

Q: You have to ask some tough questions in your role as a sideline reporter for the Hornets. Here’s one for you. Be honest – considering how many injuries the Hornets suffered and how much they were struggling to compete in early January, did you ever start thinking about the 2007 NBA draft?
A: I have to admit that I did start to think what it might be like to have Greg Oden or Kevin Durant in a Hornet uniform. I had never seen a team so decimated by injury to so many key components all at the same time.

Hultberg

Q: The Hornets are now in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, but following a somewhat soft February schedule, the slate gets considerably more difficult in March. What is your opinion of the Hornets’ chances of making the top eight in the West?
A: I really like the Hornets’ chances to make a playoff push and possibly attain a seventh seed. In order for that to happen, they must hold serve at home and must not have that occasional mental immaturity night that Coach Scott has addressed time and time again

Q: We’re probably getting ahead ourselves a little bit here, but if the Hornets can make the playoffs, would they be a potentially dangerous opponent in the first round?
A: Potentially dangerous? You bet - depending on the matchup. Unless something drastic happens, the Hornets would play either Dallas or Phoenix. Either would be a difficult task, but the Hornets do match up better with Phoenix and would give the Suns all they could handle.

Q: Which Hornets player’s performance surprised you most during the lengthy stretch of the season when the team was without Chris Paul and David West?
A: I have never seen a player improve so dramatically within the course of a season as Tyson Chandler. He has become such a force on the court, improving his offensive game to the point that he is a consistent double-figure scorer to go with his dominating presence on both the offensive and defensive boards. Truly a remarkable transformation that couldn’t have happened to a nicer individual.

Q: One head-scratching issue over the past month-plus for the Hornets has been the inability to play consistent offense in fourth quarters – especially in games at Miami and at Toronto. What is the key for the Hornets to avoid squandering late leads?
A: In the NBA you must value every possession. Leads can diminish so quickly that you need to execute offensively each trip down the court. In addition, defense plays such an important component to offensive success. By forcing turnovers, by limiting your opponent to one shot only, therefore controlling the boards, it gives the Hornets the opportunity to run and get advantageous 3-on-2 or 4-on-3 situations where they can get better uncontested looks at the basket.

Q: How high is the confidence level of the Hornets right now, given the way they have played recently, as well as the fact that they played close to .500 basketball without Chris Paul for over a month?
A: The confidence level should be sky-high but guarded. The maturation of Devin Brown in the backcourt has helped tremendously. The bench players have had to readjust and it may take some time for a comfort level to be attained for players like Jannero Pargo and Rasual Butler so they can get back into a quick rhythm when Byron calls their number. But I like this team. They are developing a high basketball IQ.

Q: Given all of the obstacles the Hornets have faced this season, what is your opinion of Byron Scott’s coaching job this season? Should he start to receive some consideration for Coach of the Year?
A: Byron has been the Father Flanagan of coaches this season. He’s done a tremendous job to keep this team together through all the trials and tribulations. He has kept them together, driven them harder and harder and would not allow any self-pity into the locker room. He is certainly a Coach of the Year candidate and depending on how his players respond after the All-Star break... he could win it.

Q: At the end of every first half, you interview one of the Hornets’ three assistant coaches, Darrell Walker, Kenny Gattison or David Miller. Which of those three provide the best answers to your questions?
A: My three amigos always do an outstanding job of breaking the game down simplistically and in layman’s terms for our viewers. They tell it like it is. It is not always an easy thing to do given the circumstances of how the Hornets may have played during that first half. I really do appreciate their candor and their availability at all times.

Q: One of your bios indicates that you were well-known during your college career at LSU for making shots from more than 20 feet, before they implemented the three-point line in the NCAA. How many more career points would you have scored if there had been a three-point arc in those days?
A: With the three-point line AND a shot clock... oh man... I would be collecting my NBA pension right now.

Q: Finally, what was your opinion of the Hornets’ special-edition red Valentine’s Day jerseys?
A: Valentine’s Night was special. The red unis looked great and it certainly was for a wonderful cause. It was even more special because the ballclub played great and went into the break with a big-time much-needed win.