High Point's viral student broadcasters on getting to go to March Madness: 'A roller coaster of emotions'

As High Point prepares for its first Division I NCAA tournament appearance, a pair of student broadcasters have been going viral for the moment that got them there. After going down by 15 points in the second half, the Panthers launched a comeback and finished with an 81-69 win over Winthrop in the Big South tournament final last weekend.

More than a million people online have now watched a video of Jimmy Rosselli and Griffin Wright — the announcer and color commentator, respectively — breathlessly covering the Panthers' 22-4 run.

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"For it to go viral is just the craziest thing that’s ever happened to us," Rosselli, 19, told The Athletic on Wednesday.

"We're just two idiots who love sports, and we love doing it together," Wright, 21, added. "It's kind of like 'Dumb and Dumber' over here, but it's a lot of fun."

Rosselli and Wright called the game while live on Instagram, allowing them to archive the video. Wright later posted a clip of High Point's run on TikTok. It didn't take long for the footage of the broadcasters and friends getting increasingly, and endearingly, animated to go viral on multiple platforms.

The video started as High Point went down 48-33 early in the second half, with Winthrop's Bryce Baker sinking a corner three. Wright hit the table in frustration, while Rosselli made a face.

"One of the best benches in the nation, and they need to start showing why," Rosselli said.

Moments later, the Panthers started showing that exactly, with the sounds of Adele's "Skyfall" slowly growing in the background to add to the drama. High Point guard Bobby Pettiford kicked off the run with a three-pointer, with Rosselli and Wright getting increasingly amped as the Panthers clawed back against the Eagles' lead.

With 10 minutes remaining in the game, guard Trae Benham hit a three-pointer from the logo to tie the game at 50-all. Wright screamed along with the crowd as Rosselli let out a classic "OH MY GOODNESS!"

The two announcers gripped each other's jackets as Benham made another big play moment later, hitting a contested layup and picking up the and-one.

"TRAE BENHAM. YOU ANIMAL," Rosselli yelled. "AND-ONE."

The pair told The Athletic that they spent hundreds of dollars out of pocket to make their way to the Big South tournament in Johnson City, Tenn. At the tournament, the No. 1-seeded High Point won three straight games, including the second-half comeback against Winthrop to win the championship.

After the game, Rosselli and Wright said that they celebrated with McDonald's and Krispy Kreme before heading back to High Point, in North Carolina.

"It was funny, we were in the car ride back and he (Rosselli) was like, 'Griff, I think you wrinkled my shirt permanently,'" Wright said, reflecting on the way that they clung to each other during the run. "And I was like, 'My bad, Jimmy.' But at the end of the day, that's just who we are. And I will probably damage a lot more shirts in the future."

Now, Rosselli and Wright will be turning their attention to March Madness, where 13th-seeded High Point will face No. 4 Purdue on Thursday. The two told The Athletic that the school will be financing the trip this time, with the broadcasting pair traveling with the Panthers and staying in the team hotel.

Wright told The Athletic that he grew up playing basketball and spent his childhood filling out NCAA tournament brackets, making the opportunity to call the game in person extra surreal.

“I think it really hasn’t hit yet for me,” Wright said of getting to see March Madness in person. “But when I get there, it’s definitely going to be a roller coaster of emotions because of everything that got me here.”

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