YCCC AD Robin Muller serves as color commentator for the NCAA Southern Conference tournament
WELLS, Maine (YCCC) – If you think the name Robin Muller sounds familiar, you are probably right. Not only is Muller the Director of Athletics & Student Engagement at York County Community College (YCCC), she has done TV broadcasting for ESPN Women's College Basketball, Fox Sports, and various college conferences.
Born and raised in Ohio, Muller attended Kenyon College and later got her master's in Sports Management at Georgia Southern University. Robin has a lot of experience in the sports industry. She has been a Head Women's College Basketball Coach, Director of Athletics, and Director of Women's Basketball Operations.
It all started in 2002 when Stan Williamson, the Athletic Director at Campbell University, gave Muller an opportunity. Campbell University had been broadcasting four women's basketball games in-house with a wonderful play-by-play person from local radio. However, Stan was looking to bring in someone with a coaching background. At that time, Robin had just finished seven years as the Head Coach at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Since broadcasting those four games in 2002 at Campbell University, Muller had found another passion that continues today.
The first conference Muller was associated with was the Southern Conference. For several years, she was assigned single games throughout the regular season and the conference tournament. Muller continues to be the color analyst for the SoCon tournament and will be in Asheville, NC, for another round of tournament games the first week of March. She has also worked with the Atlantic-Sun, ACC, SEC, Big South, and the MAC conferences throughout her tenure. Additionally, she served as a color analyst for the Men's and Women's Division II Game of the Week broadcasts.
Muller enjoyed traveling and meeting coaches from all levels. Throughout Robin's journey as a broadcaster, she has had the privilege of meeting well-known people in the sports industry. One of her favorites was Pat Summit, in which Robin stated, "She is laser-focused when she talks to you." Another favorite includes Andy Landers from the University of Georgia, who she met when she was a graduate assistant working at his girls' basketball camp. Robin stated, "He has never forgotten my name." She also met Nell Fortner, Sue Semrau, Sylvia Hatchell, and the list goes on. These are a few people that have left a lasting impact on Robin, whom she will never forget.
Preparation for broadcasting can be time-consuming, so Muller begins preparing for the game a week before. She starts by contacting the Athletic Communications Department to request game notes and any current news about the athletes. She also creates a "game chart" for each team with names, jersey numbers, stats, and highlights for individual players. As Muller stated, "This is a reference guide to identifying the players quickly." Other factors that go into preparation include talking with each coach about their team, the season, and individual players about what it takes to win. Having these conversations with each coach provides additional insight into the opponent. This allows Muller to make sure she pronounces players' names correctly. She states, "I think it is very important for those family members who may be tuning in to hear their child referred to properly."
Having a broadcast partner who has a good sense of humor is always a plus and can bring lightness to the broadcast. Also, having a favorite team may seem impossible for a broadcaster, but Muller doesn't let that show during the game. She says she "provides information as if she were explaining it to her mother." Muller's tactics include breaking it down, explaining why a team is doing one thing or another, and sometimes adding a little fun. Her commitment to ensuring her broadcast and information on the game doesn't slant too much in either direction makes her so great.
Her experience as a head coach in the past should have given Muller the desire to apply her philosophy in late-game situations, but that isn't the case. For Muller, she believes an excellent play-by-play person will usually ask, "what are the coaches talking about" in late-game timeouts. She provides general information based on how the game has progressed, the tendencies of the team or coach, and what the viewing audience could look for. Broadcasting is much less stressful than coaching in those late-game situations, and as Robin stated, "The best part of television broadcast is I always leave the gym undefeated."
The sports industry is extremely fortunate to have Muller, who has dedicated most of her life to sports broadcasting. She is also a wonderful role model for all of our student-athletes here at YCCC, and we are very lucky to have her lead our athletic department. If you have not already caught one of her broadcasts, you are in luck, as she can be found on ESPN3 on Thursday, March 2; Friday, March 3; and Sunday, March 5. You can also check the listing guide for the Southern Women's Basketball Tournament. You can also check out this segment of Mullers during a broadcast after South Carolina Women's Basketball defeated University of Florida on February 11, 2016, by clicking the link below.
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Contributed by Jayme DeCesare, YCCC Intern