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October 13, 2025 16 mins
Catch “The Drive with Spence Checketts” from 2 pm to 6 pm weekdays on ESPN 700 & 92.1 FM. Produced by Porter Larsen. The latest on the Utah Jazz, Real Salt Lake, Utes, BYU + more sports storylines.
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's get to know a new resident of our state.
Mark Denman, who's now the new in arena voice for
the Utah Jazz, joins us on a Monday. Hello Mark,
how are you, sir?

Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm doing wonderfully well. And you guys, how about for you? All?

Speaker 3 (00:13):
All good? Here?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Wow?

Speaker 3 (00:14):
Okay, Now I can see why you got the job.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
I didn't realize those pipes we're what they are. Mark,
So congratulations, welcome to our market. Tell us about yourself.
Where'd you grow up, what's your background? And how do
you feel about being part of the Utah Jazz.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Now, I'll take your last question first, first and foremost,
I feel absolutely exuberant about being a part of the
Utah Jazz and Mountain Basketball. I think that first and foremost,
even when you go away from the basketball community here,
that the Jazz represents on the NBA platform, the community

(00:49):
of Salt Lake, the state of Utah is a great magnet.
It's ultra magnetic rather in terms of the fan base,
a type of community where you can really tap in
and see that it's one that has a great passion
not only for basketball outdoorsman, just a variety of things

(01:10):
that I'm very very pleased, and I'm grateful to be
a part of where I grew up. Or firstly, where
I'm coming from to salt Lake. I'm coming from Stone Mountain, Georgia,
about thirty miles east of Atlanta. Been there for close
to twenty five years, and that's where I cut my
teeth here in the public addressed live event game. But

(01:35):
I originally from Texas and so yes, I'm very happy
to be here in Salt Lake and it's a high
time here to open up our preseason.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
So what got you into this area of your career?
Did you always want to do this when you were younger?

Speaker 2 (01:52):
What?

Speaker 3 (01:52):
Ultimately I mean.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Like I said, you've got the pipes, obviously you know
that's step that's step number one. But what motivated you
to get into this? How did you kind of land
in the business?

Speaker 2 (02:04):
A great question, guys. First and foremost, I kind of
found my voice as a teenager man. I was it
was actually I was an athlete, a student athlete in
high school. But my mother got me involved in a
cific organization called Top Teams of America where we were

(02:24):
helping the needy people with economic imbalances, health and balances.
We were taught and oriented to serve and I served
as an officer in that organization and what happened for
me there was they we used to put on events,
fundraisers of the like. I was charged for my peers

(02:45):
when we would have some of these events to go
to a local radio station record a commercial to promote
the events that we would have, and people would come
back and say to me, Mark, we heard you on
the radio. I would get to school or go around town,
people would say, Hey, we heard you on the radio.
And subsequent to that, people would show up and great
turnouts for the events that were being promoted. I kind

(03:08):
of found my boys there. As about a young sixteen
seventeen year old, I knew that my voice moved people
to action, and then I just applied it to live
events and sports, which is really my passion.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
So when it comes to and just for a frame
of reference, I'm an East Coast kid and I grew
up going to Nick Games of the Garden and I
was with the Jazz for about seven years before coming
over here to this station and do the show. And
I've been to most not every arena in the NBA.
There's a couple that have been new and renovated that,

(03:42):
but I've been to most of them. Certainly, I wonder
if you are familiar with the energy in the Delta
Center where the Jazz are playing basketball.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
Well, let me say this a couple of brands that
I will mention that I can give credits that helped
me cut my tea A lot of MLB, working with MLB,
working with the Atlanta Braves, working and traveling and touring
with the Harlem Globe Trotters kind of qualifies me in

(04:14):
a bit of a parallel with you, because the Globetrotters
alone will make you or place you in all of
the NBA arenas in America and as well as plenty
of others around the globe. So how that compares and
you being an East Coast guy specifically MSG which is

(04:36):
an exclusive experience. Nick fans are crazy. I think that
the Salt Lake fans the Jazz fans, they love Mountain basketball.
There is equally, if not more passionate about their basketball.
I have to say that coming here, and even as
a prior to, I always respected the Jazz fans. However,

(04:57):
getting here afforded me an opportun unity to find out
not only are they just not blindly passionate about basketball.
They're very, very knowledgeable, They're very intentional, if you know
what I mean when it comes to knowing their players,
having game concepts, and just a myriad of things surrounding

(05:18):
the game. And so I think it I mean from
elderly down to the children. I've witnessed that in my
time here, and I came to Salt Lake multiple times
prior to being able to get this job.

Speaker 1 (05:32):
So what is it about basketball specifically? Because I know
you've done in Arena, PA work for baseball, for football,
so other sports as well, what is it about the
game of basketball and specifically pro basketball.

Speaker 3 (05:47):
In the NBA that you enjoy the most.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
I think, first and foremost, it's the most electric. It's
the most has the magnetic appeal, magnetic attraction you have.
It's the game of basketball, man, it's the world class
athletes basketball has. It's not football where you have forty
five second stoppages in between. It can go continuing and

(06:12):
continuing with high flying dunks, electric passes, you know, guys
with great court vision. There's nothing else like it. Let's
just be real. That's why the product went around the
globe and has grown. But again, right, here in Salt Lake.
This is a product that is unparalleled, and even when

(06:36):
times are good or bad, the people come and they
make the place electric. And that's what I come to
add to the product tonight and going forward, a kind
of ultra magnetic punctuation of what these players get to
me on the floor.

Speaker 1 (06:49):
Do you get nervous before games? Even though you've been
doing this for a long long time?

Speaker 2 (06:54):
You know.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
I was having this conversation with my son, who's now
grown and he's making his way into the world and
he is working, he's in his career, and he asked
me not too long ago, because I've been doing this
job twenty years now, and he said, Dad, it doesn't
sound like you're ever nervous.

Speaker 3 (07:09):
And I'm like, buddy, I'm nervous before every show.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
You know.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
You try to use that energy to make sure that
you're doing the best job possible that you can. And
it's very nice that people don't think that you're nervous.
But I think it's like and it's not a bad thing.
I wonder what the energy is like for you prior
to tip.

Speaker 2 (07:27):
I appreciate you sharing that parallel with your own career
and your personal connection with your son. I have one
as well as grown. He's just now stepping out as
well into his career. And I like that observation that
he gave to you, or analysis, if you will, for me.
I'd be disingenuous if I said to you guys, no, man,

(07:47):
I don't get nervous. I've been doing this for close
to two decades now, and you know it just natural.
I go through a full range of human emotions, and
nervousness is certainly one of them. The way that I
tamp it down is just by my preparedness, and normally
I do become somewhat innate once the tip off goes

(08:12):
and comes and goes, and you know, you just kind
of kick in. But yes, I have to say very pointedly,
yes I have nerves in advance of the events.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
For sure. What is uh?

Speaker 2 (08:23):
What?

Speaker 3 (08:24):
What is the uh?

Speaker 1 (08:25):
What does the Mark Denman process look like? Are you
digging into numbers? Are you looking at rosters? Are you
looking at the pronunciation guide? Are you warming up warming
up the voice like a few hours prior to that
ball being thrown up? What's the process looking like?

Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yes, a process of first and foremost taking care of
the voice. You know, consumption of watching what you consume,
trying not to overwork it in the way of preparation.
But yes, thoroughly going over all rosters, any information that
you can get, any all in tell is very helpful

(09:02):
in the position. So there's nothing like being ill prepared
for a contest for a game. So for me, it
is thoroughly going and working with the production team and
doing my own study all that I can get all
the way down to the officiating crew. So these are

(09:22):
some of the steps. These are some of the things
that I do in my process. And for all listeners
out there, just as he framed the question, it is
just that it is a process. It is something that
you need to create and stick to if you want
to be successful. Because again, there was a time that
the Globe chotters really taught me how to take care

(09:44):
of myself. When you do one hundred games or shows
in a four month period, you learn how to take
care of your voice, because you know, the people don't
want to hear that you had to do three shows,
three consecutive shows, and your voice week. They want to
know they come to pay their ticket to see the
same show, same level quality of show each night. So

(10:08):
you have to really learn to take care of yourself
in this role.

Speaker 1 (10:12):
So when it comes to things like catchphrases, are those
things that you.

Speaker 3 (10:18):
Have kind of ready to roll?

Speaker 1 (10:20):
Are you more of a reaction in the moment based
off of a great play or the fans getting loud?

Speaker 3 (10:25):
How scripted is your approach?

Speaker 2 (10:28):
I take it as a hybrid, if you will, you know,
sometimes trying to be too scripted can play against you.
And I'm really more about substance over sugar or style.
I still need to be a professional, which I'm always
going to do that. However, I do have the catch

(10:50):
phrases in the bag when it's apt again to really
really punctuate what's happening out on the court. And so
sometimes they're they're more than colorful. They're concise, they're not overbearing,
they're fun, and uh, I trust that the fans will
certainly be able to gravitate to them.

Speaker 3 (11:11):
Is it the same thing with nicknames?

Speaker 1 (11:13):
I've often nicknames are tricky, Marcus, as you know, because
if it's a really good nickname, it's it's great, But
that's it's hard.

Speaker 3 (11:21):
It's tricky because some nicknames.

Speaker 1 (11:22):
That are given the players or coaches or whatever, really
don't land at all, and ultimately it tends to be
a little cringey. So when it comes to like nicknames,
what are your what are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 2 (11:33):
I have to say, you're right, that is a delicate
bag right there. You know, it has to be something
that is solid. That's something you know that the player,
the organization, and everyone else is you know, is in
approval of. Right. I don't just take the discretion myself,
uh to try to monitor or stick a nickname on anyone. Uh.

(11:56):
You you need to vet that at all costs.

Speaker 3 (11:59):
Yes, you certainly do, as you're well aware by now.

Speaker 1 (12:02):
We find ourselves in an interesting portion of this jazz journey,
as pro basketball jazz journey, where we have a fan
base that is a little bit spoiled because we've had
really good teams for a long long time and we're
used to playoff basketball.

Speaker 3 (12:16):
We're used to high quality play, and this is a
tough thing.

Speaker 1 (12:20):
This is a tough thing Mark, as you know, because
we had a really, really good team here, COVID changed
that dynamic and then we had some players that didn't
really love hanging out with each other, and an ownership
transition led to the decision of a coach deciding to leave,
a general manager deciding to leave, and then they broke
it down brick by brick.

Speaker 3 (12:40):
So we're entering year four of a rebuild. There are some.

Speaker 1 (12:44):
Exciting things going on. This Ace Bailey kid has got
a ton of game. I mean, it's going to be
really fun to watch and grow. But what do you
make where we find ourselves right now in this process
of the group trying to rebuild.

Speaker 2 (12:57):
I think all those variables that you just lay out
factor in greatly to what is real time. I think
it's something to be excited about that there is a
mix of first of all, a great young nucleus. I'm
coming from the state of Georgia with the first round
draft pick Ace Bailey and the excitement that he brings.

(13:19):
With another with Walter Clayton Jr. You gotta and then
all of the other guys that are in the young
nucleus mixed in with veterans like Kevin Love and others
who will make for a nice mix in nucleus here
coming into this season. And yes, I trust that what
they'll be able to do and what we will all
be able to do in concert will be able to

(13:42):
raise the bar back to what the fans here are
used to, and with the ownership, I think we are
just locked in and dialed in in a positive manner.
I think there's a great upward trajectory. I'm highly excited
about it all.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
Well, Mark, I appreciate your time today and congratulations on
the gig. And we'll be down at some games this year,
certainly covering the team.

Speaker 3 (14:05):
So I'd love to shake your hand and say hello. Okay,
thank you.

Speaker 2 (14:08):
Please please come and say hello. I thank you guys
for the time today. I do need to take this
opportunity on the way out to salute the man that
I'm standing on the shoulders on forty six years in
this role, mister Dan Roberts. It's a heavy weighty job
to come in and behind him. But I'm very excited
and I thank you guys so very much for today's time.

(14:29):
Thank y'all so much. Jan is the man being seven hundred.

Speaker 3 (14:32):
Thank you, Sara.

Speaker 1 (14:33):
Yeah, Dan's a great man. I'm sure you'll do a
great job there. He is, Mark Denman. He's the new
PA voice in arena voice for the Utah Jazz, a
position that Dan Roberts did at an elite level for
over four decades.

Speaker 3 (14:44):
So I'm happy for Mark that he got the job.

Speaker 1 (14:46):
I'm sad that Dan will no longer be doing the
job that he did so well for so long. And
it will feel different for those of us, For those
of you like me that have been going to jazz
game since the eighties, Dan's voice is synonymous with the experience.

Speaker 3 (15:00):
Everything is going to feel different.

Speaker 1 (15:01):
The Delta Center has been remodeled and has been built
in a way for hockey in a way that it
wasn't prior to this offseason. So the in arena experience
itself will look different, it will feel different, and now
we know that it will sound different as we have
a new PA voice, the in arena voice for the
Utah Jazz. Appreciate Mark Denman's time. Who wants to be

(15:23):
a guest on this show?

Speaker 3 (15:24):
Huh?

Speaker 1 (15:25):
You want to be a guest on this program The
Drive with Me Spence checkets. Text basketball right now to
three three nine eighty six.

Speaker 3 (15:32):
That's basketball to three three nine eighty six to enter.

Speaker 1 (15:35):
So listen daily from two to six until October the
twenty first for your chance to win. Thanks to America First,
We'll bring you in studio. We're gonna fij you some
food and then you and I are going to talk
about sports. It's gonna be a good time. We'll talk
about whatever you want you Utah fan, BYU Fan, Jazz fan,
Ursel fan, so text basketball right now to three three
nine eighty six. Shout out to our good friends at
America First Credit Union. More details can be found at

(15:58):
ESPN seven hundred, Sports dot com km
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