ALL IN THE FAMILY

Most families say goodbye at the school gates, parents zipping off to work before returning to pick up the kids at the end of the day. But not so for Phillip and Deuce Norton. The father-son duo, now both among the ranks of Christian Brothers High School alumni, have a purple-and-gold tinted dynamic that stretches far beyond the home or the classroom. Through a shared passion for sports, the two have built up a strong familial bond as joint broadcasters for CBHS sporting events.

Phillip, a member of the class of 1990, has been involved in sports since he was a kid. Either as a player or an official, he made sure he was in the thick of things whether it was basketball, soccer, or anything in between. After a long spell away from Memphis, he moved back to town and took up a teaching position at CBHS. “Then four years ago, the principal approached me and asked if I wanted to take over broadcasting,” he says. “So I started teaching a class on it. Two years ago, Deuce signed up for the class, and we thought it could be a fun thing to do together. So that’s how we got here.”

Some students might find it tough to have such a visible presence with a parent on campus. But for Deuce, their partnership was just an extension of his time growing up. That made chemistry in the booth easy to come by.

“People sometimes ask, ‘is it weird having a Dad on campus?’” he says. “But the answer is always an automatic no. He’s always been involved with my sports or academics; there’s no extra pressure. And when he mentioned a broadcasting class, I knew it was something I’d love.

“Even from the start, it went really well,” reflects Deuce. “We’ve always watched sports together at home: basketball, football, baseball. And we usually talk about the games: who’s playing well, what’s happening with the game, things like that. It was an easy transition. I knew how to talk about sports, and I’ve watched so many games that it comes naturally to me.”

Before each match, the Nortons do all the requisite research. That means looking up opposing players, familiarizing themselves with stat lines, and talking to athletic directors.

“Deuce is really the stats guy,” laughs Phillip. “He’ll do a ton of research, but it seems like he just knows everything without even looking at notes.” When the first whistle blows, the Nortons are able to slide into any kind of broadcasting role. Some days, Deuce will handle color commentary while Phillip tackles play-byplay, but the two can just as easily swap positions without missing a beat. Having Deuce in the booth gives the commentary a personal touch, with many of the athletes out there either a friend or peer.

When it comes to picking a favorite game they’ve worked together, the two are quick to agree. “I think the best one was our home basketball game [last winter] against Houston High School,” recalls Deuce. “They were one of the biggest teams [we played]. At that point, we were undefeated, but they were coming in with [former Memphis Grizzly] Mike Miller’s sons, Mason and Maverick. Our team came out hot and stayed hot, Reese Mcmullen stayed perfect from beyond the arc. It was an insane game, and one that I’m really going to remember.”

For his part, Phillip cherishes the chance he’s had to work closely with his son as he navigates high school. “It’s been great for me as a dad to watch him since freshman year, and then be able to share broadcasting with him. Both of us doing something we love together like this, I don’t know how often that happens.”

Now a graduate of CBHS, Deuce is exploring his post-CBHS options, which includes an interest in the University of Missouri, or even a career in the Navy. But if things turn out a certain way, a future in sports broadcasting could be one of them. “If I had the opportunity given to me to be an announcer for a sports team, I think I would pursue it,” he says. “I didn’t know if I’d want to do this at first. But I’m glad I stuck with it. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything else.” • — Samuel

X. Cicci