When Joe Gould does the play-by-play of high school basketball tournament games for Maine Public Broadcasting Corp. television, he wants to be sure the viewers are informed about the action that’s passing instantaneously before their eyes.

But for Gould, it’s equally important to preserve the names and memories of the athletes and games of years gone by. Now in his 34th year of broadcasting, he has been able to combine play-by-play accuracy and analysis with a historian’s sense of the importance of the legends who have given Maine basketball its mystique.

“I want to preserve the memories of the people who played down through the years – that the kids today might not appreciate,” Gould said.

Gould has broadcast baseball, football, gymnastics, hockey, soccer and softball throughout his career, but it is his 21 years of tournament coverage with MPBC for which he is best known throughout the state. And calling the tournament is a task the now-retired claims adjuster from Holden relishes.

“When basketball gets here, I get excited. … I love the sport and I love to do the games and I’ve enjoyed knowing all the people over the years – having played with them and then seeing their kids and grandkids who played,” Gould said.

Calling the shots

Although Gould never received formal training as a broadcaster, he has worked hard to acquire the skills that make his delivery effective. That process has required plenty of dedication – and inspiration.

Gould said he has tried to model his style after John McKernan, who called games for WLBZ radio of Bangor during the 1940s. McKernan was the father of Bob and John McKernan, the former governor of Maine.

“I emulated John McKernan because he was the best at that time. … He would go to cover [New England tournament] games in Boston and there would be teams with kids who had nothing but [difficult-to-pronounce] Polish names on the teams, and he would still follow the action so well. I thought – if only I could be half as good as John McKernan. … I’m not there yet, but maybe I will be if I keep at it,” Gould said.

Gould first started to develop his play-by-play skills by sitting in the corner of gymnasiums and calling the games under his breath. Then he began to take a tape recorder with him and play the tapes back so he could hear – and critique – himself.

Gould landed his first broadcasting job with WLKN in Lincoln in 1968, when he earned $5 a game for color commentary. He later worked for WDME in Dover-Foxcroft before moving on to WLBZ and then Maine PBS. Even today, he has his wife, Marilyn, record his games so he can review them.

“I want to make sure I’m accurate, to feel in my mind that I’ve done a good job,” Gould said.

He is also a student of the game.

“I read a lot about games, about coaching philosophies. I thought I could offer something more in-depth than most of the broadcasters today,” Gould said.

Gould learned the value of developing his knowledge of the sports he would be broadcasting when he started calling University of Maine hockey games.

“The hardest for me to do was hockey; it was mind-boggling. … I think it was [late UMaine coach] Shawn Walsh’s first year, and after he heard the games he wasn’t sure he wanted [MPBC] to broadcast them anymore. … But as time went on, I think he gave me a B-minus by the end of the year,” Gould laughed.

Most of all, Gould enjoys praising the players, coaches and officials for a job well done.

“I like to say nice things, when they deserve it,” Gould said.

For the love of the game

Gould said it was his love for sports that motivated him to pursue broadcasting. He grew up in Bangor, dreaming about playing sports for Bangor High School.

Gould excelled in basketball, football, baseball and track for the Rams and went on to play basketball for Maine Central Institute, Husson College, Air National Guard teams, and semipro teams in the Bangor area.

He later coached youth basketball.

He values the time he played for Bangor basketball coach Red Barry from 1951 to 1953.

“I was fascinated to make that team, to play for someone that great,” Gould said.

Gould has fond memories of that era of Maine basketball, in which state championship teams competed in the New England tournaments at the Boston Garden. He now is writing a book about that time, but progress is slow.

“If you put 1950s players in the 1990s or 2000s, they would be as good or better. You had Jack Scott at Ellsworth, Danny Coombs at Brewer, Bob McAllister at John Bapst, Carl Daigle and Danny Drinon at Bangor. They far exceed anything I’ve seen in the last 40 years,” Gould said.

He also cherishes the off-court connections with former competitors, players, colleagues and their families.

“It feels good to say that I played against this guy, and then to see his daughter play and to see that she plays just like him,” Gould said.

He added that he appreciates the knowledge of those he has worked with, including Bob Lahey, Bill MacManus, John Giffin, Ron Brown and Ernie Clark.

Gould’s children, Jennifer, Aimee, Suzanne and Jason, all played sports – and now he has five grandchildren to start sharing the games with.

And he doesn’t plan to give up his microphone anytime soon. This year MPBC partnered with WABI-TV for the first time to broadcast the Class B state championship games, and Gould said that could lead to joint coverage of Class A games down the road.

His Bangor High roots mean he always has had a soft spot for the big-school tournament.

“I’ve wanted my whole life to do Class A. … I’ll keep going as long as they keep asking me,” Gould said.