Senior Adam Tiouririne has always liked sports, but he was never much of an athlete. Talking, however, is something he's always been good at. When his work caught the eye and ear of boys basketball coach Joel Beesley four years ago, Adam got the chance to announce a Uni home game. He's been The Voice of the Illineks ever since. Along with his role on the yearbook video squad and his contributions as a student assistant for the boys basketball team, Adam has become quite the figure in Uni sports. With his final call coming Friday evening, when the boys basketball team hosts Judah Christian on Senior Night, here's a look at the man behind the mic.

Becoming "The Voice"

Most of us at Uni know Adam, 17, as "The Voice," the senior public address announcer for Uni volleyball, boys basketball and girls basketball games at Kenney Gym. He's been at his job for four years now, since he transferred to Uni before the 2005-06 school year from a Chicago grade school.

"When I first came to Uni, I didn't interact with too many people," he says. "I was new here. I had a big pair of headphones and a CD player and that was enough for me.

"Thankfully it can all be traced back to the first night as public address announcer and then from there — friendships I've made with the players on the basketball team and then other people who got to meet me just because of the opportunity."

From a young age, Adam had been interested in broadcasting, but he caught his biggest break his freshman year. Joel Beesley — the teacher of Adam's computer literacy class and the boys basketball head coach — asked Adam to do a voiceover for a project. The rest, they say, is history.

"I remember The Voice when he came to school; I had him in class the first semester, and just seeing him and starting to get to know him in class and his personality he seemed like a very organized, nice young man who hadn’t really met too many people," Beesley recalls. "And in doing a project in class I got to hear him talk and realized that he had a very nice voice, and we needed something — we're always trying to upgrade what we do here — and he seemed like he would be a person who would love to do that."

Adam took up the invitation.

"He came right away to basketball practice," Beesley says, "and drove the basketball players nuts because at the practice — he talked for about an hour and a half straight on the microphone and drove the guys nuts in practice and finally they yelled at me, 'Just tell him to shut up and turn it off.' And so we had to stop him when he was practicing. But he's a great kid, a great leader of people in the school, he’s always there to help anybody: teachers, students, he’s always around."

Adam's announcing debut came against St. Thomas More. He remembers it modestly.

"[Beesley] was intrigued, I guess, by my voiceover voice and had me on for a game that Friday," he says. "And I was terrible, but he allowed me to come back anyway. And eventually, I'm told, I got better, and here I am.”

Besides announcing starting lineups for all varsity games at Kenney Gym and announcing the entirety of all boys basketball games, Adam became a student assistant for the boys basketball team the same year. He may help out during drills or offer coaching advice to a player.

"It's again another position with a lot of freedom," says Adam. "So I can do as much or as little as I want. I try to help out however I can."

Practices are nothing like game days, however.

Behind the scorer’s table

Adam's work goes beyond simply calling the game. Before the game, he writes a script to welcome people and announce the starting lineup. He emphasizes the value of preparation.

"That's very important to make sure I do that right and make sure I have the right schools on there. I have misread a script before, printed the wrong script and made an embarrassing error, so that actually is quite important."

Once the script is written, Adam tests out anything new he plans to do, such as play a new CD. During warmups, he gathers information about the other team and the officials, and explains the pregame procedure.

Then the fun begins.

The introduction normally begins the same way each time: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the H.E. Kenney Gymnasium on the campus of the University of Illinois, for Uni High basketball. Tonight's matchup is between [the visiting team] and the Uni High Il-li-neks!"

The national anthem is played. Starting lineups are announced. And then the game starts.

During the game, Adam keeps track of fouls and basic stats, communicating with the other scorers and the officials to make sure they’re on the same page. Essentially, when the clock stops, Adam tells the crowd why — announcing the names of players who score or commit fouls.

"As far as styles go, Adam has a very unique voice and accent," says sophomore Albert Anastasio, who will be taking over PA duties next year. "He is very professional, and his voice is smooth and sounds good."

Adam's presentation is enthusiastic without being over the top. His voice is calm and clear. He keeps the crowd entertained without telling them to be entertained.

"I like the [broadcasters] who understand that the game they're presenting is not about them," he says, "and can keep themselves toned down as much as possible and understand that their primary role is to deliver information and people come to the game to be entertained by the players, not by the announcers."

The Post-"Voice" Era

Tiouririne has announced Uni games since his freshman year. Gargoyle photo by Sindha Agha (click to enlarge)

The meticulous Tiouririne listens for the right volume. Gargoyle photo by Sindha Agha (click to enlarge)

Next year, Adam won't be at Uni anymore, but there will be someone to take his role behind the microphone.

Anastasio has already started to take the reins, having announced during a girls basketball game and some boys JV games.

His role will be similar to Adam's, as he will announce starting lineups and perhaps announce during the game, too.

As Adam did when he began PA duties, Anastasio says he's received some negative feedback, but he hopes to improve going forward. He admits filling Adam's shoes will be a daunting task.

"[I'm] nervous," says Anastasio. "Adam is incredibly talented, and I can never hope to be nearly as good as him. He is a huge asset to the school and will be missed greatly for many reasons.

"However, announcing for the basketball games must continue. I am excited to try my best at replicating his characteristic skills on the mic.

"Adam is a great teacher, and I would be far worse without his tips and coaching. He really is very talented, and I don't think people realize how hard his job is."

For all of Adam’s interest in broadcasting, he doesn’t plan to pursue it as a career. He also has an interest in graphic design, both online and on paper.

He has promoted the boys basketball team not just by calling their games, but also by designing some promotional material.

In college, Adam says he plans to pursue business next year, if all goes according to plan. Still, he will take his experiences at Uni wherever he goes.

"[Uni]'s given me a lot, thankfully. It's introduced me to a lot of people inside of school and out — parents, other students, people I wouldn't probably have otherwise met, people that I'd count as friends that I'm very thankful for. It's definitely a lot of fun, and I'm grateful for the freedom that I have to be able to do as much or as little as I want."

Beesley, for one, will miss Adam for more than his announcing abilities.

"I'm proud to have known him and had him in class, but also he's a great ambassador for Uni High as we go to other places," Beesley says. "He's always very kind to people, respectful, and has worked many games all over the place. The officials love him, the road fans love him, and it’s always fun to watch their heads turn when he takes the microphone at a road event, or somebody who hasn’t been here before, and see their heads snap and turn around like, 'Who the heck is that?'

"While he's going to go on to great things in his future, and have a great life, we're going to lose out here in Champaign-Urbana because he's going to go somewhere big-time, and he's going to have fun wherever he goes."

Adam Tiouririne at a glance

• Job: Public address announcer for "anything indoors at Kenney Gym"; student assistant for boys basketball team; member of yearbook video squad
• Nickname: The Voice
• Favorite sports teams: Chicago (White Sox, Bulls, Bears) and Algeria (national soccer team)
• Favorite PA Announcer: Jim Sheppard
• Favorite TV Broadcaster: Jim Nantz
• Favorite music: Dance/hip-hop; anything I can come across
• Favorite food: Couscous and buttermilk
• Favorite book: Something from Dr. Seuss (just to be cheeky)
• Political views: Democratic. "Of course, I can always accept to any logical argument for someone with a different viewpoint."

More photos of the voice at work

The view from Tiouririne's table. Gargoyle photo by Chris Yoder (click any photo to enlarge and to create your own slideshow)

Preparation is essential. Gargoyle photo by Sindha Agha (click to enlarge)

Always searching for the right settings. Gargoyle photo by Chris Yoder (click to enlarge)

Tiouririne takes notes and marks down stats throughout each game. Gargoyle photo by Chris Yoder (click to enlarge)

Adam's distinctive style has set a high standard for future Illinek announcers. Gargoyle photo by Chris Yoder (click to enlarge)

Another view from Adam's table. Gargoyle photo by Chris Yoder (click to enlarge)

A shot from above shows Adam with senior Isaac Chambers and 2008 alum Claire Johnson. Gargoyle photo by Chris Yoder (click to enlarge)

As reliable as a Dan Lilly free throw: The Voice of the Illineks. Gargoyle photo by Sindha Agha (click to enlarge)