ESPN Announcers For Maui Invitational 2023

The announcers for the Maui Invitational 2023 on ESPN are listed below.

• Dan Shulman
• Kanoa Leahey

Dan Shulman

Dan Shulman is the play-by-play announcer for the 2023 Maui Invitational on ESPN. He has been calling for the channel since 1995.

The Toronto, Canada, native sportscaster, Shulman, calls men's basketball games on Saturday Primetime alongside Jay Bilas. He delivers commentary on some of the season's top matchups.

Besides men's basketball, Shulman is the lead voice of the Major League Basketball broadcast on ESPN. He calls the MLB regular season games and is the voice of the MLB Postseason series and the World Series on ESPN Radio.

The Canadian announcer has served as the play-by-play voice of Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN from 2011 to 2017. Also, he called the NBA games from 2006 to 2011 for the network.

Before working for ESPN, Shulman served as a lead voice for the Blue Jays games from 1995 to 2001 on TSN (The Sports Network). He called for the NBA's Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors alongside baseball.

The 2011 NSSA National Sportscaster of the Year Winner, Shulman, has been calling the Toronto Blue Jays baseball games on Sportsnet since 2016, besides his ESPN roles.

Moreover, Shulman is the first to have won the Sports Media Canada Broadcaster of the Year award twice, in 2000 and 2007.

Kanoa Leahey

Kanoa Leahey is the play-by-play announcer and reports for the men's college basketball on ESPN. He has been calling for the network since 2013.

In addition, he hosts "Let's Talk Sports With Kanoa Leahey & Jordan Helle," a two-hour weekday talk show that airs on ESPN 900 AM in Maui.

The Honolulu, Hawaii native Leahey is the lead voice of the University of Hawaii sports on Spectrum, besides his ESPN duties.

He formerly served as a sports anchor and director at KHON2 network. Also, he co-hosted "Leahey & Leahey," a television sports talk show with his father on PBS for nine years in Hawaii.

He began his broadcasting career as a sports reporter at Honolulu's ABC affiliate, KITV, from 1994 to 2004.

He gained recognition in March 2015 for ESPN's outstanding contribution to Hawaii state during a proclamation for the Hawaii Bowl and Diamond Head Classic broadcast.

Since then, he has been part of ESPN's live telecast schedule, incorporating the 2023 Maui Invitational broadcast coverage.

The commentators for the 2023 Maui Invitational on ESPN are listed below:

• Jay Bilas
• Bill Watson

Jay Bilas

Jay Bilas has been working as a color commentator for men's basketball games on ESPN since 1995. He is well-known for his basketball knowledge and astute analysis throughout the sports industry.

Bilas calls top men's college basketball games, incorporating the nation's conferences and marquee teams each week during the season. He is featured on ESPN's studio and game coverages.

He has been an analyst on College GameDay Covered by Stage Farm, a popular Saturday morning show since its debut in 2005.

The former NBA center Bilas is the 2016 Curt Gowdy Award winner from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Also, he was rewarded the Best Column of the Year title in 2007 by the United States Basketball Writer Association.

Bilas is at the game telecasts and the Men's Final Four on ESPN International. He has been a significant part of the NBA Draft's coverage on ESPN since 2003, delivering thorough player analysis and scouting.

In addition to the Maui Invitational, Bilas is a steady contributor on several ESPN platforms and shows, such as ESPN Radio, SportsCenter, and Get Up!

Bill Watson

The Basketball Hall of Famer, Bill Watson, has been an ESPN analyst for Pac-12's college basketball games since 2012. Initially, he joined ESPN as a lead analyst for the NBA coverage of ABC and ESPN in 2002.

Watson is among the only four players in basketball to win multiple NBA and NCAA championships. He was the NCAA Player of the Year for all three years he played in college.

In 1991, the American sportscaster Watson was awarded a Sports Emmy for the best live television sports broadcast. Also, the American Sportscaster Association listed him among the top 50 sports commentators in 2009.

The San Diego native Walton became the NBA's MVP in 1977 and 1978. He is among the only five players in league history to lead the NBA in rebounding and blocked shots in the same season.

Walton holds the national record for all-time high school field goal percentage at 79 percent. Also, he is the top 3 all-time national rebounder in high school basketball history.

The 2023 Maui Invitational began with eight men's college basketball teams on November 20. The tournament format features 12 matchups across three days.

The 2023 Invitational schedule comprises Games 1 to 4, played among eight First Round teams at varying times on November 20.

Following that, the four winning teams from the First Round qualify for the semifinals, while the remaining four teams compete in the consolation 2nd round on November 21.

Likewise, on the tournament's third day, the winning two teams from the semifinals compete in the championship, while the other two teams will match up for the 3rd place. 

The championship is set to be held at 5 p.m. ET, after the 3rd place game at 2:30 p.m. ET. Both the games are scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN.

After the consolation round, the winning and losing teams are scheduled to play a 5th place and 7th place game on the same day of the championship, i.e., November 22.

ESPN2 will telecast the 5th place game at midnight. ET, while the 7th place game is set to be broadcast on ESPNU at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The tournament format is divided into 12 games, where Tennessee played against Syracuse in Game 1 and Purdue against Gonzaga in Game 2.

The complete format of the Maui Invitational 2023 is shown below:

• November 20, Monday
  • Game 1 - Tennesse Volunteers vs Syracuse Orange
  • Game 2 - Purdue Boilermakers vs Gonzaga Bulldogs
  • Game 3 - Kansas Jayhawks vs Chaminade Silverswords
  • Game 4 - Marquette Golden Eagles vs UCLA Bruins

• November 21, Tuesday
  • Game 5 - Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Syracuse Orange
  • Game 6 - UCLA Bruins vs Chaminade Silverswords
  • Game 7 - Purdue Boilermakers vs Tennessee Volunteers
  • Game 8 - Kansas Jayhawks vs Marquette Golden Eagles

• November 22, Wednesday
  • Game 9 - Tennessee Volunteers vs Kansas Jayhawks (3rd place game)
  • Game 10 - Purdue Boilermakers vs Marquette Golden Eagles (Championship)
  • Game 11 - Syracuse Orange vs Chaminade Silverswords (7th place game)
  • Game 12 - Gonzaga Bulldogs vs UCLA Bruins (5th place game)

The list of teams with the most Maui Invitational titles is given below:

• Duke Blue Devils - 5
• Northern Carolina Tar Heels - 4
• Arizona Wildcats - 3
• Kansas Jayhawks - 3
• Syracuse Orange - 3

The Blue Devils' five titles are the highest Maui in the tournament's history. They secured their first title in an 89-66 victory against the BYU Cougars in 1992.

Following that, Duke won the title in 1997, 2001, 2007, and 2011 against Arizona, Ball State, Marquette, and Kansas basketball teams, respectively.

Being founded in 1905, the Blue Devils represent Duke University in NCAA Division I men's college basketball and compete in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference). They rank fourth all-time in any NCAA men's basketball program wins.

Following the Devils, the North Carolina Tar Heels hold the second-most Maui titles in the event's history. They have won the championship four times in 1999, 2004, 2008, and 2016.

The Heels celebrated their first title in 1999 in a 90-75 win against the Purdue. Since then, they have appeared in the Invitational five times, winning three tournaments.