Men’s Basketball’s Davidson, Marshall Serve at NCAA D-III Men’s Basketball Semifinals

Anderson University men's basketball senior Rob Davidson and Anderson men's basketball sophomore Josiah Marshall both served at the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Semifinals at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne.

JOSIAH MARSHALL'S ACCOUNT OF EVENT

Over the weekend, Rob Davidson and I had the opportunity to travel to Fort Wayne and serve as the On-Site Social Media Coordinators for the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Semifinals at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Being part of an event of that magnitude and working behind the scenes at a national stage was an incredible experience for both of us.

In our roles, we were responsible for capturing and producing real-time content throughout the games and surrounding events. This included using cameras to document key moments, editing photos through Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, and posting content live across multiple social platforms including Instagram, X, and Facebook. We also utilized Grabyo to create and distribute live video clips as the action unfolded, helping bring fans closer to the experience in real time.

The environment required us to be highly adaptable and detail-oriented, as we were constantly working under tight timelines to capture, edit, and post content while the games were ongoing. It gave us a great perspective on the pace and coordination required to execute social media coverage at a national event.

One of the most exciting outcomes from the weekend was the growth in engagement on the NCAA Division III Instagram account. During the three days we were working, the page saw an increase from approximately 12 million to 15 million views, which we were grateful to contribute to through our content and coverage.

Beyond the technical side, the experience also allowed us to collaborate with NCAA staff and other media professionals, as well as gain a better understanding of how large-scale athletic events are operated from a communications and media standpoint.

We are both very grateful for the opportunity and excited to bring what we learned back to Anderson athletics moving forward.

ROB DAVIDSON'S COMMENTS

• Working with the NCAA was a blast and doing it around the division I compete in and the sport I play and love was truly special.
• Last weekend definitely had us on our toes; it was a very fast-paced task, and I think we did an amazing job getting stuff out as quickly as possible.
• We were tasked to give game updates, tune-in graphics, Halftime score updates, and end-of-game updates. We were also given the ability to live clip big moments throughout the game.
• After live clipping the celebration of the Emory University Eagles, it earned 128K views and is still growing!
• The committee was also amazing; they helped out in many ways and were so supportive of what we brought to the table, and all of the work we had done. Truly a bunch of selfless people who wanted to help us in any way they could
• All in all, I had a ton of fun and wouldn't trade the experience for the world. I'm definitely ready for what's next!

JOSIAH MARSHALL'S COMMENTS

Being able to represent Anderson University on a national stage in a media role was an incredible opportunity. It gave me a deeper appreciation for what goes into real-time event coverage, from capturing and editing content to managing live posts across platforms. That responsibility pushed me to stay focused and intentional while operating in a fast-paced environment.