College basketball announcer John Fanta takes a shot at some hoops Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: Should St. John’s fans be concerned?

A: They should be concerned because of the lack of rhythm to point guard play. Now, notice I didn’t say that they don’t have a point guard. Because I still think that with Rick Pitino, he’s able to get his teams playing their best as a season gets deeper. But it is a real issue that they have not been able to generate consistent halfcourt offense again. And the thing is, last year’s team could not shoot the basketball well, but they had multiple guards who could create off the dribble. This team doesn’t have a setup man for the shooters to then convert, and be consistent. I expected a lot out of Bryce Hopkins and Ian Jackson, and to this point, Hopkins hasn’t been the player that he used to be or really close to that, and Ian Jackson has not found consistency and it feels like he’s been trying to figure things out and the staff’s been trying to figure him out, too. But, I still firmly believe they’re a top-four team in the Big East. I believe that they’re going to make the NCAA Tournament as a 6 or 7 seed, if you ask me. And I think you have to look at their nonconference and your hope is that now because that they’ve pretty much seen it all, been involved in a lot of different situations. I can’t unsee that team coming a point away from beating an undefeated Iowa State team. I can’t unsee that. … To me, there’s a great team in there. There is a Hall of Fame coach on the sideline that now will be his and staff’s shot to try to find a way to tap into the team figuring out what they do best and can they sustain it?

Q: From a media standpoint, how much fun is it covering Rick Pitino?

A: It’s a blast. It’s like a run on Broadway from a show, like the epic shows through the years. How “Lion King” or how “Wicked” stays on the stage. “The Phantom of the Opera,” that people say, “I’ve seen it 20 times.” It’s like a great Broadway show except it’s reality where you never know what’s going to happen because he’s gonna give you an answer that’s highly entertaining and he’s going to be honest. When he does fib a little bit, because he can be entertaining, it does make you chuckle, or it makes you think this guy is just non-stop, and that’s what he is. Honestly, his work ethic is inspiring to anybody because he’s 73 and he’s still so wired. It’s highly entertaining because you never know what’s gonna come out of his mouth, and watching him coach, he has the energy of a 35-year-old.

Ian Jackson of the St. John’s Red Storm goes up for a shot during the first half at Carnesecca Arena, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

Q: Who would be an X factor for St. John’s for them to reach a Final Four?

A: Ian Jackson had a run in which he averaged 20-plus points per game over seven games at North Carolina last year. And you saw these bits and pieces, and then it hasn’t come to fruition from a sustainability standpoint. … He’s struggling with himself in-game to figure everything out. This kid can be an absolute stud. He’s talented as all get-out, but they’ve gotta find a way to get him going. Their season depends on Jackson and [Joson] Sanon making shots and making things happen on the offensive end of the floor. They’ve gotten better defensively, but where’s the team that started out the season averaging over 90 points per game? Jackson and Sanon are bucket-getting guys. I would name Hopkins as an X factor, but I haven’t seen enough from him this season to say that he’s gonna get back to his normal self. I know Ian Jackson can be better than what he’s been in the new year. He’s gotta be, and I would say this: Remember this time last year? A lot of people were upset at Kadary Richmond ’cause he had not lived up to expectations, and then he figured it out. Let’s see if Jackson and Sanon, against some lesser competition than what they’ve seen — confidence is quite a drug if they can find the confidence.

Q: Can this team be a Final Four team or no?

A: I’ll never say never with Rick Pitino. However, the program also has not been to a Sweet 16 in going on 26 years. Here’s the problem with the St. John’s Final Four anticipation: The top of the country in college basketball has never been better. You could talk about NIL, coaching, players staying in college, because guys are staying in college — I’ve never seen the top of the country in college hoops look this dominant, and this good. It’s why we could see all 1 seeds or all 1s and 2s in the Final Four, it’s because the crop of best teams, tier-A teams, is rich. So that’s what St. John’s has going against them, but I’ll never doubt Rick Pitino’s ability to get a team on a magical run. This team can still do it, but they’ve gotta figure it out soon.

Q: Is UConn the team to beat in the Big East?

A: By far. It’d be like me running against Usain Bolt right now.

Q: Why are they so dangerous?

A: Because their depth is incredible. They have two point guards in [Silas] Demary Jr. and Malachi Smith. They’ve got the epitome of a winner in Alex Karaban. Solo Ball and Jaylin Stewart have now been around the block. Jayden Ross also fulfills this dynamic wing role. So you’ve got multiple dynamic wings. Oh? You want centers? They’ve got two of ’em — Tarris Reed [Jr.] and then Eric Reibe, who right now in his freshman season has accomplished more to this point than Donovan Clingan had in his freshman season. And we all know the monster that Clingan turned into. They’re that team where you’re like, they have two of everything, or maybe three of everything. Alex Karaban, to me, is the Big East Player of the Year to this point because he does everything right. He never takes a play off. Even if he has a tough shooting game, I find him making winning plays calling their games, watching their games, every single time out. Not to mention they’ve got the most confident coach in college basketball, and he runs a machine of a program. He has figured out how to master this sport, especially on the offensive end. They’re so creative and so tough to stop. And then they use that, and they can guard the heck out of you. Dan Hurley’s the most intense guy in this sport, his team plays like it and they win like it.

Jayden Ross and Solo Ball of the Connecticut Huskies react during the second half of an NCAA men’s basketball game against the Butler Bulldogs at PeoplesBank Arena on December 16, 2025. Getty Images

Q: Who are the other contenders in the Big East?

A: Villanova is back. They’re an NCAA Tournament team. They’re 20th in the NET rankings, and I don’t think the country’s talking about them enough. Kevin Willard is a heckuva coach, and what he did at Seton Hall was pretty remarkable. Maryland hadn’t been to a Sweet 16 in several years, it was close to a decade, and he got them there in his third year at the helm. So this is a guy who’s a proven winner now. Villanova should never be bad. They should not be missing NCAA Tournaments. They’re one of the better brands in the sport. And he’s got a stud in Acaden Lewis, who I think is a future NBAer, and he’s got a team that averages 11 3s per game. They could be the second-best team in the Big East. Shaheen Holloway’s got a Seton Hall team that defends you when you get off the bus. This is a good Seton Hall club that has a real chance with a head coach who engineered one of the most magical runs [with Saint Peter’s in 2022] we’ve ever seen in March Madness, so they’re legit. I wouldn’t want to play Shaheen Holloway in the NCAA Tournament. Two others would be Butler and Creighton. I think the Big East can get four or five teams in the NCAA Tournament still because of UConn, Villanova, St. John’s, and then one or two of the three I just mentioned.

Q: If you had to pick your Final Four today, who would it be?

A: Michigan, who’s had the best start to a season that I’ve ever seen … Arizona … Connecticut … I’m gonna say Purdue.

Q: Who are some of the players you love watching?

A: I think Braden Smith is phenomenal. In Big Ten history, assists per game, No. 1 is Magic Johnson. No. 2 is Braden Smith. Tamin Lipsey is a stud guard who makes things happen for others. In terms of motor, and I’m not playing to your audience ’cause I would say it, Zuby Ejiofor’s motor is incredible. The guy never stops. Caleb Wilson at North Carolina gives Hubert Davis a real shot at making a deep tournament run. This is a crucial year for Hubert, he has to win, Caleb Wilson changes everything about that team. Keaton Wagler has been a pleasant surprise for [Illinois coach] Brad Underwood. And then Bennett Stirtz at Iowa. And of course, I brought him up earlier, I really enjoy watching Alex Karaban at UConn.

Q: Who are some sleeper teams for the NCAA Tournament?

A: People shouldn’t be sleeping on them at all because they’ve been excellent, but Vanderbilt’s had a sensational start, and I think Mark Byington is a coaching star. I hope Vanderbilt keeps him for a long time, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you see Mark Byington at a blue blood down the road. I think Utah State is dangerous. They’re a fun team to watch with a kid that I’ve really enjoyed watching named MJ Collins [Jr.]. If St.Louis wins the Atlantic 10, they’ve got a kid who could become that type of face in March Madness that we love, his name is Robbie Avila. I think Georgia is intriguing. And I think UCLA still has their best basketball in front of them. Watch out for Mick Cronin to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. … Three other sleepers: Yale, Illinois State, Hofstra — I love Speedy Claxton’s star guard Cruz Davis. Cruz is averaging over 21 points per game. Pitino transfer!

Peacock Sports analyst Donny Marshall, left, and play-by-play announcer John Fanta before a college basketball game between the Seton Hall Pirates and the Marquette Golden Eagles at Prudential Center on January 21, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. Getty Images

Q: Thoughts on the College Football Playoff?

A: I would not have two Group of 5 teams in the Playoff. I am all for Cinderella. But Cinderella exists in college basketball. The opening weekend of the College Football Playoff was a dud. It’s not about picking Miami over Notre Dame. Miami beat Notre Dame. What doesn’t make any sense is the committee for weeks had Miami below Notre Dame, and then put Miami in over Notre Dame. So the committee has no rhyme or reason to what they are doing. That’s my issue with the Playoff. I think the Playoff is gonna deliver great games. I think what the top of the Big Ten has been doing in college football has changed the sport. Curt Cignetti has put pressure on every other AD that values football, which most of them do, and every coach, because of the fact that he turned this thing so quickly, he has engineered the best turnaround in the history of college sports — you heard it from me. Indiana wasn’t bad, Indiana was dead. For them to be the No. 1 seed in the CFP is absolutely unbelievable. That being said, they’re gonna have their hands full ’cause Alabama’s gonna give them a real battle. But if the Hoosiers win the national championship, I think it becomes a one-of-one story in college football history.

Q: Who do you like to win the championship?

A: I believe that the Ohio State Buckeyes win the national championship again. I think that Big Ten championship game loss [to Indiana] was what it was. … I could easily see us get a Big Ten title game rematch in the championship game. I’d [also] be fascinated to see Oregon meet Indiana again [in the semifinal round].

Q: So you like the Buckeyes over who in the championship game?

A: I think they get their revenge on Indiana.

Q: What do you think of Fernando Mendoza?

A: I love everything about him. I believe the hype. He’s got a toughness, he’s got stones. He knows how to make the timely throw when the game’s on the line, he’s shown us that a couple of times this year, and I love his moxie. He’s a winner. I love the way that he can throw a football. Several times this year I found myself saying, “That was put right in the bread basket.” So I’m all in on the Fernando Mendoza train.

Q: Do you think Marcus Freeman will stay at Notre Dame, and do you think he could coach the Giants?

A: I think he could coach the Giants, but I think he stays at Notre Dame. Because to me, he comes off as a don’t-mess-with-happy type of guy, and I think the Giants job has shown in recent years that it’s not an easy job, and it’s gonna take a certain individual to get them out of it. Now, Marcus is a motivator. And he’s a really good football coach. But that guy’s a culture cultivator. He has figured out a way to really give Notre Dame a chip on their shoulder. Notre Dame used to get criticized for being soft, and he’s made them a hard-playing football team. Could he coach the Giants? I think he could, sure. And I think the Giants could do a lot worse than Marcus Freeman, and I can understand why they would target him. I just don’t see Marcus leaving Notre Dame.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman talks to his players during the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game against Syracuse, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025 AP

Q: Best college basketball game you’ve ever witnessed?

A: 2016 national championship game. And second would probably be the 2016 Big East Championship game. The ’16 national championship game was Villanova and North Carolina. It’s the first national championship game I covered, and it will be very hard to top. I’ll never forget Marcus Paige made that shot for Carolina, seat cushions were flying all over NRG Stadium. And then Jay Wright draws up brilliance, [Ryan] Arcidiacono to [Kris] Jenkins for the title. And Rollie Massimino’s behind the bench crying. And Jay Wright has this dead stare like, “I just gave this smallish Catholic school just outside Philadelphia a national championship at the buzzer against Roy Williams.” Forget it. It was absolute theater, an unbelievable college basketball game. And No. 2, Big East Championship game, Villanova lost the Big East Championship game in this epic game against Isaiah Whitehead and Seton Hall three weeks prior that was decided on the last possession. It was incredible theater at Madison Square Garden.

Q: If you could go back in college basketball history and interview any coach, and any player, who would it be?

A: The obvious choice would be John Wooden. I’m gonna go a little different and I’m gonna pick Al McGuire because I heard all these stories about him, that he was just such a character and a unique individual. Also had a career in broadcasting. … Tell you who I never sat down with that I woulda loved to have a seat with and talk to: Pearl Washington. It’d be Pearl Washington or Dikembe Mutombo for me. When I heard people talk about Pearl, they were in awe. He wowed them. He was a different type of player for Coach [Jim] Boeheim. Dikembe, the finger wag, the personality … gone way too soon.

Q: What’s it been like being a Browns fan?

A: Take your worst sports fan experience and multiply it by 10. It’s hard to believe that they were a playoff team 24 months ago, and that Joe Flacco was leading them on this magical run.

Q: What do you think of Shedeur Sanders?

A: He’s been better than I expected. If he was behind Dillon Gabriel, who was rough, I thought to myself, “How much better could he be?” To me, that’s an indictment on the organization that they waited as long as they did to play Sanders. They were trying to prove to people that they made the right call with Gabriel. The fact they drafted Gabriel in the third round is insanity.

Q: Will the Browns win their first Super Bowl before the Jets win their second?

A: (Laugh) God, I hope so. Both teams need all the prayers they can get, and I will be praying.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) is pressured by. Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) during the second half at Huntington Bank Field. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Q: When you were 3 years old you were giving weather reports?

A: I would watch the weather on Fox 8 in Cleveland, with a Hall of Fame meteorologist named Dick Goddard. He became an institution in Cleveland. He did the weather just so well. He was so clear and energetic — I was inspired by him. At 3 years old, it was easy. I thought it was fun. It was either, “The sun’s out, it’s gonna rain or snow.” In Cleveland, the weather was interesting because it rained and snowed a lot (laugh). So doing the weather was fun because it was always changing. I knew I wanted to do it from a very early age for a living. I would turn the volume down during the weather report and I’d be in the family room and I’d give my family the weather forecast.

Q: How did your love of basketball begin?

A: I was 7 years old when LeBron James got drafted to the Cavaliers. You couldn’t look away from the screen. When LeBron James played, I had to have him on. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. My dad kept me up for the Cavs and the Kings in LeBron’s first regular-season game, the game was well after 10 o’clock at night. And my dad said, “We’re watching this game. I don’t care if they have school tomorrow.” It’s the best decision he ever made. I fell in love with basketball the night I watched LeBron James, and to this day, the best individual basketball performance I’ve ever watched was when I was 12, and LeBron James scores 25 straight points in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Cavs beat the Pistons in Game 5. The Pistons were the better team, the Cavs had the best player. LeBron James changed the sport, he changed the way that it was conducted, he obviously ushered in the superteams era because I think people said if he could do this by himself, what’s gonna happen when we pair him with two guys? And that’s what led to him leaving Cleveland. I cried the night he left Cleveland the first time ’cause I thought my shot at a championship is done, it’s wasted. And he lived up to his promise by coming back.

Q: How would you describe your broadcasting style?

A: I would describe it as for the fan. When a fan sits down for a game, they’re giving that time to the telecast. I never want the fan at home to say, “They don’t know what they’re talking about,” or, “They’re not authentic,” or, “They’re not into the game.” Because if a fan is saying that, we’re not doing our job. Now, that doesn’t mean that you go crazy all throughout the telecast to try to go viral and do this and that and the third. But my thought process is, when I’m calling a game, I would define as unique. A TV executive told me early in my career, “You don’t look like everybody else.” They looked at it as a bit of a negative thing. An agent told me, “Your voice needs a lot of work.” I changed some things. Not everything. I still have to be myself. You can only be yourself. I don’t forget those types of things. In terms of the style, my thought process is, when people watch a game that I’m on, I hope they can come away smiling. I hope they can come away learning something that you didn’t know already. It’s our job as broadcasters to celebrate the game, entertain and inform people. And I think today in broadcasting, there’s a lot of negativity out there. I just want people when they watch a game to come away with some sort of a positivity, provided that, of course, they’re not gonna be happy if their team loses. It’s a privilege to get any TV airtime. I never take an opportunity or a game for granted, so I want that style to be, “Hey, come on in. You’re part of our broadcast. And let’s make your time worthwhile.” … Every game’s a Super Bowl for me.

Q: Who are broadcasters or announcers you have admired?

A: Kevin Harlan, Ian Eagle, Verne Lundquist. Verne from the 16th tower at the Masters was theater. In very few words, he made a moment just come off incredibly. … Mike Tirico could make a chess match sound entertaining. His storytelling ability is phenomenal. And then in terms of analysts, Bill Raftery is unbelievable. The fact Bill Raftery’s not in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport and television in the sport is a crime. He needs to be in there.

Q: What drives you?

A: My wife and my son drive me every day to try to be great and to try to reach new heights, and I’m so grateful to my wife because when you have a job like this, you have to have a supportive spouse. … I’m at a place now at NBC where I really find that it’s a team atmosphere … I joined them in August. They said to me, “Are you comfortable doing different sports and jumping into different things?” That’s a broadcaster’s dream because we want to be versatile, we want to do different things. I love new challenges. … When you’ve got an agent in Kevin Belbey and his team at CAA along with Rick Cordella, Sam Flood and the NBC Sports team, they drive me every day as well. … And then, the people, the coaches and the players — they’re humans, too. And it drives me to tell their stories to the audience.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Greg Gumbel, John Madden, Chris Farley.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “Shawshank Redemption.”

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Robin Williams.

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Molly Shannon.

Q: Favorite singer/entertainer?

A: Billy Joel.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: A ribeye with potatoes au gratin and creamed spinach.

Q: Tell me about your father and your loss and what he meant to you.

A: My dad meant everything to me. Both my parents, Molly and Gerry, mean everything to me. My dad was my biggest supporter and my biggest fan, and he never missed a show or a game or anything that had to do with me. He was a business owner, he did metal plating and finishing in Cleveland. He worked a blue-collar job, and he taught me how to work. Both my parents said, “John, you have to follow your passion.” My dad said, “Yeah, you could follow your passion, but you gotta work for it.” And my father, when I got done with freshman year of football at Saint Ignatius High School, he said, “So what’s next?” I found the Broadcasting Club in high school. I called 300 games in high school, it led me to Seton Hall, it led me to my profession getting started at Fox, and now at NBC. That’s all because my dad said, “You can have a passion, but now it’s time to put your hard hat on and get to work because you control two things, John: if you’re kind to people, and if you work hard.”

Q: Tell me about your son.

A: The greatest gift of all, and his middle name is Gerard for my dad, his first name is Andrew. May 7th of this year our lives changed, my wife Victoria and I. My wife was in labor for 36 hours, into an emergency C-section. It’s the greatest gift to be a dad. It puts life in perspective. It makes you take a step back, and it makes you just appreciate all the little things in life. … A lot of people say, “How do you grieve?” And everybody grieves differently. In my world, I don’t look at it as grief, my view on it is everybody has a different burden in life, or a different challenge in life or a different loss in life. My thought process is, I know my dad’s looking down on us, and I have an incredible wife and an unbelievable family, my way of coping with my father’s loss is being the best father I can be and making sure I’m there for my son as much as humanly possible because I know how precious time is. When you lose your dad [heart attack] when he’s 56, to know that there was so much more life that we could have lived together. And so for me, that just makes me say, “I am going to do everything I can to be the best dad to my son that I can be.”