POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Marist Athletics has officially announced a partnership with Firehouse Productions for the upcoming men's and women's basketball seasons, the department announced Wednesday afternoon.
 
"When we read about all the amazing work Firehouse was doing in the NBA bubble and realized that their operation was so local, we immediately reached out to gauge interest to see how we can make our student-athletes' experience on the court as normal as possible," Marist's Associate Athletic Director & Director of External Affairs Harrison Baker said. "Having this set up will give us a unique advantage that not many other schools can say they have. We're looking forward to having McCann loud again."
 
Firehouse Productions, a Dutchess County-based company out of Red Hook, most recently worked with the NBA, providing in-arena audio and crowd noise throughout the duration of the NBA "bubble." The organization worked vigorously throughout the NBA's 172 total games played in Orlando, throughout the seeding games and playoffs, working to provide all teams, players, and fans at home with an "authentic" NBA experience via synthetic crowd noise. And they did a fantastic job doing so.
 
Firehouse Productions designs, installs and operates sound reinforcement systems for all types of events, but with the absence of fans at sporting events recently, a lot of their attention has been focused on sporting events. Their wireless and communication division builds on-site communication networks for productions of any size. They operated in the NBA "bubble" by installing a 10-channel sound system with over 125 speakers to produce sounds around the court, while a separate audio system was fed into the television broadcast for the viewers. This creates an authentic experience for all parties, even with the absence of fans.
 
"It's great to have Firehouse Productions on board to add to our game atmosphere," Marist head men's basketball coach John Dunne said. "We appreciate being able to work with a local company that has worked with the NBA and did a terrific job with the bubble in Orlando this summer. Without being able to have fans in the stands, their efforts will help us establish a true game feel at McCann Arena."
 
Marist head women's basketball coach Brian Giorgis shared similar sentiments.
 
 "Although we will miss the best home crowd in the MAAC this season, we are excited to partner with Firehouse Productions to make McCann feel like home," Giorgis said. "It will be great to play with crowd noise and provide our players with as close to normal game night conditions as possible. Thank you to our multi-media staff and Firehouse for continuing to make game night at McCann Arena second to none!" 
 
The 2020-21 season for the Marist men's basketball team will kick off on Saturday, Dec. 5 at Binghamton. The first home game for the Red Foxes is on tap for the next day, Sunday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m., to conclude a home-and-home against the Bearcats.
 
Meanwhile the Marist women's basketball team is slated to open the new season with a road game against Army on Saturday, Dec. 5. The first home game for the Red Foxes is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 11 against the Canisius Golden Griffins.