By: Stephanie Valderrama
It’s the mid-80’s, the youngest NBA producer to-be is writing sports at the University Star. The Meadows Center is a small theme park called Aquarena Springs. The student population is roughly 18,000. The school newspaper is being printed twice a week. A young college student named Mike is on a 1 a.m. deadline to publish his Bobcat sports stories for the Star. Hours later he would arrive late to Larry Carlson’s class to write more. This was the beginning of the the NBA’s youngest producer.
Student Hunter Mansuco, picked his brain during class on Tuesday, “what is it about a job, but more so your job that makes it worth staying with one team?” Kickarillo highlighted the uniqueness of his role: “This is one of 30 jobs. They aren’t easy to come by, and once you get one, you don’t want to let it go. Around the league, you see people who are in legacy positions or retiring from them. It’s a fun, great job. The hours can be tough, and the politics aren’t always great, but there’s way more good than bad. I have to remind myself of that sometimes.”
Kickarillo’s passion for his work was evident as he discussed the rarity and rewards of his role with the Spurs, but his journey to this point had humble and, at times, controversial beginnings. Reflecting on his days as a student journalist, he recounted one of his most memorable—and infamous—moments writing for The University Star.
“When I look back over the years, I was working for the Star, and you’re not going to believe this, but Bobcat football Team sucked, and I wrote they they lost in nickles, 28 to nothing…and the lead to it was something along the lines of… Head Coach John O’Hara pulled aside his captains and proceeded to shoot them, dot, dot, dot, with blanks. This week you might want to consider using real bullets to exterminate the already half dead Bobcat team,” wrote Kickarillo.
It still made Sports Illustrated that he had done that. Kickarillo speculates jokingly there might have been a hit put out on him by the football team. “I got harassed. I got called in my dorm room, and coach was to my face I did it,” said Kickarillo.
However, he had heard that the coach told the team if you see the little f*****, you kick his ass. So he learned a lesson, what writers do has a big impact, and you have to be really careful.
Kickarillo still laughs about it, “I thought it was clever as hell. But what we (writers) do has an impact on people, and got to be really responsible about what we do, what we say. It’s such an easy thing to go out there and be snarky and, you know, poke at people, but we all have feelings… maybe not be as sharp or snarky.”
Kick, as his former professor has nicknamed him, has come full circle working with the San Antonio Spurs organization from his days as manager of the campus radio station. He worked for the Austin American- Statesman, covering the Bobcats and had an internship at KSAT TV in San Antonio.
In his role with the Spurs organization, he hires and fires people, “I’ll tell you this much when we hire we look at social media accounts. So if I see that…you’re bad mouthing the Clippers, you’re bad mouthing Kawhi Leonard, and you’re out there and it’s out there for the public to see. Like, is that really what we’re about as Spurs organization?” said Kickarillo.
“I’m just curious to know, like, what a typical day looks like during your day in NBA,” asked Liseth Aguilar, a sports media student. Kick alluded that he couldn’t work a typical 9-5 job no day is the same whether is a game day or regular business day.
In addition to producing and directing games, Kickarillo played a key role in creating the docuseries The Ring and the Rowl, where he conducts interviews and contributes as a writer. He negotiates business deals with local TV stations and networks, oversees the hiring and firing of radio and TV announcers, and assembles crews of camera operators, tape operators, and relay operators for both home and away games. Essentially, he’s the architect behind the entire broadcast structure.
“I hate seeing San Marcus be so big these days it’s weird to see that type of growth.” Despite the changes, Kickarillo remains connected to the university, often returning to share insights about his rare and rewarding role in the NBA.
Photo by: Stephanie Valderrama
Student Jade Jacobo listens to Kick recount his days growing up in her shared hometown of Houston, Texas.
