If you have ever tuned in to a MSVU varsity basketball game online, you are no doubt familiar with the ‘voice of the Mystics.’
For more than 10 years, Dr. Robert Berard, Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Education at MSVU, and one of the Mystics’ biggest fans, has been sitting court-side for every game, serving as the live stream play-by-play announcer for the MSVU’s varsity basketball games (women’s and men’s teams), including regular season and championship games.
There’s an easy warmth in Robert’s voice, plus a demonstrated familiarity with each player, not to mention a strong knowledge of the game. Robert has always been one of the MSVU Mystics’ biggest supporters. He could be seen watching games from the sidelines long before they were broadcast online; he even travelled to Montreal to watch the team in the national CCAA championship one year and was in the stands in Kelowna in 2010 when the women’s team took home the silver medal.
When the games began to be broadcast online, Robert watched one and realized that there was no announcer, making the games hard to follow. “All one could hear was ambient sound – sneakers squeaking, basketballs bouncing, and muffled crowd noise. You couldn’t really see the score or know how much time was left on the clock, or, if you were watching on a laptop, it was difficult to make out who was who on the court,” noted Robert. He approached long-time MSVU Athletic Director June Lumsden about his concerns for those watching online and found out that they had no-one to do the commentary; Robert immediately volunteered for the role – and the rest is history.
Since 2015, Robert has been the commentator for hundreds of games. His role with the basketball program fills up his weekends, and (until his recent retirement in 2025) he was busy with his teaching and research for the rest of the week.
His knowledge of the game comes from watching basketball and listening to the games on the radio. He also played in junior high before becoming the scorekeeper for his high school team. In 2020, Robert was approached to become the announcer for the Mystics volleyball games as well. He quickly learned the sport and the referee signals. After the first year, he began to co-host with MSVU students and just last year he made the difficult decision to step back from announcing the volleyball games. His last co-host, former MSVU student and volleyball player Erica Neufeld, has taken over his role and has become one of the best broadcasters in the league.
In the decade since he began his role as voice of MSVU basketball, Robert is positive he’s never missed a game. The one or two times he’s had to leave early, Mark Forward has stepped in to finish the men’s games for him. He even recalls announcing a game in formal wear prior to a Board of Governors event.
Robert’s support of the Mystics doesn’t stop at announcing; he is also hugely supportive of their fundraising campaigns and community outreach such as the Shoebox Project, a Canadian charity that supports women experiencing or at-risk-of homelessness. He has great respect for the athletic directors, coaches, support staff, and student volunteers he’s known over the years. They are as committed to excellence in academics as they are athletics, a commitment reflected in the high number of MSVU athletes recognized as Academic All-Canadians.
You can always count on Robert to be all in; he has continued to travel with the Mystics basketball teams to some away games and to the national championships. Members of the MSVU Mystics varsity teams note Robert as a friend and say they cherish the trips he’s made as some of their greatest memories, and opportunities to share stories and the excitement of the game with him.
The respect that Robert has for varsity athletes runs deep – in particular, respect for their work ethic, determination, and skill. He believes that the life skills student-athletes develop are valuable. Having held lead roles in MSVU’s Education Department and taught for decades, he has come to appreciate the skillsets that athletes bring to the classroom and he sees those student-athletes as some of the best Bachelor of Education students and, ultimately, teachers and school coaches, not to mention representatives of MSVU.
MSVU is set to host the ACAA basketball championships this weekend (March 6 to 8). If you can’t make it to the gym to cheer on the Mystics in person, be sure to join Robert online.
