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BROADCAST SHAKEUP: Williams replaces Rautins on Raptors' Sportsnet telecasts

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At least half the Raptors broadcasts this coming season are going to have a very different look to them.

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After 26 years with Sportsnet, Leo Rautins will no longer hold his role as an analyst on the 41 games Sportsnet will televise.

Rautins was there on the mic when the Raptors debuted back in 1995. Since then he has appeared on both networks, Sportsnet and TSN, providing in-studio analysis for TSN when that station aired the games.

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The 61-year-old tweeted Friday that he will remain on TSN’s Raptors broadcasts this season.

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“I’m ready for another fun and exciting year — my 27th!!” he wrote.

Play-by-play man Matt Devlin, who handles those duties for both Sportsnet and TSN games, remains in that dual role but will now be joined by former Raptor Alvin Williams when the games are shown on Sportsnet.

Play-by-play man Matt Devlin, who handles those duties for both Sportsnet and TSN games, remains in that dual role but will now be joined by former Raptor Alvin Williams (pictured) when the games are shown on Sportsnet.
Play-by-play man Matt Devlin, who handles those duties for both Sportsnet and TSN games, remains in that dual role but will now be joined by former Raptor Alvin Williams (pictured) when the games are shown on Sportsnet.

Williams, popular in his own right and a fan favourite throughout his tenure as a player and later as an assistant coach and head of the team’s player development program, is not new to this side of the business either.

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Williams has been working as an analyst within the Sportsnet stable, providing pre, post and halftime analysis to augment the Sportsnet broadcast dating back to 2015.

The other 41 games are televised by TSN and that tandem — Devlin and Jack Armstrong — remains intact.

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TSN has the season opener Wednesday, Oct. 20 against the Washington Wizards at Scotiabank Arena. Other marquee contests belonging to TSN include the first meeting versus DeMar DeRozan and the new-look Chicago Bulls on Oct. 25 and the lone visit north of the border from the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 2.

Sportsnet’s opener will be the  Raptors’ road debut this coming season on Friday, Oct. 22 at Boston. Sportsnet’s slate also includes the return of six-time NBA all-star Kyle Lowry when Miami visits Toronto on Feb. 3 and both matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers, March 14 at Staples Centre and the return match home at the Rogers Centre on March 18.

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Sportsnet also announced that Amy Audibert will take over reporting duties as the newest member of the Sportsnet Raptors’ team as their sideline reporter.

As for the radio broadcast, it appears those duties will remain the same with Eric Smith and Paul Jones handling the games on the FAN 590 while Jones is joined by Sherman Hamilton when the games move over to TSN’s AM-1050.

mganter@postmedia.com

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