Rockets announcer calls a more personal game — his daughter’s matches at Kingwood High School

HOUSTON — Matt Thomas spends most of his days preparing to talk about sports. But when the longtime voice of the Houston Rockets steps behind the microphone at Kingwood High School, his words come straight from the heart.

Thomas, who handles play-by-play duties for the Rockets and hosts a daily sports talk show on SportsTalk 790, has taken on a much more personal role this fall: serving as the public address announcer for the Kingwood Mustangs volleyball team, where his daughter, Carly, is the team’s starting setter.

“She said, ‘Hey Dad, would you like to introduce our team?’ And I said, ‘Sure,’” Thomas recalled to KHOU 11’s Jason Bristol. “Now it’s kind of a normal thing for me to be here every Tuesday.”

For Carly, hearing her dad’s familiar voice during every match is something specia