NCAA Tournament Announcers Named

[hurleyfor3]

Paired with mumblymouth old sourpuss Elmore, though, ugh. Seems like we never get Gus doing our games though

But we get Elmore all the time. Maybe that'll tip the scales in our favor.

As many people here are aware, there is a pecking order to who gets which site. Nantz/Cornflakes pick first, followed by Verne/Len I believe.

[OldPhiKap]

But we get Elmore all the time. Maybe that'll tip the scales in our favor.

Like to think it, but nope. Once a Terp, always a Terp. Plus, we make him climb up to the crow's nest to call the games. That can't be easy for a guy that big with creaky knees.

[Sandman]

KNIGHT: "Watch how Singler squares to the basket at the top of the key. This allows him to shoot, drive, or pass down to Kelly who has sealed off the defender on the low block."

VITALE: "I was talking to Jim Calhoun about Singler at the Jimmy V Foundation Dinner last year, where we raised money for the Jimmy V Foundation and all of the great, great work the foundation does. Boy, wouldn't it have been great if Jim Calhoun and Jimmy V could have coached against each other? Wow, man, talk about slam bam jam city, baby!! They'd tear down the rims!"

KNIGHT: "Shut up, Dick."


That's about how well that would go.

OPK, This really made my day -- I laughed out loud! You have scarily channeled Vitale and truly captured his essence. THANKS.

[diveonthefloor]

I'll miss Bilas also....but I assume he will have a lead role (as will Knight) in ESPN coverage during the tourney .

[verga]

i don't care for Charles Barkley and i could care less for anything related to the NBA. I've seen Barkley and Kenny Smith together before and found them lacking. Anything connected to the NBA is bad for college basketball. Now if they could just get rid of Vitale and Digger Phelps it might actually be enjoyable to watch some of ESPN's programming. The only other announcer that i can leave alone is Gus Johnson, if you could buy him for what he's worth and sell him for what he think's he's worth you'd have something. I guess you can tell i'm not to sweet on the NBA, as with all things it's JMO.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Marv is a really cool addition. I always thought he was strictly a pro sports guy. I'd love to hear him do a few trademarked "Yes... and it counts" on some of Nolan's drives.

[ajgoodfella7]

I find Johnson to be overbearing and quite irritating. I prefer announcers who do not project themselves into the game. Johnson does.

I agree with you 100%. I don't need to hear a bombastic 20-second scream about a first half traveling violation. I have never been a fan of his, even less so when he does NFL games.

[Philsfan]

I'd pay extra to watch a Final Four called by Gus...would rather listen to almost anyone other than Nantz..stuffed suits are boring!

[CrazieDUMB]

Didn't ESPN do an NBA-College announcers switch at some point as some part of a weekend gimmick? I seem to remember Jeff Van Gundy calling a Duke game.

[Emeritus]

Like to think it, but nope. Once a Terp, always a Terp. Plus, we make him climb up to the crow's nest to call the games. That can't be easy for a guy that big with creaky knees.

Couldn't agree more...only one small spelling correction: should read "Once a Terp, always a Twerp". Thank God that Patrick guy isn't calling any games. He give dimentia a bad name. I'll bet he has to drop bread crumbs to find his way back to his car after the game.

[godukerocks]

Didn't ESPN do an NBA-College announcers switch at some point as some part of a weekend gimmick? I seem to remember Jeff Van Gundy calling a Duke game.

Indeed. Breen, Jackson, and Van Gundy called the Davidson - Duke game, and Shulman and Vitale called the Nuggets game I believe.

[oldnavy]

OPK, This really made my day -- I laughed out loud! You have scarily channeled Vitale and truly captured his essence. THANKS.

Agree, that was very funny! Of course at some point in the first half most likely, BK would just reach over and choke Dickie V unconscious

[throatybeard]

Normally, I don't like loudness and self-promotion, but Gus Johnson provides something your Vitales do not: he's really, really funny. Purrrrrrrrre.

[Cameron]

Reggie Miller is my favorite basketball player of all-time, but he's a terrible announcer. If I wanted Steve Harvey presiding over my game, I'd write TBS. I don't want to hear Reggie or Jeff Van Gundy cracking knee-slappers about Chris Webber as Kyle Singler is dribbling the ball, in need of a game-winning basket with seven seconds left.

And Charles, Kenny and Ernie incorporated into the studio? What's wrong with Greg Gumble, Seth Davis and Greg Anthony? We might as well replace Jim Nantz with Craig Sager and play the entire tournament in the Staples Center with home and away Lakers jerseys dividing the teams.

No thanks to the club comedy and flamboyance that goes along with the TNT crew on most nights. Not in March. There is always room for colorful personalities -- Al McGuire was one of my favorite color guys ever -- but I've always enjoyed the NCAA Tournament for the conventionally carefully chosen team of announcers that presides over its games* and elevates the event to a level of import that feels bigger than simply sport. Give me Dick Enberg calling the game wearing a revolutionary war hat and I'm euphoric.

*This disremembers the the lone tournament of 2003 in which Kareem Abdul-Jabbar weirdly announced games.

[Verga3]

I like these pairings. Most guys have worked together before and will be comfortable in that regard. I don't recall seeing Gus Johnson and Len Elmore work together, although I'm sure they probably have...This is the only duo pick that seemed not to fit for me. I'm a big Gus fan...love the energy. Just hope Len doesn't suck the juice out of him.

As an old guy...Lundquist and Raftery are always a touchstone. "Send it in!"

Can't wait! GO DUKE!!!

[4decadedukie]

Elmore is terrible: not well informed, biased, sometime blind, and (IMHO) not too bright. To illustrate, during today's Wake game he:
a) indicated that last year's team was flawed "down the stretch" due to physical ill conditioning;
b) stated that a clear block in the back foul was "going for the ball."

I nominate him for the "Billy Packer shameful excuse for expertise" award.

[gumbomoop]

I hope Doris Burke gets more games this season. Didn't she do the Nova-Cuse game yesterday? [Only 24 hours ago, but I watched snippets of far too many game, so it's all a muddle...] She's maybe an ESPN-only announcer, but she strikes me as informed and informative. I'm hoping she's a rising star.

[kmspeaks]

Elmore is terrible: not well informed, biased, sometime blind, and (IMHO) not too bright. To illustrate, during today's Wake game he:
a) indicated that last year's team was flawed "down the stretch" due to physical ill conditioning;
b) stated that a clear block in the back foul was "going for the ball."

I nominate him for the "Billy Packer shameful excuse for expertise" award.

He went beyond calling last year's team flawed. He said that having Scheyer play that many minutes "cost Duke down the stretch." Yep, that 10 game winning streak was just terrible. It's too bad we didn't have another guard on the team then we might have actually deserved that national championship instead of having it handed to us by the selection committee.

I don't know what the nomination process is for the Packer award but I definitely provide a second if needed!

[4decadedukie]

He said that having Scheyer play that many minutes "cost Duke down the stretch."

Elmore is an uniformed fool, an idiot. On the other hand, Scheyer's leadership, adaptability, selflessness, basketball savvy, tenaciousness, defense and clutch play resulted in the Regular season ACC Championship (in a tie with Maryland), the ACC Championship, a #1 NCAA Tournament seed, a trip to the Final Four, and the National Championship. Sometimes analysis, debate and discussion are unnecessary -- the facts speak for themselves. This is once such occasion. To reiterate: Elmore is an uniformed fool, an idiot.

[OldPhiKap]

Not to align myself with Elmore, but some seem to forget that Jon REALLY struggled down the stretch. There was some questions on this board (and in general) about when or whether he would snap out in time for the tourney. I seem to remember him hitting a crazy shot against GT in the ACC final that got him rolling. But I do not dismiss the idea that Jon hit the wall for the last few weeks of February last year.