Commentator of the Match - Bob Knight

[BlueintheFace]

I thought Bob Knight gave some very insightful analysis tonight and was pretty funny at times too. I was incredibly impressed and hope he does more of our games!!

[LetItBD08]

I know that this is touched upon in the in game thread, but he is amazing. I always thought that color commentators weren't all that adequate, but I never had a standard to compare them to. Now I do. It's really refreshing having a commentator who knows the game so well and actually communicates it.

Edit: Ah, I was beaten to it by a minute. Merge me please.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Most refreshing to hear a commentator have so much worthwhile information to actually listen to. No flash, no pizazz, just a lot of meaningful insight into what was going on, what was working, what wasn't working. Looking forward to him calling more games in the future.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I thought Bob Knight gave some very insightful analysis tonight and was pretty funny at times too. I was incredibly impressed and hope he does more of our games!!
Waiting to see him in Cameron! I made a comment during the snrubchat when they showed Dean Smith in the stands; just think of the amount of basketball brains present in the span of 100 feet with Smith, Knight, and K all in that circle. (And with Vitale there, that ups it a litte too)

[throatybeard]

Big time. BB of all games is most cursed by having horrible announcers. How refreshing to hear someone who knows something about the game.

[mapei]

I agree with all of the above. He was superb!

[dyedwab]

Knight is the kind of color commentator I always want, no matter the sport. Someone who tells me things I wouldn't know, even though i watch a lot of games.

More Knight please....

[dukestheheat]

I, too, was very impressed with Knight's commentary. He obviously knows the game so well and I can see how he's regarded as a great teacher of it.

dth.

[dukelifer]

Knight was very good. He knows his stuff and I like that he focuses on the D which is really not talked about much by color guys.

[diesel]

Not only was he a great commentator, I hope some of his points --like our need for help side defense--get picked up by the players and coaching staff.

[Cavlaw]

I really liked him. I appreciate Vitale and others of his ilk later in the season when I'm watching hyped up on emotion and just going crazy, but in a slower, early season game like this the mood was just right for him to give a clinic on college ball.

[JDev]

Yeah Knight was fantastic. He did a great job, and I like the inherent credablitiy he has that most other announcers cannot touch. When he says something it is worth listening to.

[Saratoga2]

Good job Baby!

[mgtr]

Tonight I actually learned a little basketball from a color commentator. That may be a first.

[RainingThrees]

So much better than those two who did our first games on ESPNU. I almost turned the volume off.

[camion]

Bingo.

As others have said, Knight kept pointing out things I didn't already know.

The only thing he got wrong was that he kept saying that Duke was drawing fouls because of the way they ran their offense instead of the well know fact that Duke Gets All The Calls. ;)

[ugadevil]

So much better than those two who did our first games on ESPNU. I almost turned the volume off.

I find that comment hilarious - considering that one of the commentators during the first couple games was a former Duke coach. Still, I agree that Knight was extremely refreshing with his relevant comments.

[Ben63]

Couldn't agree more with all of you. Knight said what needed to be said, gave great insights, and didn't over do it. I wasn't sure how Knight would be as announcer, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Great job Coach Knight.

[-jk]

Lots of fun listening to him. Reminds me of listening to Lefty once upon a time.

-jk

[dahntaysdawg]

I find that comment hilarious - considering that one of the commentators during the first couple games was a former Duke coach. Still, I agree that Knight was extremely refreshing with his relevant comments.

Who cares where Bucky coached, he was horrible in that game. Not quite as bad as Doris Burke's voice twin in the first two but still pretty bad. He told the same story twice, something about a kid not wanting to be a coach so he will become a commentator....damn he told it twice and I still can't get it right

[miramar]

That wasn't color commentary, that was a clinic.

[BlueintheFace]

I'm not sure how he would do in a high intensity game though... one of those games where it is one big play after another. I'm not sure if he would bring the appropriate amount of enthusiasm and might, instead, continue to examine the game like a doctor giving a prognosis. Those are the games when it is fun to have Dickie V. What I really want is more Gus Johnson!

[weezie]

The General did well but somebody needs to buy him a new sweater/shirt combo. The green isn't working too well.:rolleyes:

[shadowfax336]

He was amazing. It really was like a coaching clinic over the air

[Edouble]

Knight was one of the worst color guys I have heard in years. He did nothing right! No mention of his top 5 dunkers, or this past summer's baseball season. The name "Michaelangelo" didn't even come out of his mouth when they showed Dean in the stands. He basically did everything wrong.

Help defense when the driver crosses the fould line extended? What kind of jibberish was that? Knight had zero decent filler material prepared.

Inexcusable!

[dukemomLA]

Except for the comment from Edouble, I agree with all of you.

I've never been a big Knight fan when he was a coach, but as many have said, he created a clinic, without the pizazz, and nonsense that most commentators or color men/women often use.

I was reallllly impressed with his insight and comments. Refreshing.

[billybreen]

Knight was one of the worst color guys I have heard in years. He did nothing right! No mention of his top 5 dunkers, or this past summer's baseball season. The name "Michaelangelo" didn't even come out of his mouth when they showed Dean in the stands. He basically did everything wrong.

Help defense when the driver crosses the fould line extended? What kind of jibberish was that? Knight had zero decent filler material prepared.

Inexcusable!

Well played, sir.

[heyman25]

Knight was a breath of fresh air. I liked Doris Burke Dan Shulman and I thought Beth Mowins in a previous broadcast was fine. I guess its Vitale again Friday night.

[juise]

Fresh air, indeed. I loved his response to some of the more exciting plays in the game. After a big dunk (like Nolan's or G's), I am conditioned to expect that the color announcer will say something like "he is an explosive leaper and, boy, can he finish!" Yeah, we saw that. Thanks for adding absolutely nothing of value to the broadcast. Instead, Coach Knight is talking about a lack of defensive help or about the guy who beat his man off the dribble to create an opportunity.

It was great to see more of the game from a coach's perspective. Even if he was a bit of a curmudgeon/killjoy when things are getting exciting, I am hoping that we get to hear a lot more of him this year.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Knight had zero decent filler material prepared.

Inexcusable!
And on an ultimate blowout no less. It's amazing the camera guy didn't fall asleep at the end.
Loved your post!

[Lulu]

Agree on all points. We were saying the whole game how great Knight was. He actually tells you what happened on a play, what should have happened, how it went wrong or right, and he's actually not just making it up as he goes (see Len Elmore). I was afraid others wouldn't like him because he's never close to screaming his head off (ironic, but not) so I'm glad everyone else loved him as well.

[RainingThrees]

I keep waiting for him to get pissed at Dickie V for saying something stupid and going on a cursing tirade.

[Lulu]

I keep waiting for him to get pissed at Dickie V for saying something stupid and going on a cursing tirade.

That is hilarious, and yet... you just know it's going to happen.

[davekay1971]

It was fantastic to learn so much from listening to color commentary. Props to the playcaller, also, who frequently asked Knight questions about tactics. Someone mentioned above that Knight might not do as well in a higher-amped game, but I disagree. It's primarily the playcaller's job to emphasize the high octane moments, so that the analyst can do what Knight does really, really well: analyse.

I don't think it would ever happen, but one day Knight feels the need to become part of the hype machine at the game, and I hear him screaming, "THAT WAS AWESOME BABY!!!!!! HE'S A PTP'ER!!!!" I may just have to give hope.

[Matches]

I liked him but I got tired of him as the game went on. It was almost too much insight, if that makes any sense. Definitely agreed he is preferable to Vitale or most of the other ESPN yokels, though.

[UncleBill]

The General is the master of the run-on sentence, but darned if each sub-sentence wasn't interesting and correct! He did call us "the Dukes" at one point, the man is still human.

[sagegrouse]

The General is the master of the run-on sentence, but darned if each sub-sentence wasn't interesting and correct! He did call us "the Dukes" at one point, the man is still human.

If you don't mind a double meaning, I would rephrase your statement to say that "Knight is barely human."

sagegrouse

[DukeUsul]

I just sent a compliment to ESPN and asked them to use him as much as they can.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/contact

[Lulu]

I just sent a compliment to ESPN and asked them to use him as much as they can.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/contact

I hope you referenced this thread. They should see that every single person who has responded seems to agree.

[elvis14]

I'll be honest, I really didn't want to like Bobby as an announcer. As a coach, I wasn't a big fan of his (not his actual coaching but being an a-hole, a bully, and not controlling his temper like an adult). But, he was great last night. No fluff, good insight, not afraid to call a bad call just that and he even had some good humor.

[ACCBBallFan]

Waiting to see him in Cameron! I made a comment during the snrubchat when they showed Dean Smith in the stands; just think of the amount of basketball brains present in the span of 100 feet with Smith, Knight, and K all in that circle. (And with Vitale there, that ups it a litte too) I did not see her but it sounded like Pat Summit was there too for a coaching award. So lots of wins in the building.

[CathyCA]

Add me to the list of folk here who LOVED Coach Knight's analysis.

I wondered if after the game he wanted to go give his former player and assistant coach a few pointers. . .

[whereinthehellami]

Great job by Coach Knight. I loved the personal insight in to Coach K. High compliment by Knight about Coach K being the player that Knights remembers getting the most out of his ability. I like that you know that Knight is giving it to you straight. He ever remembered Coach K's high school and that he was a prolific scorer in HS but wasn't really a good shooter.

[4decadedukie]

That wasn't color commentary, that was a clinic.

I agree. Say what you will about Coach Knight, his excesses and eccentricities, BUT HE KNOWS COLLEGE BASKETBALL! I really enjoyed his detailed his information . . . and I learned some things.

[allenmurray]

He was great - I learned a lot from listening to him. There were a couple of times when a player made a tremendous play and I wished there had been just a tiny bit of emotion in his vioce (after all he is doing color commentary - he should have a little fun), but overall he was really good.

[Rudy]

I'll be honest, I really didn't want to like Bobby as an announcer. As a coach, I wasn't a big fan of his (not his actual coaching but being an a-hole, a bully, and not controlling his temper like an adult). But, he was great last night. No fluff, good insight, not afraid to call a bad call just that and he even had some good humor.

Completely agree. Even as a coach when he wasn't being an egotistical blowhard he had a great sense of humor. One I liked last night was when Nolan was accidently poked in the eye but the ref didn't see or call a foul. Knight recalled another coach (Bob Lemon?) having that happen to a player and then calmly telling the ref, "You know, in some places that would be a foul."

[killerleft]

Great job, Coach Knight! I think I could learn to like letting the game provide the excitement - it's almost like being there.

He has set a new standard. Sad to say, but without his knowledge of the game, others have to be "personalities" and cheerlead. And honestly, there are not enough Knights to go around.

[Jarhead]

I'm not sure how he would do in a high intensity game though... one of those games where it is one big play after another. I'm not sure if he would bring the appropriate amount of enthusiasm and might, instead, continue to examine the game like a doctor giving a prognosis. Those are the games when it is fun to have Dickie V. What I really want is more Gus Johnson!
The trouble with Vitale is that in those high intesity games he spends more time talking about other games he covered instead of the one in progress. In fact, that is his total persona for any game. Nothing but the past, folks. Nothing about the game in progress.

[mbd1mbd1]

I did not see her but it sounded like Pat Summit was there too for a coaching award. So lots of wins in the building.


Summit was not there; her award was accepted on her behalf by the Tennessee AD. Deano got a smattering of boos from the crowd, but Coach Lou got a great reception.

The crowd was surprisingly small. There were lots of Duke folks, and good Michigan and UCLA crowds too.

[Olympic Fan]

The best part of having Knight do last night's game was that his commentary insulated Duke from a post-game barrage of "Duke gets all the calls".

You know Lavin and Elmore were ready to jump -- Duke shot 47 free throws! If you watched the UCLA game and other situations when ESPN went to the basketball desk, you could almost see those two gritting their teeth. They brought up the free throw dispartity and you could see they wanted to make a big deal about it, but they couldn't because Knight had time-after-time made a point of WHY it was happening -- how the free throws were a function of how Duke ran its offense.

Seriously, if we get a few more games of that, it might educate a lot of media types who don't know the game, but see the lopsided free throw numbers and buy into the Duke-gets-all-the-calls nonsense. It won't stop the haters, but I suspect that a good portion of the myth is based on ignorance and not hate.

The worst is Len Elmore ... when he does a game, he anaylizes almost every whistle to Duke's detriment ... if he had done the game, then done the postgame commentary, we'd have another national tsusami to rival the Duke-Boston College game of 2006.

Knight's informed commentary defuses that at least temporarily. A few more games and he'll educate most of the watchers as to what's really going on.

[Jarhead]

Knight was one of the worst color guys I have heard in years. He did nothing right! No mention of his top 5 dunkers, or this past summer's baseball season. The name "Michaelangelo" didn't even come out of his mouth when they showed Dean in the stands. He basically did everything wrong.

Help defense when the driver crosses the fould line extended? What kind of jibberish was that? Knight had zero decent filler material prepared.

Inexcusable!
I think Edouble was being a little sarcastic. He could have increased the sense of mimicry by ending his post with, "Inexcusable, bab-ee!!!"

[Jarhead]

Inexcusable, Bab-ee!!!

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I knew I was enjoying listening to Knight's insightful commentary but I didn't realize how much until the Michigan-UCLA broadcast began.

[Jarhead]

I thought Bob Knight gave some very insightful analysis tonight and was pretty funny at times too. I was incredibly impressed and hope he does more of our games!!
Thanks for starting this thread, BlueintheFace. Now how do we get the people who run ESPN (and other broadcasters) to understand the value of a Coach Knight as a game time commentator? We should revisit this thread this evening to make a comparison with Vitale, assuming he does tonight's game.

[wilko]

But I'd like to see a game done by Knight and Walton.
I think that would be fab!

The GAME is supposed to be the focal point. Not the talking heads.
I think they forget that some.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Bring back Kareem!

[Indoor66]

Now how do we get the people who run ESPN (and other broadcasters) to understand the value of a Coach Knight as a game time commentator?

You can do that by posting a Comment via this LINK (http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/contact) to ESPN that was posted earlier.

[allenmurray]

I really didn't want to like Bobby as an announcer. As a coach, I wasn't a big fan of his (not his actual coaching but being an a-hole, a bully, and not controlling his temper like an adult). But, he was great last night.


Agreed. I have never been a Knight fan - I always though of him as a jerk and a bully - a jully if you will. He won me over pretty quickly last night.

[Acymetric]

You can do that by posting a Comment via this LINK (http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/contact) to ESPN that was posted earlier.

Yep. Thats what I did.Lets hope this is a trend.

[Kathy S]

The best part of having Knight do last night's game was that his commentary insulated Duke from a post-game barrage of "Duke gets all the calls".

You know Lavin and Elmore were ready to jump -- Duke shot 47 free throws! If you watched the UCLA game and other situations when ESPN went to the basketball desk, you could almost see those two gritting their teeth. They brought up the free throw dispartity and you could see they wanted to make a big deal about it, but they couldn't because Knight had time-after-time made a point of WHY it was happening -- how the free throws were a function of how Duke ran its offense.

Seriously, if we get a few more games of that, it might educate a lot of media types who don't know the game, but see the lopsided free throw numbers and buy into the Duke-gets-all-the-calls nonsense. It won't stop the haters, but I suspect that a good portion of the myth is based on ignorance and not hate.

The worst is Len Elmore ... when he does a game, he anaylizes almost every whistle to Duke's detriment ... if he had done the game, then done the postgame commentary, we'd have another national tsusami to rival the Duke-Boston College game of 2006.

Knight's informed commentary defuses that at least temporarily. A few more games and he'll educate most of the watchers as to what's really going on.

I completely agree with this post. It also helped that Knight said a couple of times that he thought a foul could or should have been called on Duke, and that he thought a couple of the fouls that were called on Duke were appropriately called. So even though he made it clear that he liked Duke's coach and Duke's program, no fair-minded person could accuse him of showing any favoritism in the way he called the game. An incredibly knowledgeable person calling Duke's games in a neutral way -- how long have we longed for that?

[Indoor66]

I completely agree with this post. It also helped that Knight said a couple of times that he thought a foul could or should have been called on Duke, and that he thought a couple of the fouls that were called on Duke were appropriately called. So even though he made it clear that he liked Duke's coach and Duke's program, no fair-minded person could accuse him of showing any favoritism in the way he called the game. An incredibly knowledgeable person calling Duke's games in a neutral way -- how long have we longed for that?

Isn't it amazing what a trained eye can see and a person of integrity and focus can say? Some of the color guys need medication.

[Faustus]

Loved Knight's commentary last night. And it was Coach Abe Lemons whom he was quoting last night. My favorite Lemons line was about recruiting tall bball players that went something like this: "Maybe we should change the rules and instead of a basket ten feet high have it as a hole in the floor, and then you'd see all the recruiters going around chasing midgets and saying, "Hey there, little feller, want a Cadillac?"

[RepoMan]

I just loved last night. It was beauty.

The contrast with Vitale could not be more stark.

Instead of a constant barrage of noise with no substance, I felt like I was actually learning things. His discussion of defensive strategies, technically what mistakes were being made, what the teams were exploiting, etc. -- all of interest.

The only bummer is that now I know what I have been missing all these years, which will just make the regular announcers all the more disappointing.

Bravo, Knight. I mean, Mr. Knight!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Knight is doing the UCLA-So. Il. game, so that means we get Vitale tonight.

[Jarhead]

You can do that by posting a Comment via this LINK (http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/contact) to ESPN that was posted earlier.
Thanks for the link. I sent in a strong comment in support of Coach Knight. I hope we see a lot of him this season. By the way. Doris Burke does a pretty good job, too.

[Acymetric]

He's doing another great job in the UCLA-So. Ill. game. Really hope we get the chance to listen to him more this year.

[diesel]

And do I miss Coach Knight in today's game against Michigan! Vitale actually did refer to Dean Smith as Michelangelo-- as someone said he would in satire yesterday! This is the first time I can ever remember turning off the sound for long periods and just watching the game.

[Indoor66]

And do I miss Coach Knight in today's game against Michigan! Vitale actually did refer to Dean Smith as Michelangelo-- as someone said he would in satire yesterday! This is the first time I can ever remember turning off the sound for long periods and just watching the game.

I, too, have turned off the sound. Vitale is gettin worse and worse.

[juise]

After a big dunk (like Nolan's or G's), I am conditioned to expect that the color announcer will say something like "he is an explosive leaper and, boy, can he finish!"

Dickie V is retraining me well. "Up, up and away! The elevator man!" Not only am I annoyed by this, but I now understand the opportunity cost of not having an announcer with actual insight. :mad:

[Jarhead]

Dickie V is retraining me well. "Up, up and away! The elevator man!" Not only am I annoyed by this, but I now understand the opportunity cost of not having an announcer with actual insight. :mad:
About halfway through the second half, Vitale was talking about football/basketball conflicts at this time of year. He and Shulman discussed at length with Vitale taking the position that the basketball season should not start until Dec. 1 each year. In the meantime the game was continuing without a word from the announcers as to what was going on. Shulman just followed along with whatever Vitale was talking about. He did the same with Knight, too, but at least they talked about the game. Knight is awesome. Vitale is tiresome.

[ugadevil]

Vitale also spent part of the 2nd half wondering how he didn't beat out Hugh Jackman for People's Sexiest Man award.

[calltheobvious]

How about the awkward first-half exchange about the UCLA player who may have a broken wrist?

Shulman: Howland says he may have a broken wrist.

Vitale: People who aren't doctors shouldn't speculate about health issues.

Shulman: I was just reporting what the UCLA HEAD COACH said.

Vitale's induction into the HOF is the biggest propter hoc fallacy in sports history. College basketball hasn't exploded because of Vitale. It's exploded because of ESPN. And it would be bigger still if more fans were to cultivate a deeper appreciation of the game. People who love the basketball more than the show aren't going to stop watching Duke-UNC just because you don't have a cartoonish cheerleader playing analyst. But they will be more likely to tune into Bradley-Creighton if they can learn from the likes of Bob Knight what good basketball looks like.

If Bob Knight called every televised Duke game this year I would quintuple my knowledge of basketball. Vitale makes me dumber.

[gep]

If Bob Knight called every televised Duke game this year I would quintuple my knowledge of basketball. Vitale makes me dumber.

comment on calling Duke games...

Bob Knight - other coaches may actually "learn" stuff, especially about Duke:)

Dick Vitale - no other coach/team will listen, and have to try to figure out Duke on their own:D

[Jim3k]

About halfway through the second half, Vitale was talking about football/basketball conflicts at this time of year. He and Shulman discussed at length with Vitale taking the position that the basketball season should not start until Dec. 1 each year. In the meantime the game was continuing without a word from the announcers as to what was going on. Shulman just followed along with whatever Vitale was talking about. He did the same with Knight, too, but at least they talked about the game. Knight is awesome. Vitale is tiresome.

Check my new sig

[dukemomLA]

I really enjoyed Bob Knight's comments and insights during the first game. And then....we were left with Dickie V and Shulman for the Duke game. Such a contrast I can't even comment about it.

And yes, thanks for the link to ESPN. Knight is a fabulous commentator and teacher of the game. (...with even a little humor thrown in). Perhaps ESPN and others will realize the value of true basketball minds treating us as they call a game.

(Then again, I have to express my dislike of Steve Lavin -- who should not have ever been a head coach anyway/anywhere/anytime). Just a SoCal opinion -- and no comments needed on this thread. If someone wants to start a Lavin thread.... well, we'll see.

Again kudos to Coach Knight. A breath of fresh air.

[Indoor66]

I really enjoyed Bob Knight's comments and insights during the first game. And then....we were left with Dickie V and Shulman for the Duke game. Such a contrast I can't even comment about it.

And yes, thanks for the link to ESPN. Knight is a fabulous commentator and teacher of the game. (...with even a little humor thrown in). Perhaps ESPN and others will realize the value of true basketball minds treating us as they call a game.

(Then again, I have to express my dislike of Steve Lavin -- who should not have ever been a head coach anyway/anywhere/anytime). Just a SoCal opinion -- and no comments needed on this thread. If someone wants to start a Lavin thread.... well, we'll see.

Again kudos to Coach Knight. A breath of fresh air.

Lavin is a insufferable bore. Dickie V is senile.

[oso diablo]

About halfway through the second half, Vitale was talking about football/basketball conflicts at this time of year. He and Shulman discussed at length with Vitale taking the position that the basketball season should not start until Dec. 1 each year. In the meantime the game was continuing without a word from the announcers as to what was going on. Shulman just followed along with whatever Vitale was talking about. He did the same with Knight, too, but at least they talked about the game. Knight is awesome. Vitale is tiresome.
here's an oso paraphrase...

VITALE: College basketball starts too early. No one pays attention to it; they're only thinking about football. And to prove my point, i'll spend the next five minutes talking about football.

[Cicero]

Initially, I wasn't quite as excited about Knight's commentary as the rest of you. While he had some really interesting things to say, he didn't always say them very clearly or very well. In addition, he expressed some opinions that I just didn't agree with--for example, criticizing an open Gerald Henderson 3-point attempt because he would have wanted his team to drive to the basket and get fouled. And both he and the other announcer failed to explain some important things that happened in the game--neither one of them even addressed the fact that the two closest officials on the Kyle Singler dunk/intentional foul play swallowed their whistle, which was why Coach K was apoplectic on the sidelines.

But after hearing Dick Vitale last night, I would like to repent in dust and ashes. Please, more Knight!!! Hugh Jackman, Mickie K's blue jacket, what he ate at Tony DiNapoli's...good grief!!! Shoot me now!!!

[DisplacedBlueDevil]

It was nice to hear Coach Knight say nice things about Coach K. There was a time when that didn't always happen. It appears the two have mended the problems of the past (at least I hope so).

Here's to continued successes for both!!

[Cavlaw]

I think I hear Knight calling the second semi-final in Kansas City in the other room right now. I'm going to watch.