Annual Announcer Kvetch Thread, 2022-23

[roywhite]

Debbie and Wes are not my favorites but not the worst.

Any half decent broadcast team has to acknowledge the current news -- this Duke team is emerging as a very good team. Coach and players are putting together something special.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I was actually kind of embarrassed as at the start of the broadcast they went on endlessly about Duke and it took a long time before they even mentioned VA Tech. Oh yeah, someone else is involved in this game!

I thought they were both fine. I kind of like Wes in a folksy sort of way.

[tommy]

I guess we have different expectations of analysts then. I heard her identify multiple actions that both teams were running to gain an advantage, and she was complimentary of Scheyer on multiple occasions for what Duke was doing on both ends of the floor. She sounded more knowledgeable about basketball than many of the louder analysts with overused catchphrases that get attention on broadcasts.

“Nothing of value to say” “Not funny”, “grating voice”, huh, I remember things being said like this about Doris Burke when she does basketball analysis. Wonder what her and Antonelli have in common? (also, i wasn’t aware being funny was crucial for analysts to pass the test around here)

As far as being anti-Duke, I understand there’s some background with her and the Duke women’s program which I’m not qualified to comment authoritatively on regarding her intent, but she sounds fine on men’s broadcasts. I don’t agree with her call or opinion on everything that happens in the course of a game, but she seems more than capable and far from the disaster you make her out to be. But it’s a weird bunch here that whines about broadcasters, I’ll say that.

Yeah Burke is terrible too. Neither she nor Antonelli does much beyond repeat platitudes and insert basketball terminology into their droning on and on, but there is very little actual analysis of the game.

I'm not against women announcers as you were obviously insinuating. Cheryl Miller, for one, is very good, though she doesn't do much anymore.

I like announcers who actually analyze the game and have insights and observations that aren't obvious and can maybe teach the viewer something he/she didn't already know or is unlikely to have seen for himself. Don't just tell me "team X is running a lot of high ball screens." That's obvious. Don't just tell me "Team X is using player Y to set the screens instead of big man Z." That's obvious too. Tell me WHY. That would count as analyzing the game, explaining the game, providing insights. "The reason Team X is using Y instead of Z to set the screens and roll to the basket is because Z has bad feet. He has a hard time receiving a pass in a balanced position on the run after rolling to the basket and as a result he's been traveling way too much this season, so they stopped having him set the screens. Y does it instead." See, that would be interesting and something I might not have known about Team X, and something that a keen analyst, or a coach, would recognize more readily than a blathermouth who just likes to hear themselves talk like Antonelli, Burke, Alexander, Dakich, and many others. Or even, "Team X is tired -- Coach needs a timeout. His guys are gassed," as sometimes that's tough to tell from TV. It's why, despite his not liking Duke, I liked when Billy Packer was on a game, as he had a much better understanding and ability to communicate nuance than the blowhards that pass as color announcers now. I also like G-Man for the same reason, Steve Lappas, even Jay Wright is off to a good start, and yes, Bilas.

[brevity]

Wow, almost 300 posts and nobody's talking about the best announcing team in basketball: Boban Marjanović and Malika Andrews.

[AGDukesky]

I love listening to Kate Scott and our own Aala Abdelnaby do the Sixers games. They have a great rapport and really make the game more enjoyable - especially since I rarely care much about the teams playing.

[DoubleBlue]

I love listening to Kate Scott and our own Aala Abdelnaby do the Sixers games. They have a great rapport and really make the game more enjoyable - especially since I rarely care much about the teams playing.

Seconded. Being the Sixers' broadcasting crew, they are biased, but it works for me.
Since Aala is a former Duke player you get the occasional Duke reference, which is a bonus.

[weezie]

Wow, almost 300 posts and nobody's talking about the best announcing team in basketball: Boban Marjanović and Malika Andrews.

Sheesh OPK, it's the kvetch thread, not the greatest thread.

[heyman25]

For me the best color analyst is 87 year old Hubie Brown. Other Former Duke affiliated that I like include Spanarkel, Gminski,Redick And Hill. I haven’t ever listened to Abdelnaby. Chick Hearn was on a Vin Scully level that very few announcers reach.

[AGDukesky]

Seconded. Being the Sixers' broadcasting crew, they are biased, but it works for me.
Since Aala is a former Duke player you get the occasional Duke reference, which is a bonus.

I feel like they are not too homerish but just the appropriate amount to not be annoying while still knowing who they represent.

[Ballboy1998]

Embarrassing performance by tonight’s commentators. Really bush league stuff.

[Jay29]

Embarrassing performance by tonight’s commentators. Really bush league stuff.

Any examples? I didn't notice anything egregious, but then again I watch with my dad and we barely shut up during a game.

[Ballboy1998]

Any examples? I didn't notice anything egregious, but then again I watch with my dad and we barely shut up during a game.

State alum Antonelli brought up the free throw disparity about 20 times without once noting that State chucks up jump shots all game and has one of the worst free throw rates in the country. She went so far as to note the free throws in this game and the numbers from the unc game and noting they were both road games in a conspiratorial tone.

Reese jumped in to enthusiastically agree that making free throws was the sole reason Duke won this game.

They also spent the last five minutes fawning over everything State overcame to even be in the game while not noting Duke’s ability to win without being able to hit the broad side of the barn from three.

[Kjeffrey]

State alum Antonelli brought up the free throw disparity about 20 times without once noting that State chucks up jump shots all game and has one of the worst free throw rates in the country. She went so far as to note the free throws in this game and the numbers from the unc game and noting they were both road games in a conspiratorial tone.

Reese jumped in to enthusiastically agree that making free throws was the sole reason Duke won this game.

They also spent the last five minutes fawning over everything State overcame to even be in the game while not noting Duke’s ability to win without being able to hit the broad side of the barn from three.

I believe she also said “they” were pushing each other when Smith got the technical. There was definitely pushing but I didn’t see Proctor doing it. 🤔

[jakeha]

I believe she also said “they” were pushing each other when Smith got the technical. There was definitely pushing but I didn’t see Proctor doing it. 🤔

She was just respecting Smith's preferred pronoun.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Embarrassing performance by tonight’s commentators. Really bush league stuff.

I specifically noted her commenting on what a great job Scheyer does of calling offensive plays when Duke is on offense in front of its bench (second half).

The "called" the game a bit early.

I thought they were fine.

[kako]

I am not a fan of Davis at all - I've said this before: he's much better in the studio than play-by-play. I'm so-so on Antonelli. She's OK at times, and at least she doesn't go off topic like Vitale or Alexander. But I don't think she's all that astute.

That being said, Davis started saying the game was over too early, ignoring the fact that Joiner could probably hit 3's from half-court if he wanted this game. One could argue they started praising NCSU because they were going to be the loser (announcers often do praise the loser in the closing minutes). It's totally true to say Duke hitting FTs was a big reason why they won, but because they made the front ends of FTs, they shot more FTs. But Antonelli did sound a bit like sour grapes talking about State's lack of FTs.

All I know is that until Duke gets better consistently (not just at the last week of February), we will be stuck with the B-team announcers. I imagine on Saturday we will have the A-team (Bilas haters may not like that, either).

9F

[Dukehky]

Davis does not like Duke. He tries to rile up any non-Duke fans watching the games by saying that Duke gets all the calls and all the benefit of the doubt. It's really annoying--I really don't like him.

He also referred to Grayson as a "petulant toddler." Which is pretty inappropriate for a commentator to say about a 21 year old.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Davis does not like Duke. He tries to rile up any non-Duke fans watching the games by saying that Duke gets all the calls and all the benefit of the doubt. It's really annoying--I really don't like him.

He also referred to Grayson as a "petulant toddler." Which is pretty inappropriate for a commentator to say about a 21 year old.

I haven't noticed that. And his son was on the Duke baseball team last year as a grad transfer. I am not president of his fan club as a play-by-play guy and as I and others noted above, I was annoyed when he started saying "with this loss..." about State well before it was over. But he wasn't that bad.

Enjoying hearing Brando and Donny Marshall do the Villanova-Seton Hall game on FS1. Go Pirates!

[VA_BDevil]

Davis does not like Duke. He tries to rile up any non-Duke fans watching the games by saying that Duke gets all the calls and all the benefit of the doubt. It's really annoying--I really don't like him.

He also referred to Grayson as a "petulant toddler." Which is pretty inappropriate for a commentator to say about a 21 year old.

He also tends to work little nuggets into the play-by-play, such as "and Filipowski almost traveled there" and "Burns looking for a foul call after taking that contact", but never "and Filipowski gets hammered again with no call" or similar to balance things out.

[jv001]

I turned the sound down after wishing Corey Alexander was the announcer over the former State player.

GoDuke!