Your ESPN announcers for Gonzaga/Arizona

[CDC84]

Roxy Bernstein, Dan Dakich w/ Jeff Goodman

Of course Dicky V wouldn't dare make a trip west of the Mississippi.......(not that I would want him announcing this game).

[TheGonzagaFactor]

Wow. Roxy the GU hater and Goody the believer. Should be interesting.

[phxfireflames]

I wonder if someone has the GU record with particular broadcasters outside of Heister.

[cggonzaga]

Pretty sure Vitale said during the UNC-Iowa game that he was doing the GU-UCLA game.

[jbslicer]

As long as Len Elmore isn't there, I don't care who the announcers are.

[ZagDaddy]

As long as Dakich is there I will be watching in silence. Bleh!

[RenoZag]

Pretty sure Vitale said during the UNC-Iowa game that he was doing the GU-UCLA game.

During one of his breathless rants, he mentioned the Zags and Goodman's opinion they were a Final Four team and a candidate to win it all.
He then segued into one of his usual lines of gibberish regarding Jimmy V week

[Bouldin4Prez]

I don't really understand the Dicky V hate. He generally gives the Zags love and he appears to be one of the nicest individuals in the game of college basketball. He genuinely loves the sport and has done nothing but improve the game. As far as him rambling about Jimmy V week, come on man.

[RenoZag]

He has been ruining telecasts with his idiotic commentary for decades. He's a highly compensated shill for ESPN who rode the growth of college basketball and the March Madness explosion (due to cable TV) all the way to the Naismith Hall of Fame. He's the Larry King of college basketball broadcasters.

Mocking Jimmy V week was wrong. I apologize. My distaste for Dookie V should not have carried over to a pejorative outlook re: raising money in the memory of Valvano.

[DZ]

He has been ruining telecasts with his idiotic commentary for decades. He's a highly compensated shill for ESPN who rode the growth of college basketball and the March Madness explosion (due to cable TV) all the way to the Naismith Hall of Fame. He's the Larry King of college basketball broadcasters.

Mocking Jimmy V week was wrong. I apologize. My distaste for Dookie V should not have carried over to a pejorative outlook re: raising money in the memory of Valvano.

Whether a person likes him as an announcer or not - and there've been times he's really annoyed me, sentences that contain the word "Duke," for instance - is a complete matte of personal choice that I understand. I do usually weigh in on these to just note that, though it is true that college basketball would have grown bc of cable with or without him, it would not have grown as fast. He was ground breaking in how to be a color guy (like it or not), there would be no "Onions" without a "Baby!" so it must appeal to some or he would have announced his last game long ago. And second, as I always state here, the guy is the most tender hearted person on earth, gives so much money away it is absurd and quick to help out any kid, BB or regular student.

I remember seeing a half court shot for 3 guys for free tuition, one guy hit the shot, 2 missed, everyone cheered and yelled, he ran out to the guy and said, "I'll pay for your books." Then he saw the other two just kind of standing there and walked over and said, "I'll get yours, too" to both of them. I think that's just the way the guy is wired.

And, we don't have enough of those people, so it's worth at least noting.

[thickman1]

As long as Len Elmore isn't there, I don't care who the announcers are.

Agreed!

[CDC84]

As long as Len Elmore isn't there, I don't care who the announcers are.

I triple that. I actually don't mind Elmore, but I just don't like him announcing Zag games. Too many bad memories.

As far as Vitale is concerned, I give him credit for being an innovative broadcaster, but I just can't stand his delivery, his sense of humor, how hysterical he gets, and most of all, his lack of legitimate analysis. I learn nothing about the game when listening to him. I can't say that I learned a lot about the game from Al McGuire either, but that son of gun was so hilarious he was able to get away with it.

I still feel that Billy Raftery is the best guy in the biz. He's a cross between Dicky V and Billy Packer, without the worst characteristics of either of those guys. Still love Fran Fraschilla and Stephen Bardo (now working for the Big Ten Network). Liked Steve Kerr before he left the NBA.

Totally agree about Vitale and his generous spirit.

[Mantua]

Still love Fran Fraschilla and Stephen Bardo (now working for the Big Ten Network).

I saw Stephen Bardo the other day and felt a pang of longing.

[seacatfan]

Bardo is good. I really like Laphonso Ellis too. He's probably mostly in the studio but I think he works some games as well.

Vitale...you can't knock his enthusiasm, but his schtick has worn fairly thin. And the fact that he will talk about Duke at least 10 times a game no matter who is playing is too much.

[CDC84]