Knight's ESPN debut just routine TV

Mike Miller — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:45:00 GMT

Bob Knight’s ESPN debut was missing just one thing.

Sure, it had decent analysis, some expected guffaws between Knight and longtime friend and fellow analyst Digger Phelps and the requisite Q&A session where Knight answered e-mailed questions.

But it lacked the one thing ESPN hired Knight to provide – compelling TV.

Along with Charles Barkley, John McEnroe and Warren Sapp, Knight’s one of the few sports personalities who routinely provide entertaining quips and quotes. He doesn’t always rely on four-letter words or offensive remarks, either. He’s smart enough to think on his feet and when it comes to college hoops, few people know the game better.

There’s no other word for Wednesday besides routine, though. It wasn’t boring – that would be the C-USA games – but it lacked punch.

(Actually, it went just about how one would expect. Knight was OK for his first time, but I wouldn’t call him comfortable on camera. For starters, he wouldn’t have seen as many teams play this season as someone like Digger, Jay Blias or Doug Gottlieb because for most of the season Knight was coaching his own team and not watching everyone else.)

I’m sure the safe setting was mostly by design. For all of his time spent on camera, being an analyst is different than jousting with reporters or holding court in postgame press conferences. ESPN has to ensure Knight’s comfortable spending so much time on camera and saying the same thing again and again.

As the March wears on and Knight’s on camera more often -- hopefully without Digger so we can avoid the avuncular analysts – maybe he’ll be a little looser and let loose with the freewheelin’ critiques. After all, Knight’s a gifted basketball mind who can break down what any team is doing wrong and how to fix it.

If that comes through on camera is another matter. With any luck, we’ll get better conference games on Thursday (rather than Wednesday’s expected results) and Knight can explain what happened.

If nothing else, when he does run into Jeremy Schaap in the halls at ESPN, I hope a camera crew is around…

Hard one to stomach, baby

Mike Miller — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 23:04:00 GMT

The next few months will be a little quieter during college basketball games. And it’s not a good thing.

ESPN’s Dick Vitale will have throat surgery to remove lesions from his left vocal cord and will be out until at least February. (If you want to send a “get well” message to Dickie V, click here.) Jay Bilas will take over the main analysis duties in Vitale’s absence.

It’d be easy to make a snide comment or two, whether it’s about his volume or manner of speaking. There’s plenty of dislike for Vitale out there and has been for a long time. I wouldn’t call myself a fan, either.

Still, this isn’t good for college basketball.

Vitale’s an institution. He’s synonymous with the college game, both for his demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge of the game’s history, coaches and players. And nobody matches his sheer enthusiasm and optimistic outlook (which some would call pandering).

So when the game loses one of its institutions and best-known advocate for an extended period of time, it takes away that extra attention the game could use. And how does one take joy in someone else’s ill health?

You don’t. Get well, Dickie V.

Beyond the Arc : Commentators

Knight's ESPN debut just routine TV

Hard one to stomach, baby