Johnson/Booker
Disappoint By George Stahl NEW YORK (AQB)--Throughout most of the tournament, I have enjoyed the work of Gus Johnson and Dan Bonner. Not today. Johnson and Bonner annoyed me Saturday while calling Conneticut's exciting 67-62 win over scrappy Gonzaga. My frustrations with the twosome began almost as quickly as it took Connecticut's stud guard Khalid El-Amin to get into foul trouble. El-Amin left the game with 15:55 left in the first half after picking up his second personal foul. At that point, the question became whether UConn coach Jim Calhoun would hold El-Amin out for the final 16 minutes of the half. Unfortunately, Johnson and Bonner did not address it until there was 5:05 left in the half - nearly 11 minutes after El-Amin had left the game! That was something that should have been discussed right away! Plus, the two never discussed how the 16 minute first-half layoff would affect the play of El-Amin, who ended the game shooting a pathetic 0-for-12 from the field. A poor, poor job by Johnson and Bonner. The up-and-coming Johnson has an excitable voice and generally gives a good call; however, he still produces too many "groaners." You know what I'm talking about - those useless lines like "We told you this kid's an athlete" or "March Madness, folks, here in Phoenix" that make you groan. Either I didn't notice those groaners in the early rounds, or they didn't bother me. But on Saturday, I had problems with them. Bonner, meanwhile, was slightly better than Johnson and made some insightful points, such as how to attack strange defenses, Gonzaga's success down low while Huskie center Jake Voskuhl was on the bench, and how UConn was unable to get its transition game going in the first half because the Bulldogs limited their three-point attempts, which often produce long rebounds on misses. However, Bonner never questioned the often questionable calls by the game's referees, and he never pondered whether Gonzaga should have attacked El-Amin more often in the second half in attempt to get the guard into further foul trouble. Overall, a disappointing performance by Johnson and Bonner. McDonough-Raftery
excellent: McDonough smoothly and properly described the action, while Raftery was his normal entertaining and insightful self. Raftery noticed from the beginning of the game that St. John's stud forward Ron Artest was off his game. As Artest's struggles worsened, Raftery tried to help him. "Get inside, Ron," the former coach exclaimed in the second half after another missed long-range shot. Raftery also noted that St. John's wasn't showing its normal mental toughness and that Red Storm guard Erick Barkley was often letting his emotions get the better of him. Raftery is so enjoyable and easy to listen to, although I must admit that I don't completely understand his "onions" comments after a big shot. Overall, though, a Grade A job by McDonough and Raftery. Top
tip: Booker
brutal: Huh? What about "Did you consider bringing El-Amin back earlier in the first half?" or "How do you think El-Amin will play after being on the bench for 16 minutes?" Before halftime, Booker asked Gonzaga coach Dan Monson, "Did you go after El-Amin in the first half to try to get him into foul trouble?" Yeh, Barry, many teams create game plans that try to get point guards into foul trouble. Give me a break! Good
lines: Good
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