MASN color-guy steals the show!

So I was going to wrap-up the MBB game last night.  How another loss to a dreadful UNC-Wilmington team who tried very hard to give the Dukes a gift by missing a ton of free throws down the stretch has brought the squad to a new low.  Was going to talk about how Diouf and Moore need more minutes and how the team strangely had their best stretch of the first-half when Bowles was out with 2 fouls since they stopped forcing the offense. And about how Matt Brady seems to have been taken over  Exorcist-style by the spirit of Sherman Dillard – going twice to suspect foul-shooter Bowles in the last 30 seconds.  And finally about how Matt Brady needs a huge contract to promote whatever hair-restoration product/treatment he’s been using the last year.

But then MASN chose to use the regular UNCW announcing team to cover this game.  How did I know it was the UNCW team?  Only because fabulous color-man Billy Lee used the word “we” as in “we gotta get our offense going if we’re gonna beat this heavy JMU pressure” about three times in the first half.  In a drawl that was pure Carolina low-country, he absolutely stole the show, and I think you’ll be able to tell from the highlights below that he made Tony Siragusa look like a master linguist.

To give credit where credit is due: He did seem to personally know the high school and junior-college coaches of every player on the Seahawks roster, especially the crackers.  So without further ado, and I believe with no commentary from us necessary, ladies and gentlemen,  Mr. Billy Lee:

On pressure situations: You can’t be surrounded by circumstances, you’ve just got to use confidence.

On Pierre Curtis’ role:  He’s the head on the giant.  They [jmu] gotta lota athletes out there, but they need a head.  Without a head on the giant, that giant is goin’ in the ditch.

On UNCW making a run: Now righcheer (right here) is where UNCW is tryin’ to move from the car into the driver’s seat.  (This is where the column was written)

On college basketball: The human element of the college kid is what makes college basketball so interesting.

On the close game: Now these two teams are like two sumo wrestlers tyrin’ to bump each other off the mat.

And best of all, his pet name for UNCW’s best player, skinny, balding, little Brett Tomko: Lil’ Shaver

In positive news from the JMU sports scene, apparently the Dukes diving team has found a star.  Congrats to Jessie Everett for breaking two school records and beginning to dominate the CAA!