Ryan Pravato currently attends the University of Michigan, but attended Oakland University for two years.
The Oakland Golden Grizzlies took care of business against the IPFW Mastadons Monday night in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Final score was 71-58, but it was a tad closer than that. At half IPFW owned a one point lead. Oakland head coach Greg Kampe was not pleased one bit, and probably gave his team an earful in the lockerroom. Multiple times throughout the broadcast Greg Kampe could be heard swearing up a storm. Though I preferred Kampe’s outbursts over the commentators who called the game.
The Fox Sports Net (Detroit) broadcast team of Dillweed Knownothing and Repeatmyself Overandover were atrociously boring and annoying. Sure, they knew Benson has NBA potential and that Johnathon Jones is a stud point guard, but they repeated much of the same info over and over again and offered little to nothing else in analysis or anything that showed they did any preparation at all. They failed to mention OU starting forward Drew Maynard’s injury that forced him to miss the game. They had to mention OU’s motto for this season (can we finish) at least five different times. They couldn’t stop talking about how talented Keith Benson is and that he needs to get stronger in order to compete effectively in the NBA. And they’re completely correct about Benson, though we the audience don’t need to be reminded a dozen different times throughout the game. As it was Keith Benson scored 17, grabbed 17 rebounds and swatted 6 shots. This wasn’t even one of Benson’s better games from an offensive or defensive standpoint–was pushed around on both sides of the court.
Though my biggest beef with the commentators was this: I think it was Dillweed, used the word ‘hoss’ to describe three different OU players. First, Keith Benson, then Will Hudson, then Blake Cushingberry (6’3, 230). Now obviously being called a hoss is normally a compliment, but that was the first time I’ve ever heard anybody use it quite that often in a basketball telecast of any sort. And also, I usually equate hoss as somebody who looks like this guy
As for the championship game Tuesday, 9pm on ESPN 2, it will likely be Oakland v. IUPUI, as IUPUI is leading Oral Roberts by 17 at the half right now.
[Ed. note — this was posted late, and the game is going on right now. Oakland leading by 5 just before the half.]
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