He has been called broadcasting’s gym rat.
His colleagues say he is the kind of guy you want to sit with in a bar when watching college basketball.
After 33 years of calling games in gyms and arenas across the country, Bill Raftery has reached his pinnacle — a key announcer for television coverage of March Madness.
Fans will hear his trademark comments — “Onions!” when a player scores a tough basket in a key part of a game and “Send it in big fella!” when a post player jams one in.
Actually, the 71-year-old Raftery is no stranger to NCAA Tournament coverage. He and Verne Lundquist, his longtime partner, have covered games for 20 years and he’s also been featured on radio coverage.
But this year he gets top “first-team” billing, teaming with Jim Nantz and Grant Hill throughout the tournament, culminating with “Final Four Saturday” on April 4 and the championship game April 6.
The promotion of Raftery and Hill, a former Duke star, follows the suspension of Greg Anthony because of solicitation and prostitution charges, and the move of Steve Kerr to the NBA as coach of the Golden State Warriors. Clark Kellogg, who partnered with Nantz for many years, moved to the studio booth last year.
For Nantz, teaming with Raftery will provide an emotional reunion. They worked together in an early 1986 NCAA Tournament game when Nantz was a rookie CBS broadcaster.
Nantz sings the praises of his “mentor.”
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to find someone on the basketball scene who is not applauding Raftery’s promotion.
Kerr, who was TNT’s top NBA and college analyst, sent the following tongue-in-cheek message: “What have you done to deserve this? You have done nothing in sports.”
Raftery, who played college ball at La Salle, coached Seton Hall for 11 seasons (1970-81) before moving into basketball broadcasting for CBS, ESPN and Fox Sports.
While noted for his spontaneous trademark outbursts, Raftery always offers an inside view of the game — particularly around the basket — that many announcers ignore or don’t understand.
Familiar tournament broadcasters include Marv Albert, Len Elmore, Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkle, who will team with Lundquist.
TV coverage of the tournament will be similar to that introduced five years ago when CBS and Turner Broadcasting (TBS, TNT, TruTV) joined forces to provide complete coverage of 67 games.
Gone forever, thankfully, is the hopscotch coverage that often moved from game to game at inopportune times, much to the frustration of fans.
Tournament play opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday (TruTV) with two games in Dayton, Ohio. Two more are scheduled in Dayton on Wednesday, before the traditional four-day binge Thursday through Sunday that produces the Sweet 16.
Final Four play and the championship game are scheduled in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium.
TBS will televise the Final Four on April 4, while CBS has the April 6 title game.
Longtime Denver journalist Dusty Saunders writes about sports media each Monday in The Denver Post. Contact him at tvtime@comcast.
Showtime seriously involved in sports
Seven years ago pay cable’s Showtime was offering viewers very little “sportstime,” concentrating on boxing.
Then the network lured the popular “Inside the NFL” series away from more firmly established HBO.
Showtime is now serious about giving HBO a run for sports audiences.
Two years ago the network premiered “60 Minutes Sports,” a monthly TV magazine show produced by the staff of the noted long-running CBS series.
The March 4 edition featured a profile of swimmer Missy Franklin, who is looking forward to her next Olympic challenge.
Documentaries are now part of the schedule. NBA star Kobe Bryant was the subject last month. Airing on March 25 at 7 p.m. is “Dean Smith,” an all-inclusive look at the late, legendary North Carolina basketball coach on and off the court.
The hour is produced by Ross Greenburg, who for many years was the driving force behind numerous HBO documentaries about famous teams and sports personalities.
