An evening of football phrases

Houston-Fresno State in the Hawaii Bowl, Chris Cotter & Rod Gilmore on the call for ESPN:

Cotter

"described as a lunch pail guy"
"that defense bows up"
"putting the ball on the carpet"
"Hokit is running with abandon right now!"
"Xs and Os"
"trickeration"

Gilmore

"we talk about a guy who brings everything to the package" (pardon?)

On Houston's Ed Oliver:

"relentless motor"
"Fresno State coaches love his motor"
"we told you about his motor!"

"royalty in that DNA"
"timeout in your back pocket"
"throwing into the teeth of an eight-man coverage"
"a little buzz, a little action out of his team...a little tempo"

Basketball phrase diary, part 3

Games played from 12/3 - 12/23


Dayton-Mississippi State, 12/3, SEC Network

"inside presence" (4)
"point of emphasis"
"dual threat"
"triple threat"
"teeth of the defense" (4)
"active hands"
"he's got some hops"
"a little chunk dunk" (?)


Montana State-Central Michigan, 12/5, espn3.com

"same page defense"
"bringing the juice for the Chips"
"they can not find any mojo"
"tough sledding"
"perimeter close outs"
"run out"
"target on their back"
"international flavor"


Southern Utah-Michigan State, 12/9 Big 10 Network

Kevin Kugler (pxp), Shon Morris (cc)

"a grinder game"
"stay on the floor in crunch situations"
"coach's son"
"showing some gumption"
"that was a Prius taking on an SUV"

!

"he's our microwave guy, he can heat up in a hurry"
"they can run not just bodies, but quality bodies"
"a plethora of front line bulk"
"court savvy"
"that's a basketball move" (5)


Wichita State-Oklahoma State, 12/9, ESPN

"token pressure"
"quick hops ability"
"I love his grit and savvy"
"searching for an identity offensively"


Western Kentucky-Ohio, 12/10, espn3.com

"game shape"
"that was a man-sized collection of that board"

!

"a little tear drop"
"sense of urgency"
"ready to square and launch"


Sacred Heart-Hartford, 12/11, espn3.com

"stick a rhythm pull up"
"injury-plagued"
"physicality"
"tight whistle"
"small ball lineup"
"they're gonna have to gang rebound" (3)
"verticality"
"you call that rim running" (3)
"the bank is open, after hours, in Hartford!"

!

"skill set"
"heat check"
"true point guard"
"enthusiastic basketball"


Philadelphia-Minnesota, 12/12, ESPN

"post touches" (4)
"winning culture"
"the Philadelphia blogosphere"
"they're long"
"they need an infusion of a bench"
"energy play"
"euro step"


Cincinnati Christian women-Wright State, 12/14, espn3.com

"scorer's mentality"
"well-oiled machine"
"a nose for the ball"
"they're getting points out of their offense"

!


Charlotte-Houston, 12/13, ESPN

"a proven guy in this league"
"skids of adversity"
"blow by" (2)
"iso ball"

Mark Jones Specials

"eight seconds or less offense on steroids"
"stopped on a dime and didn't leave Walker any change"


Georgia State-Dayton, 12/16, A10 Network

"basketball in the DNA in this community"
"poetry in motion for big guys"
"doing the grunt work"
"get down, get fundamental!"
"a whale of a basketball game"
"senior leadership"
"basketball 101"
"free basketball"


Georgia Tech-Georgia, 12/19, ESPN2

"swagger"
"it deviated from the consistency in his program"
"hang their hat defensively"
"valuing the basketball"
"recruitability"
"cleans up the loose change"
"he gets downhill on you"
"a will to win"
"he's a grinder"
"RPI killers"
"surveying the defense"
"just a nice rip through"


Elon-Canisius, 12/19, espn3.com

"use it or lose it time out"
"good floor game"
"this is a weight room half"
"floor leader"
"a push ahead"
"take that leadership role"


Southern Miss-Florida State, 12/21, ACC Network

"a david and goliath type of situation"
"great xs and os coach"
"been around the basketball block"
"a silent assassin"
"instant offense"
"those are bad habit plays"
"championship basketball clubs"
"heady play"
"clicking on high cylinders"

!

"the Wilkes family basketball tree"
"ACC gauntlet"


Dallas-Atlanta, 12/23, Fox Sports South

"nice to see the bounce in the step"/"what bounce this young man has"
"getting their legs out under them"
"rhythm three"
"attack mode"
"rise and fire"
"let the game come to you"
"he is gritty"

Last-minute gift ideas

Adrian Crawford!

That's the name of the ACC Network announcer who said the word "basketball" more than any other in the history of us writing down how many times people say the word "basketball".

In Florida State's 98-45 rout of Southern Miss Thursday afternoon, Crawford said it 70 times. That's 29 more than Steve Smith in his memorable, March, 2015 performance (though only Smith's second half was tallied that evening).

Here's a breakdown on Crawford's big day:

First half: said 37 times
Average/game minute: 1.8

Second: 33
Average/game minute: 1.6


Notable

"this basketball club" (said 12 times)
"been around the basketball block"
"a man to man basketball club"
"that is what championship basketball clubs do" (2)
"making really good basketball plays"
"the Wilkes family basketball tree"

New hires - December, 2017

Other hirings

Wayne intern: Wayne Sawgrass
Goldfish names, Q-U: Oyoyo Coles
Ice cube futures: Junior A. Sherman


ILTCSC staff

Gift ideas

Basketball phrase diary, part 2

Games played from 11/19 - 12/1


Temple-Clemson, 11/19, ESPN2

"match up nightmare"
"probing the defense"
"chip on their shoulder"


Farmingdale State women-Stony Brook, 11/22, espn3.com

"tired legs" (5)
"a take charge player"
"building the culture"
"dribble drive" - 4:50 left in the third quarter
"take the air out of the ball"
"leak out"


VCU women-Georgia State, 11/24, espn3.com

"keep a pulse on this game"
"rebounding specialist"
"sense of urgency"
"she's a gamer"
"the ref might've wanted to suck on that whistle a little longer"
"a lid has been put on the rim" (2)
"a nose for the ball"
"high percentage shots"


San Diego-Grand Canyon, 11/25, GCU TV

Barry Buetel & Scott Williams:

"stat sheet stuffer"
"holiday hangover"/"post-turkey hangover"
"he had a mouse down low and put him in the torture chamber!"
"hostile environment"
"house of havoc" (2)
"euro step" (2)
"albatross-like wing span"
"Josh Braun doing Josh Braun things"
"he's got hall of game hands"
"a one-man wrecking ball"
"tough sledding"
"I like the way this kid has brought his hard hat and his lunch pail"
"playing with a ton of moxie"


Alabama State-Cincinnati, 11/27, ESPNU

"he's next level"
"the face of this program"
"instant offense"
"D up"
"court awareness"
"spicy shooter"
"all-everything"
"the Mick Cronin era"
"it's a block party here in northern Kentucky!"
"under the radar"


Tennessee Tech women-Georgia, 11/27, SEC Network

"she's a child of the SEC"
"she wants to see growth on her team in a maturity perspective"

!

"quality minutes"
"dribble penetration"
"post touches"
"letting the game come to her"


Notre Dame women-Michigan, 11/29, Big 10 Network

"high IQ freshman"
"you've got to find a body"
"a big feather in the cap"
"she's that key cog"
"mini rim run" - 5:56 left in the second quarter
"we've got some cold blooded shooters out here, hunting down shots and executing!"
"here come the Irish via Ogunbowale Alley!"
"x-factor"
"help the helper"
"Princeton offense"
"the variety of her weaponry"


North Carolina-Davidson, 12/1, ESPN2

"the first big down the floor usually eats"
"skill set" (2)
"you can't measure what was in his heart"
"smooth operator"
"hybrid forward"
"the Swiss army knife for the Tar Heels"
"ball don't lie"

Profiles

Kerwin Daniels

Experience: photographer, Has Anyone Seen My Shoe (hasanyoneseenmyshoe.blogspot.com); director's assistant on set of the movie Grape Jelly Stain of a Salesman
Diet: rabbi-te (only eats rabbits sat on by a rabbi)

Mike Francesa

"Do I think I could manage the Yankees? Sure. Do I think I will get a chance to manage the Yankees? I would love to try, but they wouldn't let me." - Mike Francesa


Do I think Mike Francesa could manage the Yankees? I am sure he could not. Do I think he will get a chance to manage the Yankees? I do not want him to try, and I'm confident the Yankees will never let him. 

In fact, here are some things I would endorse for Yankees' manager before Mike Francesa:

1. (point to a pile of leaves)
2. a drawing of Billy Martin
3. 111,916 people selected randomly out of the Oklahoma phone book
4. 36,558 others
5. "the Mad Dog"
6. 7,300 others
7. a credit card receipt for a hedge trimmer signed by Dallas Green
8. the guy who showed me to the elevators that led to the south parking garage
9. (point at first man I see walking out of an O'Charley's) what about him?!
10. cup of mushroom barley
11. 400 others in the Denver metropolitan area
12-14. Bobby Valentine
15. (point at first woman I see) what about her?!
16. George Steinbrenner's smartest great-great grandchild's pet
17. a dab of yellow mustard
18. a store manager at any of the 135 South Carolina-area Bojangles restaurants
19. (point at first group of children I see getting onto a school bus) what about them?!
20. this butterfly

21. the next guy I meet named Keith