Fran and Smart

[stormspencer]

Fran wasn't a great head coach and his announcing seems to be taking the same path. He has not been near as good on any telecast as he was in the past.

Totally disagree on his announcing. IMO, Fran is one of the top three in the business on color commentary....the other two being Bilas and Jon Sunvold. Is he sometimes a little more praiseworthy of an OU opponent? Sure, but he does an outstanding job of pointing out aspects of the game that other CC guys consistently miss or don't talk about enough.

 

[JBaker]

I didn't think it was that bad yesterday. Earlier this year? The game in Norman last year? Yeah, it was pretty bad. But both of those games, ESPN had decided to run a big Smart story, promo-package deal, so they probably had the announcers setting that stuff up all game. Last night, there was no Smart, and no big OSU fluff piece, and I didn't think Fran was too bad. I'm sure some of you will disagree.

I didn't think it was that bad overall yesterday, but the Holly Rowe pieces were nauseating. "I'm right here, in front of a door. Behind this door is the amazing Marcus Smart."

 

[Sawyer]

James is at OU b/c of the journalism school.

That's funny.

Fran definitely has his crushes, though. He used to love Kim English. Still mentions him in games occasionally.

 

[campbest]

Why are people that concerned about it?

 

[DenverSooner]

Smart F up really bad. Why would the media reward his horri le actions by talking about him o much.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Same reason this thread an all the other threads about him exist


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Laxtothemax12]

People like to fall in love with talent early. Remember when we played cuse the telecast was all about Blake and Flynn, always mentioning how Flynn was paying hurt after taking a block from Blake. The real story was Crocker, who had shot like maybe 5% from 3 the last month beforehand and then drained like 7 in the game. Same reason the media always talks about certain players on certain teams, Wiggins, Embiid, etc. Young stars is what the media wants. channel Lee Corso voice "But Watch Out my friends!" Come senior year they will be talking about air buddy and co.

 

[perryj74]

I was watching the game with the GF this weekend and even she mentioned how one sided the commentary was although I will agree with WT this was light years better than the game in Norman.

Fran does try too hard not to be an OU homer with his son being on the team. I watched the OsU vs Iowa State game and felt the coverage and talking points were fairly balanced between the two especially as the Mayor was winning every timeout.

 

[jaymOU]

Actually I have a different theory based on what I heard him say. I know he jumped on Smart pretty hard for his first OT flop against ISU when Cane was dribble near the half court line - It was pretty pointed from Fran - saying something like "that was acting right there, no way that was enough contact to knock him down...." Not an exact quote, but it struck me as pretty pointed. Which I liked.

Then when Markel Brown or Nash went flopping to the ground on a Tyler Neal play, Fran said something like "far be it from me to judge who is acting and who is not".

I think he took some heat from OSU on the ISU game and this game was a "make-up call", if you will.

 

[big-hOUnd]

A star player suspended for assaulting a fan (almost never happens) and it's NOT going to be talked about during a game during his suspension? Really?
Why is anyone surprised by this.

 

[skyvue]

A star player suspended for assaulting a fan (almost never happens) and it's NOT going to be talked about during a game during his suspension? Really?
Why is anyone surprised by this.

Of course it's going to be mentioned -- no one's questioning that. But it went far beyond that. The entire broadcast was oswho-centric.

Go back and watch the broadcast of the first Bedlam game this season, or the first one from last season. As someone mentioned above (and as I've mentioned many times), in that 2012 game, they ran a Smart highlights reel near the end of the game, with Smart having turned in one of the worst showings of his then-young career and with OU leading by nine or 10 points for most of the second half.

It was only (I think) the third conference game of his career and he played poorly -- how in the world did he deserve that kind of focus? Put simply, he didn't.

And has been pointed out by many, oswho lost the first four games in their current skid with Smart on the court, so focusing on his absence in the most recent game, beyond a mention or two of it, was unwarranted.