NORMAN’S ANALYSIS IS GENTLE BUT EFFECTIVE
Other commentators too confusing
by Matt Buckler
Manchester Journal Inquirer
March 23, 1998
Four days of the NCAA Tournament, and our ears still are ringing at the sound of cliches–not to mention 1,522 promos for Tom Selleck’s new sitcom.
Color commentators love to use coaching jargon as a substitute for solid analysis. Billy Packer is the exception here, but most color men try to make an easy game sound complicated.
That’s why Wayne Norman of WTIC-AM 1080 and WILI-AM 1400 is so refreshing. He explains things in a simple manner that’s easy to decipher. And he sounds good while doing it.
During the second half of Saturday’s UConn-Indiana NCAA tournament game, for example, Norman quickly pointed out that UConn had toughened its defense against Indiana’s Andrae Patterson, who had lit up UConn for 13 points in the first half. Norman said Kevin Freeman was playing Patterson tighter, with Jake Voskuhl coming over to help out. After taking Patterson out of Indiana’s offense, UConn rallied for a 10-point victory. It turned out to be the key factor of the game, and Norman was right on top of it, well before his counterpart, Bill Raftery of CBS, mentioned it.
Raftery may know more about basketball, but Norman is able to communicate his knowledge better, without being distracting. That’s why the best way to watch a UConn game is with the TV sound down and the radio volume turned up.
And there aren’t any Tom Selleck commercials either
