Monday night in Houston, for the 21st time in his award-winning career, Jim Nantz will do the play-by-play for the NCAA championship game. His steady cadence and brilliant style makes Nantz the best college basketball voice in the business. This year he will do his first title game with two color analysts, his regular partner Clark Kellogg and new addition Steve Kerr from Turner Sports. I spoke to Nantz about the makeup of the Final Four as well as working in a three-man booth.
Nantz on this unique NCAA tournament » The thing that has made this tournament so great over the years has been the wonderful storylines. Year after year they just seem to get better. Well, this year we are blessed with four teams that all battled the odds to get to Houston. UConn, Kentucky, VCU and Butler all have outstanding stores to tell, and we will make sure that all the details are covered.
Recommended Stories
Nantz on the three-man booth » During the season this year, Clark [Kellogg], Steve [Kerr] and I have worked together. I really think that it will be great to have the two guys giving the audience their different perspectives. This really is a great partnership we have with Turner Sports and it has allowed me to work with Steve while listening to Marv Albert, Reggie Miller, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley which has been a great treat. Plus, we have such a wonderful group at CBS I really feel that the fans have embraced our new partnership, and I know that it is a great deal of fun for me.
Nantz on Cinderellas » To be honest, I think that we are seeing the closing of the gap between the power conferences and the so-called mid-majors. Butler and VCU both earned their way to the Final Four, and in the Bulldogs’ case, who would have thought that they would be back here two years in a row and Duke wouldn’t.
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
