Gus Johnson Joins Big Ten Network To Announce Mens Basketball

October 28, 2008 By 4 Comments

gus johnsonI am a die-hard IU basketball fan, so last season ended about as horrifically and pathetically as I could ever imagine. Since the end of last season, however, there has been a succession of good news including the hiring of Tom Crean, a great recruiting class coming in next season, and my realization that Verizon is now carrying the Big Ten Network in Dallas.

But not even the aggregate of all of this positive news could compare with what I just found out when I went to the Big Ten Network’s official website: Gus Johnson has joined the Big Ten Network to announce mens basketball games for the 2008-09 season.

Let me try to express how I feel about this:

There is absolutely no one on earth who makes watching a sporting event as fun as Gus Johnson. Hell, this blog has been for about three months and I’ve probably posted the video above twice already before.

One video that I have not yet posted is of my favorite Gus Johnson call of all-time, during the NCAA Tournament a few years ago when Ohio State and Xavier staged their epic down-to-the-wire battle that was won on a Ron Lewis three pointer. I’ll let Gus do the rest of the talking:

I don’t know how many IU games Gus Johnson will be doing this year, but I hope it is every single one. I have tons of IU basketball memories, but I don’t have one yet that includes the indelible sound of Gus Johnson screaming with excitement. Every sports fan should have at least one memory of Gus Johnson calling an exciting moment for their team. Like Gonzaga fans do — the slipper still fits!

I think I could spend all night watching Gus Johnson videos on YouTube. Wait a minute…KVB and I have done that before. More than once. Anyone want to experience the most exciting 3:48 of your life? Click play on the video below:

Honestly, the Big Ten Network getting Gus Johnson is a huge coup for the network. There were many things about the Big Ten Network that pissed me off last year, and one of the main ones was the absolutely mediocrity of the announcing teams that were trotted out on a nightly basis. There is absolutely nothing mediocre about Gus Johnson. He is a very good technical announcer, does a good job of calling the game, and makes even the most exciting moments seem exponentially more exciting.

I was excited for the start of college basketball before, but now the season can’t come soon enough. Gus Johnson joining the Big Ten Network is the most exciting thing to happen to Big Ten sports since…since…? Hell, I can’t think of anything. Ha-ha! Gus Johnson! On the Big Ten Network! THIS is MARCH MADNESS!

[tags]big ten, big ten network, college basketball, gus johnson[/tags]

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Filed Under: Announcers Tagged With: Big Ten, big ten network, CBB, gus johnson
About Jerod Morris

A proud graduate of Indiana University, Jerod Morris founded Midwest Sports Fans in August of 2008 and has been its Managing Editor every day since. Follow him on Twitter (@JerodMorris) for MSF updates, sports discussion, and a compelling daily assortment of funny and interesting links.
In addition to his work at MSF, Jerod hosts the fast-growing Indiana basketball postgame show The Assembly Call and provides regular music recommendations at IndieChristmas.com. He also helped develop the Synthesis Managed WordPress Hosting platform on which MSF and all of his other sites are run.

  • Chad

    Gus Johnson was under appreciated at CBS. He really shone during the tournaments in recent years. He isn’t arrogant and isn’t “over the top” like some broadcasters.

  • KVB

    I don’t know if I am a bigger Gus Johnson fan or Ohio State fan, so this is really good news.

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JRod

    And considering you are planning to name your first son Woody Tresselini Bertolini, that’s really saying something.

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