ESPN College Basketball Expert Never Heard Of Jimmy Chitwood

Adrian Branch and Todd Harris called last night’s WAC showdown between Nevada and Utah State on ESPN2. Being the avid college basketball fan that I am, I decided why not watch my third game of the night (Michigan State-Minnesota and Northwestern-Wisconsin had my attention earlier). I’m semi-watching the game, more listening to it while doing work. And then I hear an exchange that left me baffled.

Apparently, knowledge of the sport’s preeminent Hollywood classic isn’t a prerequisite for ESPN expert analyst status.

AB: We’ve been trying to identify who Luke Babbit plays like and I’m going to give you a name that wasn’t too far, Adam Morrison. He’s got that Adam Morrison thing; his own unique flavor. Got the hair shagging a little bit, different from last year. But you know what, he works you over especially when he gets to that free throw line.

TH: I’ve got another name for you. Last year when he was rocking the short clean-cut haircut: Jimmy Chitwood from “Hoosiers.”

AB: Who?

TH: Jimmy Chitwood!

AB: Where is that from?

TH: “Hoosiers.”

AB: Where?

TH: You don’t remember the movie “Hoosiers?” Gene Hackman, the picket fence, ‘I’ll make that shot.’

AB: Nah, nah. Sorry man.

TH: How do you not know that shot? You’ve got a NBA world championship ring on your finger and you don’t know “Hoosiers?”

AB: I’m from Seat Pleasant, Maryland, buddy (some inaudible gibberish). Man, man.

Then three minutes later Babbit hits another 3-pointer and the conversation comes full circle:

AB: He’s a natural offensive scorer.

TH: Say it with me, ‘Jimmy Chitwood, I’ll make that shot.’

AB: (laughing) I was just pulling your chain. I wanted to see your reaction.

TH: I knew you knew that movie.

Basically after Branch’s initial gaffe, someone in the production truck was like, “Hey Todd, toss Adrian a softball about ‘Hoosiers,’ so we don’t get e-mails about what an idiot he is.”

Now I know “Hoosiers” is fictitious, so not knowing its details won’t affect an announcers analysis of the game. But how can a 49-year old basketball lifer not know who Jimmy Chitwood is?

I have to admit that even despite attending Indiana University, it took me three years into college to finally watch “Hoosiers.” But what do you expect? I was a midget from South Florida who never touched a basketball until arriving in Bloomington. I didn’t eat, sleep and breathe basketball as I suspect Branch did.

I mean my roommate and I already have complained about Branch before, so while I shouldn’t be surprised how low he can dip into the depths of suckdom, this certainly reinforces our initial analysis: Adrian Branch is a moron.