Nine Announcers We Would Like To See On An #ACC Network

Good evening, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sports fans.    Our friend, David Teel (you can follow him on Twitter at @DavidTeelatDP) feels that an ACC Network is imminent (h/t @TalkinACCSports).

And as we head into NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship weekend – best of luck to North Carolina who will be making the trip to Philadelphia – I thought it might be a good idea for us to talk about some announcers that I’d love to see on an ACC television network (men’s and women’s lacrosse would be featured on an ACC television network).  My buddy, Jeffrey Fann (@TalkinACCSports), wrote about this topic one year ago with his choices for media personalities that should be on the ACC Network (such as Wes Durham and Danny Kannell) and it needs to be resurfaced again on our site.  I really think it’s important to have some announcers with ACC ties, but also utilize talent from the ESPN family of networks (because a future ACC Network will have ESPN involvement).  Here we go:

1. Bill Roth – Any ACC Network should hire Syracuse alumnus, Bill Roth, the current radio voice of the UCLA Bruins, and the former voice of the Virginia Tech Hokies (for 27 years).  No one knows Virginia Tech and the ACC better than Roth.

2. Jay Bilas – It is an educational opportunity for me every time I watch Duke University graduate, Jay Bilas, on television.  Whether Bilas is an analyst on the ESPN set or a color analyst at a game, he is terrific.  I would pair Bilas with Roth.

3. Anish Shroff – Indian American, Anish Shroff, is one of the most talented journalists at ESPN today.  He regularly calls several NCAA championship events, such as the NCAA Football Championship Series playoff events (he’s been to Fargo, ND many times the last couple of years) and has announced many NCAA football and basketball games.  As we mentioned above, this NCAA championship weekend for men’s lacrosse – and you will him on television.  He’d work out excellently on an ACC Network.

4. Ahmad Brooks – Ahmad Brooks, an All-American football player from the University of Texas and National Football League alumnus, is Anish Shroff’s broadcast partner.  Always good to have a former player on as an analyst – especially one who knows college football venues like Brooks.

5. Sean McDonough – Syracuse University graduate, Sean McDonough (we aren’t shy when it comes to our bias here – we know Syracuse has the best school of journalism), is a pro’s pro when it comes to journalism.  By the time the game is over, you’ll know everything about both teams regardless of the sport – football or men’s basketball.

6. Tommy Bowden – Gotta hire some Raycom Sports guys for this ACC Network – and Tommy Bowden, former Clemson football coach, fits the bill.  I imagine he would pull double duty with the ACC Network and Raycom Sports.  In the fall, I’d pair Bowden with McDonough in the booth.

7. Dan Bonner – Second Raycom Sports guy I’d hire for the ACC Network is Dan Bonner.  A former University of Virginia basketball player, Bonner has a terrific knowledge of the game, appreciates the ACC, and has experience on all major the major networks.  In the winter, I’d pair Bonner with McDonough and Shroff.

8. Brent Musburger – Do you think Brent Musburger would rather see any town in ACC country rather than going to Lubbock, TX for men’s basketball?  You’re lying if you think he’d rather be in Manhattan, Kansas than in Durham, North Carolina.  You see, Musburger has Big 12 basketball duty (not a lot of garden spots there).  And he’s hanging in purgatory on the SEC Network.  Poor guy.  This is a guy that has called the most significant sporting events ever in the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the NCAA – he deserves better than where he’s housed on television now.

9. Doris Burke – An ACC Network needs diversity – and that includes having men and women of all races and ethnicities on the work.  Doris Burke has earned my respect over the years – and has become a terrific NBA and college basketball analyst.  I’d pair her with Brent Musburger and Shroff.

And that’s it – are there any others that you’d recommend?

Thanks for reading – and have a great weekend.

Make sure you follow the All Sports Discussion Twitter account at @AllSportsDACC and please like our Facebook Page.