February 14, 2013

Duke Pregame Commentary


Author’s Note:  This is a creative piece; it is a commentary of a Duke Blue Devils basketball game.  The communication is occurring in the pregame (the time before the game starts).  There are going to be basketball status in this piece.  I am going to be working on grammar in the form of punctuation and voice.


“Welcome to ESPN’s Presentation of Super Tuesday. Today we have the Duke Blue Devils taking on the North Carolina Tar Heels,” In the back round the ESPN intro plays.  
 
“I am Kyle Turba, and alongside me is my colleague Greg Fitter. It is great to see you Greg,” 

“Great to see you too Kyle, we have a great game on our hands tonight.”

“Oh yes we do Greg.  North Carolina makes the 15 mile trip up Tobacco Road to Cameron Indoor to face the number Duke Blue Devils.  This rivalry dates back to 1920 when Duke was known as Trinity College.”

“Duke is trying to avoid an embarrassing loss tonight ,and for Duke’s game plan we send it down to our court side reporter Ally Williams, Ally take it away,” Greg states. 

“Well guys Duke has had an up and down stretch lately.  They won by 13 points against North Carolina State on Thursday, February 7th and then they won by 1 point against Boston College on Sunday, February 10th.  On the screen (the chart below would be on the screen) is a chart from those two games highlighting the important aspects that Duke needs to have success,” Ally starts. 

Duke Stats
Against NC State
Against Boston College
Total Points
98
62
Turnovers
7
13
3 Point %
41.7
35.3
Shooting %
53.8
40.4
Mason Plumlee Points
30
19
Seth Curry Points
26
18
3 Pointers Made
10
6

“So as you can see, it is very important for Duke to be “hot” from behind the three point arc and they need Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee both score a lot.  If this does not occur then there is a chance that Duke could lose tonight,” Ally says.  

“Thank you Ally,” I say. “And now more on North Carolina, here is Ed Stevens.” 

“Thank you guys,” Ed says. “North Carolina has kind of struggled this year, they are not on the same pace the they are normally on at this time in the year.  North Carolina really does not have a signature win this season that would get them into the NCAA Tournament, but a win tonight could really be that win that they are looking for.  They have only beaten one ranked team this entire year, and that was  number twenty UNLV back on December 29th,2012. The Tar Heels overall record is 16-7 with a conference record of 6-4.  The chart on the screen (the chart below would be on the screen) is comparing some stats from last year’s North Carolina team to this year’s team.” Ed starts.


**These stats are as of February 13 in each year**
  
             North Carolina Stats
          This Year
                   Last Year
                Record Overall
            16-7
                       21-4
             Conference Record
             6 - 4
                       8 -2
               Points Per Game
             78
                       81
            Field Goal Percentage
             44.5
                       46
           Three Point Percentage 
             36.7
                       33








“So as you can see, some of their numbers really are not down that much since last year,” Ed says.  “The reason for the possible lack of victories is because that they lost some key players last year, losing 4 out of their top 6 players last season to the NBA.  That list includes Harrison Barnes who is with Golden State, Tyler Zeller who is with Cleveland, John Henson who is with Milwaukee and Kendall Marshall who is with Phoenix.  North Carolina has had to rely on sophomores like James Michael -McAdoo and P.J. Hairston and the junior Reggie Bullock to lead their team.  Guys.” Ed finishes.

“As tip off gets closer, let’s get the keys of the game for both teams.  Greg, what are the keys for Duke to have success in the game tonight?” I say.

“Well I think the key for Duke is get Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry involved in the game early,” Greg says.  “If that does not happen then Duke could be looking at an upset.  Also Duke has to get back on the defense, North Carolina has a very good transition offence and Duke needs numbers behind the ball on defense in order to have success.  Kyle, what is the key for North Carolina to have a chance to win this game?” Greg finishes.

“Well, I think that North Carolina needs to try to get try to get those situations when they have numbers heading towards the basket.  But in order to do that they need to get turnovers.  I don’t know if Duke is going to play as sloppy as they did against Boston College, but North Carolina has to take advantage of Duke turnovers when they happen.  Also, another key for North Carolina is to get Mason Plumlee in foul trouble; he is such a key player in the offence and if you get him out of the game, you could have a chance to win this game,” I say.  

“And now it is time for the Wendy’s Key Player,” Greg starts. “Point guard Quinn Cook is a player that can also get Duke up and running.  He is very good from behind the three point arc and if he is hot, he is just another player that can help Duke keep rolling,” Greg fishes.

“That just about does it for our pre-game, and for our staff of Gregg Fitter, Ally Williams, Ed Stevens and myself; we say thank you for watching the pregame show.  The Cameron Crazies are ready for this one, Duke vs North Carolina is coming up next on ESPN,” I finish.


                                                               Works Cited

"Duke Blue Devils 2012-13 Statistics - Team and Player Stats - Men's College Basketball - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/150/duke-blue-devils>.

"Duke Blue Devils 2012-13 Team Player Roster - College Basketball - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/roster/_/id/150/duke-blue-devils>.

"Duke Blue Devils vs. Boston College Eagles - Box Score - February 10, 2013 - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?id=330410103>.

"Duke Men's College Basketball - Blue Devils News, Scores, Videos - College Basketball - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/150/duke-blue-devils>.

"North Carolina Men's College Basketball - Tar Heels News, Scores, Videos - College Basketball - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/153/north-carolina-tar-heels>.

"North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball 2011-12 Schedule - Tar Heels Home and Away - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/153/year/2012/north-carolina-tar-heels>.

"North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball 2012-13 Schedule - Tar Heels Home and Away - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/153/north-carolina-tar-heels>.

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