Mar 9, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; ESPN basketball commentator Jay Williams (front left) greets Duke students prior to a game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
College BasketballESPNBy Sam Neumann on

According to Jay Williams, Kentucky might’ve won its battle against Duke, but Big Blue Nation hasn’t won the war.

The former Blue Devils guard turned ESPN analyst wanted a pat on the back for going on SportsCenter after Kentucky’s 77-72 win and giving credit to the Wildcats, despite having a “massive damn picture” of Cooper Flagg behind him.

“I decided to give credit to the team that won the game,” Williams said in a two-minute rant filmed from his car. “I decided to give props to Mark Pope and his squad for a team that had nobody on their roster – bringing in transfers, fifth-year guys — and gave them kudos for how they executed down the stretch because they deserved it.”

But let Williams put you onto something, BBN.

“Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg,” he continued. “He’s going to be the first pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the game or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome. Because you’re going to market him for a product that needs to attach [themselves] to something that is marketable and that can cut through because Cooper Flagg can cut through.

“So, I get it. You’re not going to like it. That’s what the media does. There should be more kudos and props to Mark Pope and to Kentucky. That ain’t the reality of the world we live in, y’all. Think about (Thursday) night: NBA Cup’s going on; Nike they’re brilliant at marketing, right? ‘Just Do It.’ So, Giannis (Antetokounmpo) has 59 points; look at how they go after Jaylen Brown. We already know the issues between Jaylen Brown and Nike, right?

“The whole Giannis thing with the handshake. Jaylen Brown calls him ‘childish,’ calls him a child. And then Nike comes out with a tweet, ‘Yeah, that 59 looks childish, doesn’t Jaylen?’ It’s called marketing; it’s called selling. So, regardless of whether you like it or not, Big Blue Nation media networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. Get ready; regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he’s selling the sport.

“Sorry.”

Weird rant, right?

You aren’t alone in that feeling.

Do Kentucky fans need a marketing lesson after 15 years of John Calipari?

BBN has had a front-row seat to one of college basketball’s great branding machines for over a decade. Kentucky fans know what it means to watch a star get sold to the masses. You can argue that they haven’t had a star quite like Cooper Flagg, but that’s an entirely different conversation from the one Jay Williams is having.

Kentucky fans don’t need a lecture on how the game is played, so almost everyone was confused by Williams’ sudden marketing seminar.

[Jay Williams]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann