ESPNNCAABy Jay Rigdon on

Jason Benetti and Bill Walton are calling the Maui Invitational together this year.

Except it’s being played in Asheville, North Carolina. And they’re not actually together, of course, due to the pandemic; Walton is in San Diego, while Benetti is in Chicago. Such is the state of sports in 2020. Still, even these circumstances haven’t prevented Walton from being his usual, stream-of-consciousness self.

For example, here he was making random dog sounds:

The only thing that could stop Walton, apparently, was when his remote feed suffered a lapse, which lasted for a few plays heading into a television timeout. Jason Benetti, realizing that the broadcast suddenly had a very different feel, decided to enjoy the fresh air, so to speak.

Walton was back after commercial, joking that they cut his mic for talking about various charitable causes (highly unlikely given the Maui Invitational is presented in large part by the Plating Change hunger charity.) That meant he was back and available for this exchange, wherein Walton apparently learned for the first time that Indiana star Trayce Jackson-Davis’s biological father is former Indiana Pacer Dale Davis.

But perhaps the highlight of the game (a one-sided blowout featuring Texas completely shutting down Indiana’s offense) were the glimpses of Bill Walton’s backyard camping setup with his dogs. Most importantly, Potter Walton, because it turns out today is Potter’s birthday.

Happy birthday, Potter, from all of us here at Awful Announcing.

About Jay Rigdon

Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.

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