Even during a nail-biting NCAA Tournament matchup, Kevin Harlan’s voice elevates everything, including a promo for the upcoming Knuckles series on Paramount+.
The legendary play-by-play voice read an ad for the Sonic spin-off series during the first half of Sunday’s Utah State-Purdue second-round game. And he ribbed his colleague Stan Van Gundy, claiming that the former longtime NBA head coach’s nickname in high school was “Knuckles.”
*Kevin Harlan reads a ‘Knuckles’ (Sonic spin-off series on Paramount+) promo*
“I would love to watch that, but we’re already advertising for April 26th. That’s a long way off. So, Kevin, you’ve gotta text me on the 25th to remind me.” – Stan Van Gundy 🏀🎙️📺😂 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Hf9EujdKdt
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 24, 2024
But Van Gundy, who was on point with his insight, taking aim at the officials in the Colorado-Marquette matchup earlier Sunday and needling Utah State for its questionable shot selection, is not thinking about something that’s more than a month from now.
To the surprise of some, the Knuckles show (featuring Sonic’s red echidna buddy/rival on Paramount+) sparked Van Gundy’s interest. He even asked Harlan to remind him to check it out before the premiere, but with March Madness afoot, his attention just might be elsewhere.
“You know what? I would love to watch that, but we’re already advertising for April 26th,” Van Gundy said. “That’s a long way off. So, Kevin, you’ve gotta text me on the 25th to remind me.”
If you’re new to the Sonic universe, Knuckles is a red echidna who appeared in some of the Sonic the Hedgehog video games, starting on the Sega Genesis console. He also recently joined the movie franchise in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
No word on if Van Gundy is a Sonic guy himself. That would only add to his lore. Nevertheless, it made for a great moment amidst the madness.
Harlan did promise to text Van Gundy on April 25. Hopefully, he will follow through on that promise.
In the meantime, CBS and Paramount+ should consider doing a live stream of Van Gundy and Harlan watching Knuckles. The calendar is a bit light after March Madness commences. It isn’t a horrible idea!
[Awful Announcing on Twitter/X]
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.