A strong rapport between new broadcast partners John Fanta and Tom Crean was on display on Tuesday night as the two called the college basketball game between DePaul and Marquette.
It did not take long for things to go awry. In the opening minutes of the game, Marquette’s David Joplin got his hands on a pass from DePaul’s Jacob Meyer, creating a loose ball situation. As Joplin and Marquette briefly battled for possession, the ball went out of bounds.
“Oh, sh–,” Crean said, pausing at the right moment.
“And it flies right into us and folks,” Fanta said, eventually starting to laugh. Crean soon filled us in on what happened.
“Did we get a shot of the can of pop just going all over my partner, John Fanta?” Crean asked. “I don’t know about the drycleaning bill. He’s gonna do it. We’re gonna save his computer here real quick. I’m gonna help wipe him up, we’re gonna call the game as we go.”
The broadcast then showed a pair of Marquette baskets — one on an assist from Kam Jones to Stevie Mitchell, another on a shot from Jones.
“Quite literally a Diet Coke wipeout,” Fanta said. “As you’re seeing the greatness of Marquette basketball — Kam Jones do his thing.”
Tom Crean and John Fanta already have incredible chemistry!
Someone get coach a new Diet Coke ASAP! His first one already spilled all over Fanta 😂 pic.twitter.com/4wjxAE2Xtt
— Ryan (@Rygi13) February 12, 2025
Moments later, Fanta thanked Crean “for the cleanup duty.”
“Oh, absolutely, I can do it all, man,” Crean said. “Whatever you need.”
At this point, if you weren’t at least chuckling, you need to check your pulse.
“I love the fact that you and I just meet for the first time today and I am not gonna let you fail, John,” Crean said. “You are not gonna be dripping in Diet Coke anymore tonight. I would have worn that Diet Coke for you. That’s what partners do.”
Following the game, both men posted nice messages on X (formerly Twitter) about working with each other. Fanta didn’t make any references (or at least specific references) to the incident.
“A day of hoops talk, stories and some laughs with @TomCrean,” he said. “Great to be back in Milwaukee.”
A day of hoops talk, stories and some laughs with @TomCrean. Great to be back in Milwaukee. pic.twitter.com/5yizy9FBQn
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) February 12, 2025
Crean similarly enjoyed working with Fanta and also addressed what happened.
“Great working with @John_Fanta tonight,” he said. “For the record. It was John’s @DietCoke that spilled on him. I just put myself in charge of the cleanup. John never broke stride. Incredible Pro.”
Great working with @John_Fanta tonight. For the record. It was John’s @DietCoke that spilled on him. I just put myself in charge of the cleanup. John never broke stride. Incredible Pro. pic.twitter.com/oF6aFv5K7x
— Tom Crean (@TomCrean) February 12, 2025
Well, we can’t argue with that. And after seeing how well these two worked together, this is a pairing we wouldn’t mind seeing more of. Though capped bottles of Diet Coke might be better for all involved going forward.
About Michael Dixon
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