Containing Bill Walton in the broadcast booth was a challenge.
While prone to tangents, his passion for Pac-12 and college basketball in general was unparalleled.
That’s according to his former partner Dave Pasch, who joined the Awful Announcing podcast last week to pay tribute to Walton, who passed away at age 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Pasch told host Brandon Contes that working with his dear friend helped turn him into a better broadcaster.
“Well, I think with the college, he took it to a new level,” Pasch said of Walton’s famous tangents. “With the NBA, he was still doing the game, and there would be some commentary that was maybe on the outrageous side, but not to the degree that we got with the college. Because I think it was just time for him where he could storytell more, humanize the players that people didn’t know and the coaches that people didn’t know, as well. And talk about the landscape, the university, what the school’s known for, the mountain range nearby, and all that stuff.
“There was just more toys with Bill on a college campus with players that aren’t as well known as NBA players and I think he enjoyed that.”
A Syracuse graduate, Pasch’s booming, classically trained voice seemed a mismatch for Walton’s more relaxed style. But as Pasch himself admits, working with Walton pushed him to break the mold and embrace his own personality on the mic. It turns out that letting loose wasn’t just good for their on-air chemistry—it benefitted Pasch’s career, too.
“I think I was so focused on ‘Here are the mechanics of calling a game,’ and sometimes you just call the game, and you’re not really as focused as being yourself,” he explained. “And Bill forced you to be yourself, which is good because I’m kind of sarcastic and like to bust chops — and Bill is the same way. So, that just kind of came out on the air, and we’d laugh about it. It never was personal. It might’ve seemed personal. I think he enjoyed and embraced the fact that people thought that we couldn’t stand each other and that we wanted to kill each other.
“But it was all in fun. And I did have to adjust. Because I had to learn, ‘OK, when do you let him go? When do you stop him? When do you re-direct? When do you ask a question? All that stuff.’ And it took time. I think if I didn’t embrace it, I probably wouldn’t have lasted.”
“Bill will bring out the best in you, and he certainly did that,” Pasch added.
While Walton’s freewheeling style could be challenging, it ultimately pushed him and Pasch to new heights. That passion for the game and a unique perspective will continue to inspire broadcasters like Pasch for years to come.
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