Holly Rowe Did Play-by-Play After the Dan Shulman-Jay Bilas Booth Went Offline
By Kyle Koster | Dec 3, 2020, 8:15 AM EST
Gonzaga-West Virginia was a zesty non-conference snack for college basketball fans yesterday. The feel-good vibes were altered a bit when Bulldogs star Jalen Suggs suffered what looked like a serious lower-leg injury. They were restored when he returned to the game, meaning he dodged a bullet.
Also recovering quickly from a potentially devastating situation: the ESPN broadcast, thanks to the quick-thinking Holly Rowe. After providing an update on Suggs' injury, she realized Jay Bilas and Dan Shulman, who were working from Bristol, were no longer there and snapped into action. Awful Announcing documented the save.
When ESPN's broadcast booth (Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas) hit technical difficulties in Gonzaga-WVU, sideline reporter Holly Rowe stepped in. Here's when the booth initially went off-air following a Rowe report (1/5). pic.twitter.com/lsNsYthBy1
— The Comeback NCAA (@TheComebackNCAA) December 3, 2020
Here's an example of the play-by-play Rowe provided (3/5). pic.twitter.com/3LrQg31Y6l
— The Comeback NCAA (@TheComebackNCAA) December 3, 2020
And here's Shulman's return, and his congratulations to Rowe for the work she did filling in. pic.twitter.com/6NTW7PRk4y
— The Comeback NCAA (@TheComebackNCAA) December 3, 2020
Pret-tay. Pret-tay good. Rowe being able to do this at a moment's notice should inform everyone on just how much preparation goes in on behalf of the sideline reporter. The job is like an iceberg, with only a fraction of the knowledge ever getting a chance to appear on-air and no real way to predict what will be pertinent.
Shulman and Bilas eventually returned and thanked Rowe for keeping the ship afloat. Rowe seemed relieved to not being all alone anymore, which is quite understandable, though she seemed capable of keeping it up for a bit longer.