RIP Billy Packer | The Boneyard

RIP Billy Packer

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Kitaman said:
"Chris Smith carries the ball."

Łoved hearing him marvel at our teams. RIP
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I remember that comment and the one about UConn being a "doughnut" team since they had no center. I don't remember if that was Packer or McGuire or someone else who made that last comment.

Packer was a very good guard for Wake and led them to Final Four in 1962 so no surprise that he had an ACC bias.
 
RIP - he was the face of March Madness for a long time.
Never understood why he was on the subway platform after a Friday BE tournament quadruple header yelling for someone to tell him which line to get on - did CBS not provide him transportation? Told him to his face while we were waiting he was wrong on Chris Smith
 
RIP. Many memories of his calling our games. The obsession with Chris’s carries and calling out players hanging on the rim after a dunk was always a bit strange to me but he was there for the call on many of our iconic moments.
 
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Kathy said:
RIP - he was the face of March Madness for a long time.
Never understood why he was on the subway platform after a Friday BE tournament quadruple header yelling for someone to tell him which line to get on - did CBS not provide him transportation? Told him to his face while we were waiting he was wrong on Chris Smith
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He was actually right on Chris, who was at the beginning of the wave of players who stretched the rules of execution. As the rules enforcement people went along with it, the game has become almost unrecognizable to us old timers. I don’t know why they ever call a walk. It seems unfair since give so many other walks a pass.
 
RIP Billy.. Was always fun to see Al bustin' on Billy with Dick playing the straight guy (and laughing under his breath).
 
When I first discovered CBB, I was in MD and Lefty Driesell was the coach of the Terps. Seemed that Billy Packer was the announcer on so many of those ACC games. RIP Mr. Packer, and thank you.
 
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Billy Packer and Jim Thacker were a big part of my early life growing up in Virginia in the 60s and 70s. I even go back to Bones McKinney who Billy replaced on the ACC games, brought to you by Pilot Life Insurance, "Sail with the Pilot". Billy and Jim were the only game in town and the main reason the ACC games were must see tv. It was the start of my hate for Dean Smith and that damn 4 corners offense.
 
RIP Billy
Although a homer , he is one of the few true basketball analyst .
I’ve been around the sport since the 1950’S and he almost never failed to teach me something. His analysis of the Chess match that was the 1999 NC game was almost as brilliant as the coaching. Possibly the best coached game in basketball history.
(It’s funny listening to people on this board diminishing Mike K’s ability )
and only someone like him could understand and explain the nuances. .
I hated him at the time but after watching a minimum of5-6 replays of the game I became a fan. The guy knew the sport .
 
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Trajan traveled...AND...he tripped!!!
 
I was never a huge fan, but I respected the guy. He knew the game, for sure, and represented his craft as well as anyone.

I will admit the Chris Smith 'carry' v 'crossover' got on my nerves. To this day, I'm not sure why he singled Smith out. Plenty of guys were using similar styles/dribbling. Just with Smith's quickness and accuracy, it was an unpleasant combination for a defender.

Still, RIP Mr. Packer and prayer and best wishes to your family and loved ones.
 
RIP Billy Packer, was amazing at his craft a great historian of the game, his analysis of the 99 team was a master piece, he basically called the Langdon travel before it happened.

Would love to hear what he would be saying today particularly about Hurley.

“Hurley is out of control you do not wanna pick up a tech here”

“When the ball goes to Sanogo he gets swallowed up inside too often, you have got to give Donovan Clignan more minutes”
 
I seem to remember a spiff with JC over I think a Sellers foot stomping that Packer called out on national TV and JC never forgave him. You could always feel in the post game interviews JC was making Packer uncomfortable.
JC certainly stood up for his boys like a fierce parent would.
 
In 1962 my Dad took me to Philly to see Ivy champ Yale play #3 ranked Wake Forest in the nightcap of a first round NCAA tourney tripleheader at The Palestra. I was in awe upon entering the "Cathedral of Basketball", packed to the rafters. Yale was a huge underdog, but took Wake to double OT before succumbing. I didn't know until decades later that Wake was quarterbacked by point guard Billy Packer.
 
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