John Thompson, You Media Slickster, You

Ever notice how John Thompson is an expert on common sense and not so much sports? And while common sense is a rare and precious commodity, does it make for the stuff that makes great radio hosts? Particularly in sports radio?

Don’t get me wrong, I know how much of a community institution Coach Thompson is in the Washington area. My house grew up admiring and adoring Thompson and Hoya paranoia throughout the '80s and '90s.

He was, and is, much more than a trailblazing basketball coach for Georgetown University; he is a symbol of pride, success and accomplishment for the black masses of Chocolate City and beyond. When he spoke, all kinds of people listened.

And based on the success of his show on ESPN 980, they still do. But why?

Take a listen to Coach Thompson and Doc Walker on any given weekday afternoon and try to find the mention of a statistic, game strategy or any other informational gem that you as a sports consumer haven’t already determined or observed. Indeed, you will be on a treasure hunt for it, because it is such a rare occurrence for the coach to mention.

On his show and in his interviews for TNT, I rarely get any insight on basketball knowledge or personal experience from his interview subjects as a result of his questioning.

No one expects him to be a glittering example of journalistic ability, but it would be nice if his show offered more than his cliche’ “Lemme ask you a question,” and “He’s a helluva player, it was a helluva game” approaches to all sports topics.

Perhaps it’s the fault of 980 for pairing him with media mouthpieces that aren’t sports experts. Thompson’s appeal to listeners and to fans around the world is built upon his Hall of Fame career and his candid persona. If these qualities were to be paired with someone who could deliver the goods on stats and insider information, maybe the package would present Coach Thompson to be more than the old dude you tolerate at the barbershop every two weeks.

Because the truth is, he is far more than that dude. But too much of a good thing can be a bit overwhelming. Even common sense from a wise, legendary coach.

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