NCAA Tournament 2011: Gus Johnson Is Great, Steve "The Homer" True Is Awesome

Gus Johnson is great.

He does play-by-play with the passion, vocabulary and enthusiasm that March Madness deserves.

He delivered again on Sunday when Marquette defeated Syracuse.

Steve "The Homer" True is awesome.

Not just because he jokingly self-promotes himself as "awesome," but because he is, well....awesome.

So, when reports came out that Gus Johnson had nicknamed Marquette guard Darius Johnson-Odom "DJO," this writer felt a small point of clarification needed to be made.

Along with his duties as the voice of the ESPN Wisconsin Radio's afternoon show, Homer—as he is known—is the play-by-play announcer for the Marquette Golden Eagles Men's Basketball Team. In fact, Homer has been the voice of Marquette for over 20 years, surviving the team's transition from being called the Warriors to the Golden Eagles.

As Homer affectionately referred to his interaction with Gus Johnson last week, it was clear he was tickled that Johnson had approached him and his co-announcer, Jim McIlvane (former Marquette star and NBA player), minutes before coverage began between Marquette and Xavier, to seek help in how to properly pronounce two last names of the Golden Eagles. 

First, Johnson tried to pronounce the last name of Junior Cadougan. Homer politely assisted Gus with the proper pronunciation.

Next, Johnson tried the last name of Chris Otule. Again, Homer gladly provided the proper adjustment.

Then, just as Johnson was finished, Homer—as he often does sometimes in a misunderstood, but truly generous and charitable way—left Johnson with an additional gem that he coined.

"We call Darius Johnson-Odom DJO." 

Johnson responded, "I like that."

So, when Johnson-Odom hit the game-breaking three-pointer with less than 25 seconds left against Syracuse, Johnson let loose with a resounding "D-J-OOOHHH!"

Homer was happy to share, and complimented Johnson's talent on his show on Monday.

Yes, Gus Johnson is great. But Steve "The Homer" True is a Wisconsin sports broadcasting legend. And, if you have not heard it directly from him, he's awesome.

If you want to hear the call of the DJO three-pointer, you can do so right here: http://twaud.io/qKN5

You can also listen to Homer and Mitch "Thunder" Nelles every weekday from 2-6 p.m. CST on ESPN Milwaukee, or stream them at espnmilwaukee.com