Recently I was given the opportunity to talk with Kent Pavelka, former play by play announcer of Husker football and current PBP announcer of men’s basketball. We started off talking about basketball, but I couldn’t resist asking a few questions about the announcer himself. In my opinion, KP is, was, and always will be the voice of Husker sports.
Husker Brad-I first want to thank you, Kent for taking the time out to do this interview. I have been a fan of yours since I was 9 years old and it is truly an honor. This is NU’s first 20 win season since ’99. Outside of the two regular season games with KU, Nebraska was in every game. What do you think was the major difference between this year and last to reflect on this improved record?
Kent Pavelka- I think the players having another year in Doc’s system was a big part of it. They bought into how they had to play, not that they didn’t last year, but another year of development in the system for the players that returned played a big part in my opinion. It takes some time to truly understand the expectations, and to be able to deliver the intensity and precision Doc insists on. Of course it also takes a certain talent level…and enough of it. That’s the part that is a work in progress.
HB-Nebraska kind of went on a little run starting with KSU. During the Texas A&M game Cookie Miller went down with a shoulder injury. Sek Henry stepped up, made a few big shots, and NU won. I am not saying Cookie being out is a good thing, but NU sort of went on a little run after he was down. Sek was running the point and Velander was getting some solid minutes that he turned into points. Do you think this rotation helped NU be successful down the stretch?
KP-Yes, I see some of that. The main thing about A&M was being able to win on the road and the confidence it gave them down the stretch. Those wins represented a turning point for Doc’s program in my opinion. The lights went on for the players. They realized they can do this. I understand what you are saying about Sek and the rotation, but I don’t want to diminish the value of Cookie either because he’s really special. He does things Sek doesn’t and vice versa. One of the things Doc is really good at is finding a place to play the right people at the right time. You make a good point about Velander, but I think they found themselves that day along with the game with K-State and the outcome would’ve been the same. I do think Sek added a different dimension from Cookie to NU’s effectiveness at point and more importantly, on defense.
HB- Who do you think made the biggest strides this year under Doc?
KP-Offensively, I would probably say Steve Harley. There was a period of time early in the year where people maybe wondered if he would pan out or not but once conference got into play, particularly the second half, he really made a difference. On defense, I think Sek made a lot of progress. He’s as tough as they come. All of them are, really. That’s the identity of Doc and this team. It’s a collective attitude about intensity and toughness. It’s about being relentless.
HB- To touch on that a little bit, I posted on HZ that NU seemed to be looking for an identity offensively in the early conference season. When they started winning there were pick and rolls, back picks and aggressive moves to the basket….Harley in particular started going baseline more and more and NU started playing better ball. Do you think NU changed how they went about playing after an 0-4 start to conference?
KP- Well I think what that is all about, in the bigger picture, is running your offense and getting good shots. Given the fact that they don’t have a lot of players to create shots themselves, they have to run their half court offense to get good shots. I think NU was very good at moving the ball when they were double teamed. They immediately understood someone had an open shot and they were great at finding whomever that player happened to be when the doubles came. Unless you have a team that is flat out much more talented than the opponent, you need to run offense. I’ve always said that’s about the right guy taking the right shot at the right time in a given possession. Doc and this team did that very well in my opinion and got better and better at it as the season progressed.
HB-That kind of brings us to Roburt Sallie. I have put up a few dunks of his on HZ and am anxiously awaiting his return to Lincoln. Sallie committed to Washington out of H.S., he didn’t qualify academically and went to The Patterson School. He committed to Nebraska, enrolled, then was denied clearance by the NCAA. He enrolled at City College of San Francisco and received offers to play at much higher regarded basketball programs. He stuck by NU. I think that says alot about the player we are going to be getting next year.
KP-I think that says a lot about Doc and the coaching staff. I think Roburt was around here long enough to realize that there is a culture developing here that is attractive. But yes, it does say a lot about him as a person to commit and stick to his commitment. There is also a tremendous upside to this program and I think he sees that, he’s mentioned that, that he wants to make it happen here at Nebraska. From my conversations with coaches, they think he is the real deal. It should be real interesting what kind of impact he has on this program.
HB- That kind of leads me to my next question. You had mentioned upside and I think this program can take itself wherever it wants to go. Is this program capable of being a top 25 program given the addition of a few key players?
KP-I think it is very attainable. Can they be a tournament team, a sweet 16 team? Absolutely they can. On the other hand, can they compete for the Big 12 championship every year? Well, that’s another can of worms and that will be more difficult. I don’t think you have to win a Big 12 championship in order to have the kind of success to get in the top 25. If you are good enough to get in the tournament and win one or two games, you’re a top 25 team and I don’t think we are that far away. In fact, I think they were a top 35 caliber team at seasons end. By and large, I don’t think the teams that lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament were any better than the teams that got into the NIT. And, I don’t think they were overall as good as the teams than advanced to the second round of the NIT. We have very good players here at Nebraska already, but you need a few really great players. You need somebody you can go to and count on to deliver at certain times. Maybe that’s Roburt. I don’t know. But beyond Doc’s system and everything that entails, it’s about talent. I think recruiting to Nebraska is hard to do, but I am confident Doc will be able to upgrade the talent level. I think the ultimate challenge will be to create some success at a level that hasn’t been reached before and as a result of that you create a culture that has never been a reality before. Wisconsin might be a good example. They did that there. I think if Doc stays, he can do something similar. But it is going to take someone like Doc to do it and for him to stick around and nurture it so that if he leaves, you have a system in place that can outlive any one coach. That’s what Bob Devaney did in football and that’s the opportunity Doc has in basketball.
HB- You kind of touched on it a little bit, but how committed is the University to this program and to Doc and how hard do you think it will be to keep him after this gets turned around because I am sure his price will go way up?
KP-I think the commitment is there. At the same time, I think facilities will have to be addressed. I mean the Devaney Center is a nice place to play, but it isn’t the best. They don’t have a practice facility and that needs to be addressed. I think it’s assuming too much to think Doc is here forever and if money talks and the situation comes up where he has a chance at a significantly better job, it would be difficult to keep him, unless we have shown a commitment. I think as we speak right now, they are trying to make the relationship more solid.
HB- But does the athletic department know that what they have in Doc cannot be found in every coach?
KP-Yes, I think so and I think it would really be unfortunate if he left in the next 2 or 3 years. The reality at Nebraska is I don’t seen anybody like Boone Pickens standing around with their checkbook out and when you have to recruit against some bigger names in the league, the heritage teams, it is very difficult. Geographically you are asking players to come a long ways away from home and so that makes it even more important to compete with other schools facility wise. So, absent a sterling basketball history and other obstacles for Nebraska basketball, I think you have to do everything else you can to help this thing develop.
HB-I have noticed a few times during the Doc Sadler show, when they are doing the player profile, and they show off the player lounge. To me it just looks so 1970′s minus the wood paneling.
KP-And shag carpeting! I’m just kidding about that. But you get the point. Nebraska has some very supportive donors who have done a lot to dress up the Devaney Center. But it is what it is and our facilities are a little tired. The Devaney Center is surely nicer than some other arenas out there but we would do well to upgrade it.
HB- Exactly! But the point I am trying to make is that, compared to the players lounge in football, it isn’t even remotely close.
KP- There is talk of a new downtown facility and I think that would really be nice, but on the flip side, no one is really beating down the door right now with unlimited donations. Having said all that, I think NU and the boosters have been very supportive. But there are economic realities and limitations.
HB-Speaking to the future, NU is redshirting some good high school players right now in Edwards, McCray, and Richardson along with Juco transfer Chapman. You combine that with Roburt Sallie, and well no one is for sure about the 7 footer from Germany getting cleared by the NCAA yet, what do you think about this Husker team for next year?
KP-Well I think they will be deeper across the board. I mean you have 11 or 12 guys that can play. In his first year, Doc had maybe 7. So definitely deeper, a little more athletic and a year older. But we still won’t be real big, especially with Maric leaving. I think there are still some pieces missing, I mean everyone wants a 6’7″ kid who is athletic and can put it on the floor and defend but can also be more effective as a scorer also. No one really knows the effect of Maric leaving and what that will do. You are losing 16 points and 10 boards a game and that isn’t easy to replace. I think Doc has established Nebraska as one of the up-and-coming programs in the country. Nebraska was the talk of the league in February. Everybody in the media was talking about the Huskers at the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City. And I expect that momentum to continue into next season. My sense is that coaches in the league dreaded having to play the Huskers last year late in the season. They were just so sound and so difficult even though often not as talented. That goes a long way. Add some special players to the mix, and this could be something bigger and better than we’ve ever had by a long shot.
HB-Speaking of Maric, I thought he had a good career at NU. I think he was a good center, team leader, and an underrated passer in the paint. He wasn’t a dominant center in my opinion and I think sometimes we tried to run too much through him. How will the offense look next year without him?
KP- That I really don’t know. I don’t even think Doc will know until he knows what his roster is. But, I think, it won’t be traditional in the sense of a center with his back against the basket with the offense running through him. It’ll definitely be different, but I think we’ll just have to wait and see on that.
HB- Doc, after last season cut the fat if you will off the roster to make room for some of his players. Doc has said publicly that if he has the opportunity to sign a big man who can start in the spring signing period, he will. Do you foresee any attrition happening with the current roster?
KP- I wouldn’t doubt it. Doc did already say if he finds a big who can start, he’ll sign him. That would suggest someone not coming back.
HB- Turning a little away from basketball now, if I may, I’d like to ask you about Jim Rose stepping down as PBP broadcaster of the Huskers. Did you make contact or where you contacted about jumping back into a job you held from 1983 to 1996?
KP- Yes. I was hoping that I would have the opportunity and I made it clear to the network and the folks at the University that I was interested but it never went anywhere. I think they had their mind made up they wanted Greg right away. The handwriting was on the wall right away when he stepped in the last 3 games of the year. I don’t know if any consideration was given to me or not, but me not being part of the plan became pretty obvious because I didn’t really have any conversation of substance with anyone about it. I was really disappointed, but I think Greg is very very good and the fans will like him, but I was really hoping to come back. I have been hoping to take on a bigger role with the network…doing more on radio and television, but it doesn’t seem like that’s something they are interested in. But regarding the football play-by-play I don’t know if they had an issue with me or what……
HB- How can you have issues with….what is it now…6 time Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year? I’ll just say I was very disappointed and wish you could have came back.
KP- Thanks, Brad. I was disappointed too, but for whatever reasons they decided against it.
HB- Speaking of Jim Rose, do you think he was getting some unfair criticism from certain media and radio? I think some stations, even though they were funny, were taking some things too far.
KP-I think it’s a real tough job and I have always been amazed at some of the criticism you get. Just the premise that you would have a live 3 1/2 hour play by play description of a game, not make a mistake, and it would be perfect is ludicrous. The internet has allowed people to hide behind pseudonyms and say anything they want about anybody, which is almost un-American. This country was founded in part on the premise of being able to face your accuser and if you are going to write something about Jim Rose, or Bo Pelini, or Kent Pavelka or whomever, put your name down. Most of these people, if they were subject to the same criticism they put out for their work, might go about it differently. This stuff snowballs and I firmly believe you’ve got people with agendas out there that are after certain people for whatever reasons. You’ve also got people who are intrinsically unhappy with their own lives and find it cathartic to lash out at others. Others who are part of clandestine campaigns of sorts. All of a sudden this type of criticism becomes way out of whack and sometimes not remotely true. I’ve seen things written about broadcasts I did that I never said, but if it’s written on the internet, it must be true, right? You can’t afford to look at that kind of stuff or let it get to you. The one other thing I’ll say about play-by-play broadcasting is the more descriptive you are, the more margin for error there is. My style, I try to be as descriptive as I can be. I guess I could slow way down and report on every other pass and not make a mistake. Would that create the word pictures the audience wants and needs in a radio broadcast? I don’t think so. I would just get criticized by folks who don’t like the other style. In many ways you can’t win. But, it’s a difficult job in that many people feel you should never make an error. The criticism takes on a life of its own and often is embellished way beyond reality. Urban legend stuff. But mostly, you can’t please everybody. There are a lot of different kinds of people listening . They all want and expect something a little different. You can’t be all things to all people. There are also people listening who just flat out don’t like you. For all kinds of reasons beyond what kind of job you do on air. So be it.
HB- In all your years of doing PBP, who is the player you were most impressed with. I mean who, did you say to yourself, man, I can’t wait to see what so and so is going to do today.
KP- I don’t know if I can answer that as it pertains to one person, but I will say that in football the group from 1993-95 approached that level to what you’re talking about, that I couldn’t wait to see them on Saturday. The 1983-84 team was very good offensively, but on the 1993-95 teams, it was both sides of the ball.
HB-What do you think about the hire of Bo Pelini?
KP-Well I think you know they will play some defense (chuckle), I mean defensively you know they will be better. I think, somewhat like Doc Sadler, Bo has captured the essence of what Nebraska football is about…what the fans want and expect. He has grabbed the imagination and respect of the fans. The fact that he was selected by Tom Osborne is important. The Nebraska culture has returned because of that. Add to that they will be better defensively, and you’ve already united the fan base like it never was under Callahan. This gives Pelini all he needs in terms of fan support for rebuilding. Bottom line is that I think you’ll see and feel an energy out there by the players that Nebraska fans will embrace, just like back in the day.
HB- Kent, I only have one question left, if you don’t mind. Next year, will you be back as the PBP broadcaster for basketball?
KP- I think so. I’m assuming so. I mean it hasn’t been discussed. I hope to do it again. I want to do it again if they want me back.
HB-Well Kent, I think that will be about it. I just can’t tell you how much respect I have for you and what you have done for the University of Nebraska….and for Nebraska. Your voice has painted the picture to some of the greatest moments in Husker sports and for that I thank you. You truly are a Husker legend and it’s been an honor to talk to you today.
KP- Thanks Brad, and I look forward to the post.
