Late ESPN anchor Stuart Scott was honored prior to the start of last night’s Notre Dame-North Carolina men’s basketball game, with the UNC players wearing a “patch in memory of … Scott on their uniforms” and the school holding a moment of silence before the opening tip, according to ESPN’s Sean McDonough. Scott was a “proud graduate” of UNC, and it was an “emotional night” at the Dean E. Smith Center. McDonough said, “There are a couple of places in our country where he was truly loved: In the hallways of our ESPN studios, and certainly here in North Carolina, as a native son and a graduate of this university” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 1/5). The AP’s Aaron Beard noted students sitting courtside “held up signs reading ‘Stu’ during the pregame announcement” (AP, 1/5). The Bulls also "paid their respects" to Scott prior to last night's game against the Rockets, as the "teams and fans stood in unison in the United Center to hold a moment of silence before announcing the starting lineups" (CSNCHICAGO.com, 1/5).
BREAKING THE MOLD: Tributes continue to pour in for Scott, with ESPN's Tony Kornheiser saying, "For many years, sports was given to people almost exclusively by white males. When ESPN put Stuart Scott in the ‘SportsCenter’ anchor chair, everybody got something different." Kornheiser: "I’m an old white guy, but I know that young black men and young white men too found in Stuart Scott a voice they had never heard before, and voice that captivated them" ("PTI," ESPN, 1/5). NBA.com's David Aldridge wrote what made Scott "so unique was that he was a broadcaster from a different place." He "wasn't sardonic or laid back; he wasn't prosecutorial or grandiose; he was a black guy doing the sports." He could "drop a 'what had happened was'... and every black person knew exactly what he was talking about" (NBA.com, 1/5). FS1's Mike Hill said, "Because he insisted on being him, it has allowed me and given me the courage to be me, and he’s a major reason why I'm here on my own show today. There used to be times when I would get upset with people saying I was trying to be him. ... It no longer bothers me. Instead, I take it as a compliment because if in some way if I remind people of this great man ... so be it" ("America's Pregame," FS1, 1/5).
A STYLE ALL HIS OWN: Former ESPN President George Bodenheimer gave a statement to THE DAILY that read, "Stuart's legacy as a groundbreaking sportscaster at ESPN is set in stone. Stuart's legacy of winning his battle with cancer, based on the way he lived, will be carried on forever through the work of the V Foundation for Cancer Research. I was honored to be able to call Stuart a friend" (THE DAILY). ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY's Jeff Jensen wrote Scott anchored "SportsCenter" with the "intensity and flair of a natural born emcee trying to win a showcase." He was "brainy but not pretentious, sincere but no fool," and he "deviated from the irony and detachment" of former "SportsCenter" anchors Dan Patrick and Craig Kilborn (EW.com, 1/5). ESPN.com's Scoop Jackson wrote Scott "didn't become the voice of urban, inner-city America as much as he became the voice of American cool, with both what he said and how he said it" (ESPN.com, 1/5). NFL Network's Steve Wyche said Scott was a “gamechanger” and a “trendsetter that really set the tone for what a lot of people try to do and can’t” (“NFL Total Access,” NFL Network, 1/5). ESPN's Keith Olbermann said, "I cannot think of anybody I worked with in sports whose professional courage I have admired more” ("Olbermann," ESPN2, 1/5). ESPN.com's Michael Wilbon wrote Scott "was no shrinking violet." He was "smart enough, particularly the last five years, to ignore the morons and bigots on Twitter, the noise and intolerance of it all" (ESPN.com, 1/5). In Austin, Cedric Golden writes, "I didn’t always believe Scott’s style would last." But to his credit, he "never wavered despite negative reaction from those who didn’t agree with his way of delivering the highlights" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 1/6).
