Greg Anthony will replace Clark Kellogg as lead CBS analyst
By Brad Rowland
In a very interesting move in the world of sports media, CBS has elected to pull a “switch-a-roo” on their college basketball coverage for the upcoming season.
For decades, Billy Packer and Jim Nantz formed the “number one” duo for CBS’s coverage, and when Packer retired in 2008, the company promoted from within its own ranks. The choice was Clark Kellogg, as he was plucked from the studio show, and for the past five seasons, he and Nantz have been the network’s go-to crew for big games and the Final Four.
On Monday, the network announced that former UNLV and NBA star Greg Anthony will replace Kellogg as the “lead” analyst, and that, surprisingly, Kellogg will switch with Anthony in becoming the lead studio analyst. To be honest, I was stunned upon hearing this news, as Anthony has apparently risen very quickly through the ranks (after debuting with ESPN after retirement), and my initial reaction was that CBS wasn’t telling the full story.
However, it appears that the move is on the up and up, and CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus released this statement with “safe” language:
"“Greg and Clark are two of the most respected, knowledgeable and passionate voices in college basketball. They are both excellent game and studio analysts. It’s a luxury to have them both on our team. We believe this shuffling of our line-up allows both Greg and Clark to play more to their individual strengths, enhancing our overall coverage.”"
Obviously, it isn’t in the interest of McManus or CBS to release more details, but for now, we’ll wait and see if the move works out for the behemoth network.