Craig Ehlo, Coug

There has been much criticism of Craig Ehlo in these parts. The problem for the Cougar faithful seems to be that Craig appears to be loyal to Gonzaga, not the Cougs. Also, apparently he just doesn't "know enough" about the Cougs. I'll address those charges shortly.
 

Lest any of us forget, Craig is a Coug. Those of us who watched him play will never forget Glenn Johnson announcing the starting lineup: "Craig EEEEEEEEEEEEEE-LO!!" The crowd was totally worked up and wild. George Raveling said that he "played on the ragged edge of being out of control." I have never seen any Coug play harder or with more absolute joy for the game.
 
He spent 14 years (14 YEARS!) in the NBA, an honorable Cougar for every day of them. Someone will probably mention "The Shot." Well, in that game, he scored 24 points while playing on a sprained ankle. And the guy who made the shot wasn't half bad.
 
He has never had a bad or unkind word for WSU or the Cougar family. Further adding to Cougar pride, he was one of 10 inaugural basketball inductees into the Pac-10 Conference Hall of Honor. The other inductees were John Wooden, Pete Newell, Sean Elliott, Byron Scott, John Dick, Gary Payton, Bill Sharman, Hank Luisetti, and Bob Houbregs. Not bad company.
 
At WSU, Craig established a then-season record of 136 assists for conference games. He averaged two steals per game.
 
His mistake seems to be that after the NBA, he went out and got a job -- in sports. He had the nerve to work for a different school. How could he be so thoughtless?
 
He broadcasts for Gonzaga. That's his job. He gets paid to do it. Are any of you expecting that when he calls the Coug/GU game that he'll be a rabid Coug Fan? Did Keith Jackson gush about the Cougars when he called games?
 
Bud Namek is a great guy and a fine caller of Coug games. But folks, he's doing it because he's being paid to do it. He's our home announcer and he had better be a fan of the team when he's in the booth. But when all is said and done, it's his job.
 
What's ironic is that Ehlo is blatantly and obviously a Cougar fan. His coverage of the LSU game was almost embarrasing for how much he gushed over the Cougs.
 
It has been said that he doesn't "know" the team very well. Actually, I think he shows great depth of knowledge and great respect for Ken Bone's approach and for the team's play and effort. You know, it wasn't Ehlo who made Enquist the player of a recent game. But if it had been, I have a feeling we'd still be hearing about how stupid and ignorant Craig Ehlo is.
 
This is my opinion only, but I believe his game analysis is spot-on. He sees things going on that most commentators miss. I will not put him at the same level as Stephen Bardo -- who may be the best in the business -- but I'll let him be in the same league. He's had broadcasting experience in the NBA, having called a season for the Sonics.
 
Finally, I think it bears repeating that we don't speak ill of a Coug. And in Craig's case, one of the greatest and most loyal Cougars of all time.