March Madness: 15 Greatest Gus Johnson Moments (w/ video)
By Jacob Rude
9. “Pure.”
Alright, this game didn’t come from March either, but fire me. This game alone is responsible for two submissions on this list, is between two top-ten ranked teams, and is the creation (or so I think) of one of Gus’ greatest catch phrases, so it gets the exception.
Fair warning, A.J. Price had some mythical powers over Johnson. First, you’ll see this clip, where Johnson elicits a version of the word “pure” that fans have tried to emulate since. The pronunciation and emphasis on certain parts of the word give it a whole new sense. From the point of that jumper forward, Gus owned the word.
This obviously came midway through the second half of a game where the lesser-ranked Bulldogs were upsetting UConn, because even regular season games in December aren’t immune to the Law of Gus.
Late in the second half is when things get wild…..
Next: 2008 - UConn vs. Gonzaga, Part 2