DePaul University Battles DePauw University In Announcer’s Nightmare

Veteran announcer Craig Whelan lived a waking nightmare last Wednesday when DePauw and DePaul Universities played one another in a basketball game at DePauw’s Neal Fieldhouse in Indiana.

As early as tip-off, things went awry for the Indianan announcer when he erroneously referred to DePauw as ‘DePaul.’

“I corrected myself right away, but accidentally said ‘DePauw, not DePaul, won the jump bauw,” Whelan told reporters while wincing. “And, as if the team names weren’t enough, DePaul and DePauw wore almost identical blue hues.  It was a trial to tell the two apart.”

Whelan continued to confuse not only the teams throughout the game, but the players, too—especially DePauw’s Alvin Paul and DePaul’s Elijah-David Pau. “At one point Pau stole the ball from DePauw’s Paul and put DePaul ahead,” Whelan said. “When I tried providing that play-by-play, spectators called an ambulance suspecting a stroke.”

Fearing his flubs would get him fired, Whelan tried his best to focus during the final exciting minutes of the match. “DePaul and DePauw were tied, neither had T/Os left and OT seemed likely.” Whelan said breathlessly, rocking back and forth. “But then DePaul’s Pau pawed the ball from DePauw’s Paul, bouncing the ball out-of-bounds. Paul inbounded the ball, no ref call, and DePauw balled the DePaul bounds with Paul and Pau, dunking the ball, both DePauw and DePaul called the inbound ball, layup DePauPaul! Game over!”

Asked who won the match, one fan leaving the stadium said, “I think DePauw got the W and DePaul got the L, but no one knows for sure.”