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Stan Van Gundy incorrectly references the late Steve Jobs in praise of Florida’s Thomas Haugh
By Mark Kern
Published:
Stan Van Gundy was on the broadcast for the incredible Elite Eight game between Florida and Texas Tech, a game in which the Gators came back from double digits to advance to the Final Four with an 84-79 victory.
The Gators were once again led by an incredible performance by Walter Clayton Jr., who finished with 30 points and was named the MOP of the West Region. While Clayton led the Gators, it was the play of bench player Thomas Haugh that was arguably just as important.
Haugh on the season averaged 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, but he finished Saturday night with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He hit some huge 3-pointers late when the Gators were down 9, and he finished 4-of-6 on 3’s.
Van Gundy, during the game, was trying to give Haugh a ton of praise. He went to make an analogy that Haugh had earned a ton of money, but said the late Steve Jobs on his initial call.
“This guy is incredible,” Van Gundy said on the broadcast. “Golly. “He’s made more money this weekend than Steve Jobs.”
“Well, we know that,” Van Gundy quickly recovered. “He’s made more money than Jeff Bezos this weekend.”
Florida was playing in California (San Francisco, to be exact), so Van Gundy was clearly trying to tie in Haugh’s weekend to a notable local figure. However, Steve Jobs passed away in 2011, over 13 years ago. Regardless of Van Gundy’s intent, that is quite the miss for the broadcaster.
The 20 points Haugh scored were only the second time he has gotten to that mark this season, with the other one being a Feb. 15 game against South Carolina.
March Madness is all about players stepping up when they are needed, and Haugh delivered in a big way. With his performance, the Gators are off to the Final Four for the first time since 2014, and will take on either Auburn or Houston.
