Raftery has way with words

As he walked through airports, CBS basketball analyst Bill Raftery said he would find it strange when people would approach him and yell out "with a kiss!” or "mantoman.”

"I'd say what the heck's wrong with that guy,” he said. "Then I found out that was me.”

After coaching stints with Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall, the New Jersey native has found his niche as a college basketball analyst known for his colorful sayings that sometimes are hard to decipher. In his 26th season with CBS, he has the enthusiasm for basketball of Dick Vitale without his corniness.

"You get a great seat and people say hello,” said Raftery, who had a 154-141 record at Seton Hall. "When I coached, I got a great seat, but after the game, very few people said hello. That's why I got into television. There are no losses.”

Raftery, who will be the analyst for Oklahoma's game against St. Joseph's tonight — one of four games from Birmingham, Ala., he is broadcasting today with Verne Lundquist — said some of his expressions evolved from his desire to talk fast and get out of the way of the play-by-play announcer. He explained a few of his trademark sayings:

•"Mantoman” — "I'd identify the defense and say it real fast.”

• "Send it in” — Started as "Send it in, Jerome” after Pitt star Jerome Lane shattered a backboard with a dunk in 1988. "Now, it's ‘Send it in, big fella.' Now even the guards can dunk, so I even have, ‘Send it in, little fella.'”

•"Onions” — "Having guts or being tough-minded” as in making a big shot or a free throw. "It could have been another vegetable, but that one came to mind.”

•"With a kiss!” — "Nice soft touch” by a shooter.

•"With a dagger!” — "Having coached when you're down three and you needed a stop and a kid would put it in and you'd go ‘Oh!' That's in putting you away.”

•"With a blow by” — Players showing great speed

•"Nylon” or "nothing but nylon” — Great shooting. "Oklahoma fans hope there's a lot of nylon Friday night.”