ESPN to devote camera to Duke's Smith

ESPN is trying something new with Duke’s game tonight at Virginia, which will be televised on ESPN2.
The network will train a camera exclusively on Blue Devils guard Nolan Smith and run that video feed live on the Internet on ESPN3.com. At times during the regular broadcast on ESPN2, the regular game will be shown in split screen, with the camera on Smith as part of the action.

It’s part of a weeklong initiative of utilizing different production techniques and enhancements to show fans different perspectives on games.
Other experiments included:
•Isolated cameras on Connecticut’s Maya Moore and Baylor’s Brittany Greiner in women’s games Monday.

•Placing analysts Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery in opposite corners of the court for West Virginia-Syracuse on Monday.

•A miked referee during the Michigan State at Ohio State game Tuesday.

•An all-female announcing crew with Beth Mowins on play by play and Doris Burke on analysis for DePaul at Providence on Thursday.

ESPN spokesman Michael Humes said watching special players move with and without the ball can provide a different perspective.
“Nolan Smith is one of those kinds of players,” Humes said. “It’s pretty interesting when you focus on that one star player.”
The new techniques haven’t met with rave reviews from some viewers, though. According to the Hartford Courant, an informal poll on courant.com, showed that 462 of 619 visitors to the website did not like the split-screen technique that included the isolated camera on Moore during the Connecticut-Oklahoma game.
Humes acknowledged that ESPN received some viewer feedback on the isolated camera technique, but said the split screen technique will be more limited for Smith and the Duke game.

Ken Tysiac