This fan came at John Fanta without all the facts — and the NBC broadcaster eviscerated them.
Fanta was hosting an X Space and discussing Big East basketball on Friday night when a fan called in and interrupted the broadcaster’s analysis of Seton Hall’s loss to St. John’s on Tuesday, claiming that both teams are “terrible.”
“They’re terrible. We’re terrible,” the caller said, while seemingly referring to the Red Storm.
Fanta then went ballistic on the caller, saying that his comments were a “bunch of crap.”
“You’re an idiot. Enough! ‘Terrible.’ Get off! I don’t have time for people who are going to come on here and just go off and say ‘terrible’ and ‘bad’ and ‘stinks’ and this and this and that. That’s ridiculous,” Fanta said. “You’re not terrible. He sat calling in here, saying St. John’s is ‘terrible.’ They’re top-25 in KenPom. They’re top-25 in NET. They’re not terrible.
“The weather’s terrible this weekend. My football team is terrible. St. John’s isn’t terrible. ‘They’re terrible.’ Bunch of crap. Calling in here and saying a bunch of people are ‘terrible.’”
Fanta’s heated exchange with the caller came just a day before St. John’s beat Xavier 88-83 on Saturday for its sixth consecutive win.
The victory also marked Rick Pitino’s 900th of his career, doing so over his son, Richard, who is the head coach of Xavier.
“It was a great basketball game. They played tremendous ball. When your team, with that type of crowd, doesn’t bend, doesn’t break, just keeps staying in there, it’s remarkable how they’re playing right now. So I’m really proud of them,” Pitino told reporters following the game. “I’ve said this all along, how enjoyable they are, but tonight was the icing on the cake, because a lot of teams would break down 12, down 10, and they never broke. They just stayed with it.”
Saturday’s win for St. John’s now puts it at a 15-5 record and 8-1 against fellow Big East opponents, sitting second in the conference standings behind UConn.
The Red Storm’s next game comes against Butler on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
