Nigel Hayes (USA TODAY Sports)
INDIANAPOLIS — Nigel Hayes has made a big name for himself as a user of big words.
Throughout the NCAA tournament, the Wisconsin forward has made headlines by using unique vocabulary in press conferences, at first just to liven things up for the ASAP Sports transcriptionist in the room, challenging her with hard-to-spell words.
Then, it became a habit.
Press Conference: Badgers have too much fun
Wisconsin-Kentucky: Best game ever?
From cattywampus, onomatopoeia and antidisestablishmentarianism in the round of 64 to Final Four vocabulary that included prestidigitation and logorrhea, Hayes has forced us all to use spell check and dictionary.com a little more than we’re used to.
On Sunday, we asked Hayes how he chooses the words he’ll mention in the press conferences.
“Some of them I stumble upon when I’m reading various materials at night, or sometimes they’re given to me by friends,” Hayes said. “I’ve had probably over 10,000 words tweeted at me since this whole thing started in Omaha. I’ve had my selection from those.
“I never know where I’ll get inspiration for these words.”
The hard-to-spell words Nigel Hayes has shared during main press conferences since the start of the tournament: pic.twitter.com/c36RSZMDS8
— Paul Myerberg (@PaulMyerberg) April 5, 2015
Hayes has said his love for vocabulary began when he was younger. His stepfather would tell Hayes to read — lots of magazines and newspapers — and he’d read and then look up words he didn’t know.
“Then it’s just fun to know words, and you can say certain words that put people in a quandary, and they don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hayes said back in the Round of 64. “And it makes for more fun, I guess.”
