I attended both preseason men's basketball games and the Mount St. Mary's and High Point games. No, I don't think I should be awarded a medal for this, but I know it is a rather unique claim. How can I be so sure of this? Well, in those four games the student section of U-Hall seemingly maxed out at 10.
The raucous fans from the Duke and Maryland games a year ago are clearly hibernating until the same matchups this year or, even worse, not planning on waking up at all in light of Virginia's poor projected finish.
Doing so, however, has created an embarrassing home court atmosphere. And that's unfair to this year's squad. Having seen the team in action, I am starting to get over my initial skepticism and embrace that the team will be exciting, if nothing else. When talent and athleticism are mixed with youth and inexperience, you get a team that's fun to watch because the unexpected is likely to reign supreme. Gary Forbes and Derrick Byars are showing signs of being scoring threats, Donte Minter impresses more and more each time down the floor, and the combo of J.R. Reynolds and Todd Billet provides a formidable one-two shooting threat.
The fans may not be coming in droves of frenzied excitement like in recent years, but at least we have a live band to rile up the few, accumulated faithful. Oh, wait. Scrap that. Having spent the better part of two years sitting a mere two feet from the pep band, I didn't think I would make this admission: I miss the pep band and the atmosphere they helped create.
It's appalling how quiet U-Hall has been. It feels like an empty, cavernous space with no noise and certainly no people to fill the void. Thus far, the fans have failed to even fill up the lower bowl of seating in the arena. In fact, for a few of the games, courtside seats went unclaimed.
It's been so quiet in U-Hall that I feel guilty talking to my friends for fear of disturbing the peace. At least the music over the PA system speakers rocks the arena. Oh, wait. Scrap that. Typically, one can only hear the music if everyone in attendance chooses to whisper.
Considering our horribly undemanding non-conference schedule, it may be hard to judge just how good Virginia is, and tonight's ACC/Big Ten Challenge game with Minnesota will provide a rare matchup against a strong opponent before the ACC schedule begins Dec. 28.
Every game this year will be exciting because I don't foresee Virginia having the killer instinct to blow any team out (as evidenced already this fall) but still being good enough to run the floor against anyone (at least at home). Coach Pete Gillen's rededicated commitment to an up-tempo offense will inflate scores and provide excitement from buzzer to buzzer.
Plus, every game will have its own unique subplots. Will Gillen exhaust his supply of timeouts before halftime? Will "The Mustachioed One", Jason Cain, and Brad Abel be able to co-exist? (Sorry, I couldn't resist the Biblical joke.) Will Travis Watson return to his old stomping grounds and drive up in his white minivan for old time's sake? Will Forbes back up his claim, "I don't have weakness?" Will Billy Glading start dishing out some lacrosse-style hip checks? Will Minter continue to prove that he is better than Nick Vander Laan in every facet of the game? Will the rest of the diminutive T.J. Bannister show up? Will Elton Brown play defense in consecutive possessions?
Brown is actually an interesting story in his own right. He's got a new weight, new attitude, new number and the same poor free throw shooting. The new number is likely attributed to his old number 42s being a little too wide around his trimmer torso.
Come for the high point totals or for the exciting freshmen athletes. Come to see if Billet will hit every shot on a given night or just come for the good seats likely to be available.
As much as I'm a fanatic about Virginia athletics and want the team to do well before a frenzied fan base, maybe it's in my best interest that attendance remain the same. I'd have a better chance of catching a free t-shirt...
(Oh, and I would be remiss not to make the obligatory Red Sox mention, so let me just say that I am really, really excited about Curt Schilling. I went from swearing off baseball to getting giddy about pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training in mere seconds.)
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