With the Cavaliers ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll and claiming their third tournament title in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship this past Saturday, ‘Hoo Crew, the University's student-run fan group, has a lot to be excited about for this March’s madness.
Cavalier athletic teams have been recognized around the nation for their strong performances, but there has also been national recognition for the fan base — in 2014, the ‘Hoo Crew earned the Naismith Student Section of the Year award.
In 2016, ESPN College GameDay Host Rece Davis said, “I don’t like to rank crowds … but I’m so old now, I don’t care if people get mad. If they get mad, be better than Virginia.”
The ‘Hoo Crew was founded in 2005 and works to support and hype up all University athletic events. ‘Hoo Crew has already supported the basketball team thus far by attending regular season home games, and a few members also went to Brooklyn, NY to cheer on the Cavaliers in the ACC tournament.
Anna Claire Fotopoulos is a fourth-year student in the School of Nursing and the ‘Hoo Crew committee president. Fotopoulos joined ‘Hoo Crew her first year at the University as part of its pilot Dorm Representatives program.
“[Joining ‘Hoo Crew] sounded like a cool way to find other people who enjoy sports,” Fotopoulos said. “I became Kellogg’s dorm representative first year and applied to become a full committee member at the end of first year.”
Since joining, Fotopoulos has gotten to experience the various highs and lows of all the Cavalier teams. Still, her favorite moment comes from basketball.
“My favorite memory was two years ago, for ESPN GameDay we camped out and got there around two in the morning and played card games and hung out,” Fotopoulos said. “It was such a nice day that we got right back in line for the U.Va. vs. UNC game. My favorite part about that game was how intense the crowd was and how excited we were to win that game. UNC’s always a good team to beat.”
Since the Cavaliers came into the 2018 season unranked, Fotopoulos said she was not optimistic about the team improving from last year. Additionally, after point guard London Perrantes graduated last year, the team was not expected to perform this well. However, the Virginia basketball team ended the season with a 31-2 record, earning them the overall number one seed for the NCAA Tournament.
“I was optimistic, but I definitely was expecting a bit of a down year losing London and the transfers,” Fotopoulos said. “The AP Poll predicted us to be number six [in the ACC], but I thought we could do better than that. In the past, we have done well in the ACC and it’s easier to do well when you have done before.”
Fotopoulos said she believes the team gets less national recognition than they deserve.
“Bennett’s looking for unselfish players that don’t just have a plan to score,” Fotopoulos said. “The culture he has built has helped us sustain the success despite losing some of our really good players over the years.”
‘Hoo Crew has contributed to the team’s success by creating an environment where students can get excited about different sporting events, such as providing streamers at games and giving out annual ‘Hoo Crew tees.
Ryan Zimmerman, a fourth-year Batten student and vice president of ‘Hoo Crew who described himself as a Cavalier fan “brainwashed from birth,” further described the role of the group in the team’s season.
“We hope to add as much as we possibly can [to the team],” Zimmerman said. “What they’ve done under Bennett’s hard work is pretty incredible. Anytime the shot clock gets down to ten seconds, we try to be as loud as possible. By doing this we can align our goals with theirs.”
The team is known for its packline defense, which limits the other team’s ability to get closer to the hoop and puts constant pressure on the player with the ball.
“The main thing is that our crowd gets excited about defense,” Zimmerman said. “You won’t find another stadium where a shot clock violation is the most exciting call. The crowd does a good job of supporting the team in what they pride themselves in.”
Not only has the ‘Hoo Crew helped to build up support for the basketball program, but they also support all of the other University athletic teams and the wider athletic community. Fotopoulos acts acts as a liaison between between the Athletic Department and the student body. Part of this job includes rebuilding components of the Sabre Points program in order to incentivize students to attend a variety of sports events.
‘Hoo Crew also helps fundraise through philanthropy events, cleaning the football stadium, and passing out ‘Hoo Crew planners at the beginning of the year. One of the group’s largest philanthropy events is a partnership with the Charlottesville Special Olympics.
“We raise money for this event, and have different members of the U.Va. sports teams come out — volleyball, soccer and members of the basketball team,” Fotopoulos said. “We are hoping to get more support from the school and more University students to come out.”
The ‘Hoo Crew plans to continue their support of the Hoos in the NCAA tournament by attending the games and having watch parties.
‘Hoo Crew is currently supporting the team through its social media accounts and has a bracket challenge they sent through their Facebook. Fittingly, their motto for the bracket challenge is, “If you don’t pick U.Va. to win it all, you’re doing it wrong.” This loyalty is mirrored is all of ‘Hoo Crew’s actions.
During the tournament, ‘Hoo Crew will have watch parties at Boylan Heights, and a couple of members will make the trek to Charlotte for the first two rounds. However, if the Cavaliers make it to later rounds, more members will follow the team to support.
“Now that we could play in San Antonio, we definitely will plan on going,” Fotopoulos said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you can’t pass up.”
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