Monday, January 22, 2007
Sports columnist Aaron McFarling: A win for students
Aaron McFarling
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Aaron's blog
BLACKSBURG -- The floor beneath him was shaking, the noise around him loud enough to cause goose bumps.
With 16.5 seconds remaining in overtime late Sunday night, Tom Gabbard stood at the entrance to the tunnel at Cassell Coliseum, hand on his chin, slowly turning his head from left to right, taking it all in.
The bass kicked in on "Enter Sandman." Thousands bounced, roared, implored.
This was what he'd had in mind.
Just a little more than two hours earlier, Gabbard, the Virginia Tech associate athletic director for internal affairs, had stood in this same spot and watched this place slowly fill up. It normally does about that time. But this had been different than most nights.
Nearly everyone coming in was young.
"Could get pretty loud tonight, don't you think?" he'd said.
Oh, yes. Could and did. Especially after those last 16.5 seconds ticked off the clock without another score, giving the Hokies a crucial 67-64 victory over Maryland, rewarding the many brave students who slogged out in the sleet and cold to watch their thrill-a-minute basketball team.
It was sit-wherever-you-want night at Cassell Coliseum. Got a student ID? Come on in. Want the seat at midcourt? Take it, just as long as somebody with a ticket doesn't actually show.
This was pure brilliance on the part of Tech's athletic administration and coach Seth Greenberg. They looked at the dire weather forecast Sunday morning and knew many out-of-towners wouldn't be able to make it.
So they acted quickly, sending out a mass e-mail to the students, inviting them to watch the game free.
The offer was accepted in a big way. And the atmosphere was unlike anything you'll see in this era.
This was college basketball before the big money watered it down, kids pulling for kids -- and the kids on the court delivered.
"This win was the students' win," Greenberg said.
"Because 2,500 people, inclement weather, we don't win this game," he continued. "And I told the guys before the game: This is the one game they're playing for their peers."
The place was filled to near capacity -- only the upper corners of the arena were empty -- and a good 85 percent of the crowd was students.
You could sense the energy difference immediately, from the playful catcalls directed toward the male a cappella group on hand to sing the national anthem to the high-decibel pulse right before tipoff.
And when Maryland guard Eric Hayes committed a shot-clock violation early in the first half, his only indication was the rising crowd noise. The buzzer? Ha! Forget hearing that.
"This is a lot of fun," said Mike Reid, a ticketless 18-year-old freshman who had planned to hang out in his room Sunday night until a friend told him about the administration's offer. "Normally, it's kind of dead and there aren't a lot of students here. Tonight, there's a ton of orange."
It wasn't all students, of course, but it was close. Mike Koon, a 47-year-old season-ticket holder in section 13, braved the slippery drive from Botetourt County. All around him were unfamiliar faces, but he didn't mind a bit.
"I think it's great," he said as he waited for the teams to come out for the second half. "We've been on our feet the whole time. It's a different level of intensity."
That intensity played a part, no doubt. And when it was over, before fans grabbed their coats and started back toward the icy mess outside, Greenberg grabbed the microphone and thanked them. They roared one last time.
"What can you say?" Gabbard said as he headed down the tunnel. "They were certainly the sixth man tonight."
