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Show if V - i J SOUTHERN UTAH iTi m'j& - STATE COLLEGE, CEDAR CITY THE THUNDERBIRD TUESDAY JANUARY 3, 1989 PAGE Richey rites BRENT RICHEY BY J Hey fans! Division I or bust While everyone was kicking back during the holidays, I found myself reclining on my couch drinking eggnog and trying to find something, anything, worth watching on TV. In my basketball game despair, I ran across a Kentucky-at-Louisvill- e I and remembered that like college basketball. g This rivalry featured perhaps one of the best collegiate players in the nation m Pervis Ellison, so it promised to be worth my time. However, instead of focusing my attention on Ellison, the I was constantly noticing the other game and the components of the game: the crowd, the noise and the band. and I began comparing each factor with the conditions environment at a Southern Utah State home game. Now that of may or may not be fair. True, Louisville has thousands television from dollars more to spend on its basketball program, revenues alone. But SUSC spends about a quarter million dollars on its fledgling Division I team. In comparison with other Division I teams, SUSC s budget is extremely small, but the issue should not be, Oh, if we only had a million dollars for our program. It doesnt take a million dollars to get fans to turn out to games. It doesnt take a million dollars to show a little spirit, to support a team that is treading experimental waters. Whether they sink or swim is laid partially on the shoulders of the fans. The first thing I noticed in contrast to SUSC was the 19,502 game. fans that turned out to witness the Kentucky-Louisvill- e The crowd was decked out m Louisville Cardinal red and waved tiny red and white pompons continually. The population of Cedar City is only about 15,000 and although few townspeople will admit so, it survives because of the college. If only half the population turned out, the Centrum would be filled beyond capacity. The noise level m Louisvilles Freedom Hall was amazing. Every time a Kentucky player went to the foul line, the Louisville fans veiled and waved those obnoxious pompons. When the Cardinals went on a fast break, they waved the pompons. Another thing I noticed was a loud pep band. The obnoxious drummer kept pounding until I thought he was going to bust them. I know this all sounds like a bunch of hype, and thats exactly what it is. College basketball is simply a lot of hype, and that is whats missing at SUSC. Sure this is our first year of Division I, but the team isnt the only group that made the transition to the big leagues. The and college made the switch; the students made the switch; switch. therefore, the fans should make the It is a question of respect and pride. SUSC is just beginning to gain the attention of northern Utah and the state-wid- e media. The Big Four in Utah: U of U, USU, BYU, and Weber State, has been modified to the Big Five to include SUSC. But student fans and community members have not shown enough respect for the team to earn respect from anyone else. SUSC home games represent a true dichotomy. On one side of the Centrum sit the ticket holders, community members, and those otherwise not classified as students. The other side is mostly students. Whether this is intended I dont know, and it really isnt important except to show there basically is not a difference. Usually they separate themselves instinctively because students are stereotypically louder and more wild. But there arent any stereotypes being fulfilled here. The most noise that is generated is when somebody decides to yell something vulgar to the refs. The issue comes down to pride and commitment. Do the it takes to people in Cedar City and SUSC students have what successful in basketball team make our do our part to help and return Division I? If not, maybe someone should reconsider II. us to Division long-standin- play-by-pla- y, Roger McDonald adds two more to his 16 point total Monday night. His size and shooting touch be called upon tonight when the Thunderbirds host St. Francis. uill Birds win by 30; host Bulldogs (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) the Northern Arizona win. On the year, Roberts players are hitting just 64 percent from the charity line, well below where hed like them. In the rebound department Naulls led SUSC with nine, and Randy Simkins pulled down eight. The first 10 minutes of Monday nights contest remained close with the biggest Bird lead reaching five, 10-at 14 minutes to play. SUSC began to break away on a Lee steal and fast break layup putting the Birds up by seven, 20-1at 8:26. The Birds then rattled off six straight points, four on the fast break as Lee converted a layup and Simkins slammed one home to increase the SUSC lead to 30-1- 9 with 4:50 left in the 5, 3, first half. but came out NAU trailed at halftime of the second first 10:03 the in better shooting half. The scoring remained even until Jerry 36-2- 3 Naulls, who finished with nine points and assists, hit a jumper that keyed a 15-- 2 run. 1 1 McDonald had four points m the run, and Lee showed a few moves with a behind the back pass to Kurt Bailey on a fast break basket. It The ended on a Marcelic Thunderbird spurt put the game out of reach for the Jacks, who were down by 30 with only 4:21 left in the game, 68-3three-pointe- r. 8. The Lumberjacks seemed to find a shooting outscored be to by just two, rebounding range but the southern Utah bench tightened up and increased the lead to 26 on a Mike Dean free throw. 12-1- 0, NAU guard Steve Williams epitomized the Jack frustration. With 12:33 to play in the game trailing by 16,. he initiated a few words that caused an official to step in before anything could materialize. Then at 1:55 remaining Williams elicited boos from the crowd when he pushed a Bird player in the back after being warned about his conduct. EDITORS NOTE: See page 14 for a capsulization of other Bird action during the holiday break. 13 ' |