College basketball is one of the most exciting sports to watch. The players feed off of the crowd's energy, which really does effect the game. Home court advantage is huge in big games and the student section is a great part of that.
I go to West Virginia University and we've recently had a dilemma when it comes to the student section. Although we have a notoriously rowdy section during big games, at smaller games we struggle to get a good turnout. Coach Huggins has called us students out, “All this stuff about we have the best student section. No, we don’t.” Ah, Huggs is always speaking the brutally honest truth. I agree with him to some extent. I think consistency is what the section needs.
On Saturday, Press Virginia hosted #3 Oklahoma, which ended up being the Coliseum's 7th largest crowd in history. The student section was packed full and rowdy all game. I was right in the middle of this action and know for a fact the lower section was over capacity. The end result didn't favor WVU but the atmosphere at the game was electrifying.
The way the student section is set up now is kind of odd in my opinion. There are the lower standing seats, which are pull out bleachers right on the floor. Then there are five sections in the upper corner reserved for students. So instead of a single student section, it's like two separate student sections. I like the old way the student section was set up. There was still the lower standing section, but instead of having the other students up in the corner, they would be in the sections directly behind the lower standing.
This is the old student section setup:
This is the current student section setup:
I also think there can be improvements with the ticketing system. It's a lengthy, online process to even get a ticket. First there is a "request" phase, then if you receive a ticket that you requested you must "reserve" it during the claim phase. My Dad told me when he went to school at WVU all you did was show up to the game with your student ID and it was first come, first serve. I like the idea of a first come, first serve basis. It would force students to get to the game early and any student would have an equal opportunity to attend the game because they wouldn't have to worry about getting a ticket.
I say bring back the old student section. No more, "Sorry, you didn't receive a ticket for..." No more separating us into "lower" and "upper" sections. Let's bring back the huge, loud, rowdy section that takes up a whole side of the Coliseum. Let's build a wall of a student section and make the coliseum great again.
