Rains: Women deserve same game day enthusiasm

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The Kansas men’s basketball team has played in front of sell-out crowds at Allen Fieldhouse 106 times in a row. The Kansas women’s basketball team has never sold out a single game.

While more than 16,300 fans have crammed into the fieldhouse for each men’s game since the second game of the 2001-02 season, the women have played in front of an average of only 2,501 fans during their 11 home games this year. On five different occasions this season, the women have had an attendance of less than 2,000 fans.

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It’s no secret that the energy and enthusiasm in the stands directly affects the players’ performance on the court.

Yes, the men’s team is 20-0 and has a long history of being one of the top programs in basketball history, but what do you think helps them win so many games? It’s the fans that pack Allen Fieldhouse each night that make it one of the toughest places for road teams to play in the nation. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the men have gone 184-12 in the historic building since the start of the 1994-95 season.

Would they have won games such as the 81-79 win over Oklahoma State in 2005 or the 59-58 win over Oklahoma in 2006 with only 2,000 fans in the stands? I highly doubt it.

So how can we expect the Kansas women’s basketball team to become a national power if we can’t even get 2,000 fans to attend the games? Maybe it’s just another coincidence that the Jayhawks’ only conference victory so far came with the biggest crowd of the season in attendance. Two weeks ago, 4,912 fans saw the Jayhawks defeat border rival Missouri 66-60.

“Any kid wants to play in front of a packed house,” coach Bonnie Henrickson said.

And she’s right. How fun is it to come out of the tunnel before a game and see nothing but empty seats? How much fun is it when you can hear individual fans shouting at the officials or when the coaches can be heard instructing their players from the top row of the building?

It’s no secret that the energy and enthusiasm in the stands directly affects the players’ performance on the court. The more electricity coming from the stands, the more players will find that extra little boost to push them forward.

“I think the crowds will get bigger,” Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony said. “A couple years ago we won our first 12 games and beat Texas and there were almost 5,000 people in the stands. I can see that day coming very quickly.”

I can’t see that day coming quickly but it should. The team is improving year by year, turning the corner and becoming a team that will contend for an NCAA tournament bid.

If you haven’t seen a women’s game this year, head down to the fieldhouse and check one out. Admission is free with your KUID and not only will you have a good time and enjoy the action, you might be the difference in the game.

“You have people in this town that love basketball and appreciate the game,” Henrickson said. “If they haven’t come to a game and do, I think they would appreciate it and enjoy it and want to come back.”

— Edited by Sasha Roe

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