Friday, April 3, 2009
At 5:30 p.m., a full hour and a half before Wednesday night’s tipoff, junior forward Danielle McCray approached Allen Fieldhouse and noticed an unusual sight: lines of eager fans waiting at the doors.
For the first time all season, the areas designated for students were filled with hundreds of college students, standing and screaming against Illinois State.
And on the court, the Jayhawks delivered another solid performance, rewarding the 8,360 in attendance with an entertaining product and, more importantly, a 75-72 victory that launched Kansas into the WNIT championship against South Florida at 1 p.m. Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.
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Kansas vs. South Florida
WHEN: 1 p.m., Saturday WHERE: Allen Fieldhouse TV: CBS College Sports (Channel 143) RADIO: KLWN-AM 1320, KLZR-FM 105.9
Admission is free for students with a valid KUID.
Welcome to the new women’s basketball program — one that has risen from the dreaded label of afterthought to increased prominence among Kansas fans.
“That’s what we’ve all been waiting for,” McCray said. “We tried to get that from the start at Late Night but they have to see you play for them to come. And you’re going to have people come when you’re winning.”
Before Kansas’ semifinal game against Illinois State on Wednesday, players sat in the locker room, somewhat shocked after a round of pregame warm-ups.
Allen Fieldhouse, normally peppered with event staff and early-arriving media members, had fans — and a healthy number of them — before the 60-minute countdown to tipoff even began.
Junior guard Danielle McCray avoids an Illinois State player during the Jayhawks' 75-72 April 1 victory. Kansas will play the University of Southern Florida in the WNIT final on Saturday.
“It’s the atmosphere that we’ve all been working towards,” associate athletic director Jim Marchiony said. “Coaches, players, the administrators — this is what we’ve been working for. It’s very satisfying to see the team’s hard work pay off.”
The Jayhawks talked all season about increasing their fan support, and many administration-launched promotions drew fans into Allen Fieldhouse with some success.
But, really, there’s only one key to generating excitement and boosting attendance figures.
“You can throw out a lot of flyers and tell everyone you want to come, but it won’t change their decisions unless you’re winning,” McCray said. “People have come up to me and said ‘I don’t even like women’s basketball that much but I’m still coming.’”
Senior guard Ivana Catic added: “When you try to talk with people and say ‘Hey, come to our games.’ Then, they say ‘What’s your record?’ and you’re like ‘Well, we haven’t been doing so well, but we’re doing better,’ you don’t really get a good response.”
Kansas’ recent success down the stretch of the season, coupled with a lack of other basketball viewing options at this point in the year, has made the women’s basketball team a topic of conversation.
That wasn’t the case in years past or, for that matter, even earlier this season.
“Sometimes,” McCray said, “people didn’t even know who you are.”
Now, Kansas’ players walk into classes and are greeted with warm congratulations and promises to attend the upcoming game.
Sure, the program still has a long way to go, a lot of climbing yet to do. But the signs of progress are undeniable. Marchiony said the athletics department has launched a massive campaign to draw fans to Saturday’s game, including using Facebook, Twitter and talking with area organizations.
The result? Marchiony realistically plans for Kansas to set a new attendance record for women’s basketball games, surpassing the current mark of 13,352 set in 1994.
“I don’t even know what that looks like in our games,” Catic said. “I know how it looks in guy’s games, but I don’t know what that looks like being out on the court.”
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