“He floated it in?”
“He floated it in!”
I attended Bulldog Madness with Michael Chapman, sophomore journalism major, and Logan Whaley, sophomore broadcast journalism major. Both love sports more than they love anything, especially college basketball. I, on the other hand, know absolutely nothing about any type of sport and the two of them constantly make fun of my ignorance.
The night started out by Whaley and Chapman talking statistics of the two teams and putting faces with the numbers with “pump up” music playing in the background.
After the tip-off of the women’s game, all three of us noticed a strange phenomenon: women’s head coach Mark Campbell was nowhere to be seen. Obviously, the three of us theorized as to where in the world he would be. None of us found him for the game’s duration. Number 25, Chelsey Shumpert, a graduate transfer in her last year of eligibility, ended the game with a buzzer-beater, which made the crowd go wild.
Feeding off the energy after the women’s game, the cheerleaders preformed their routine which paired excellently with the university’s new pep band.
“I can’t cheer and clap at the same time.” Chapman said, trying and failing to do just that. Needless to say, neither of the boys can cheer to save their lives. Both should stick to commenting on the game.
Next thing I know, Chapman and Whaley blew my ear drum out cheering for their friend, Nick Velasquez, when he hit a three-pointer. My ear still has not recovered. The two spent most of the boy’s game fan-girling over each of the plays as well as the team’s performance. I was lucky enough to be seated in a section which interacted with the game and the showy moves the basketball players used.
Halfway through the men’s game, we found another oddity: men’s head coach David Niven was nowhere to be found, so obviously the three of us spent a majority of the time figuring out where the basketball coaches were. Our worry finally laid to rest after spotting the two watching the game in a doorway.
After the men’s game, a lucky contestant got the chance to win free tuition if she could hit a half-court shot. Whaley and Chapman proceeded to talk about different techniques she could use to hit it. Attending spring semester for free was definitely a reason to theorize. After her first try, Union first lady Suzie Oliver allowed her to move up the court, and I naively called it “a three-quarter court shot.”
“That would be on the opposite end of the court, Shelby,” Logan laughed as he rolled his eyes at me.
Perhaps the most exciting part of the night was the faculty vs. student game. It was aggressive. It was heated. It was thrilling. The student section unashamedly taunted and booed the students playing on the court. Everyone wanted the faculty to win and the faculty delivered.
Even players on the basketball team fed off of the energy; Charlie Wilson and Jon Phillips grabbed some of the cheerleader’s equipment and attempted to lead some cheers, and failed epically.
After it was all said and done, Chapman summed up what I believe everyone was thinking.
“I’m so glad basketball is back, you don’t even understand.”
