About Last Night
December 17, 2009 at 5:54pm by HogBlogger
Filed under Arkansas Razorbacks, Basketball
I’m walking up to Bud Walton Arena. It is quiet. The sound of someone singing the Anthem is the only sound I hear.
As I approach the entrance, I see one lonely guy holding up a ticket. A family of five waits just outside the door looking confused. There’s no one else outside the doors except for one single ticket taker.
Once inside the arena I smell food. I look to my right and notice that the BBQ stand is not in its usual place. To my left, the stand that sells the dotted ice cream isn’t there, either. I glance down at the concession area and count six people in line.
I head down into the arena just as the Anthem ends. The crowd is sparse. I consider counting them, but can’t summon the emotion. The scene is depressing. Maybe 15 people in the student section down by the court.
Five people sit in the expensive court-side seats. One of the weakest Hog Calls I’ve ever heard in my life drifts through the air. The Pom and Cheer squad actually have confused looks on their faces, as if they are wondering why they got all dressed up just for this.
We settle into our seats, noting that there are only six people within 20 feet of us. I’m wondering why I left the house.
At the first media timeout, the score is 4-2. It’s obvious that Alabama State can’t shoot and that the Razorbacks can’t execute an offense. I check Twitter at the half and see that the official UA Twitter game feed is terming the game a “defensive battle.”
The drummer for the Hog Wild Band is amazing. Highlight of the evening. The band is rockin’ tonight. I wonder if they’ve really improved or if it’s just much easier to hear with the arena so empty.
I hang out with the other RazorBloggers for the second half. We are on the lookout for an offensive play by the Hogs that is not the result of individual effort or an accident. We discuss the new arena light shades and decide we don’t like them.
With 1:18 left in the game and the count for team plays during the half at three, I head for the exit. From row eight, into the lobby and directly out the door I walk, encountering or waiting on no one. I’m suspecting that traffic is not going to be an issue.
This is Razorback Basketball.
This is truly sad.
And it’s the best account of the game I’ve heard. Thanks for experiencing it, HogBlogger, so the rest of us didn’t have to. And for the heartfelt writing. I got a phone call during the second half of the radio broadcast, and I forgot to turn the game back on when the call was over.
What a great opportunity to check out the cheerleaders! You know I’m always hungry for word about them.
That’s great news about the band, especially the drummer. Do you think they’ll be releasing a CD in time for Christmas?
Wow, I think I’m gonna cry…
Lately on sports radio the talk has been – the chicken/egg argument… should real fans show up and support the team when the team is not performing well, or are fans justified sitting at home, listening to radio/watching on tv – not making the effort when the team apparently isn’t either.
What do you think? Is the fan base “rebuilding”? Could we help the team by filling up BWA? Or does the team need to give us a reason to show up?
You could fill up BWA and the football stadium with the game on the big screen and it wouldn’t make any difference to how this team is playing.
HogBlogger, I think you channeled Jay Peterman in this post: “In the distance a child is crying…fatherless…a bastard child, perhaps.”
Wednesday night’s game was the first I’ve attended all year after having season tickets for the past 15 years. (That should tell you something about how I feel about the state of the program and college basketball overall.)
I went in with the lowest expectations for the BWA atmosphere based on all I had heard from others. So when it wasn’t just plain awful, I guess I was pleasantly surprised.
It wasn’t awful…but as this post describes, it wasn’t good, either. As Nolan used to say, Bud Walton Arena is a monster you have to feed. And right now, it’s starving to death.
Even with some pretty good attendance numbers Bud Walton has been disappointing me since around 2000.
Hog fans have lost their edge when it comes to basketball. Blame it on the team struggling all you want. I was there when Sutton and Nolan were coaching and the fans rocked the house.
The new age of fans just don’t know how, even if the team is playing well.
This is more than just sad. It pisses me off. I live 1,200 miles away and I think I have been to more Arkansas basketball games the last 10 years than 80% of the people living in the NW Arkansas area.
That is just lame.
Eddie and Nolan consistently made improvements and their performance gave you hope.
There is no hope in the goofball.
I yelled loud the entire time last year at the Texas Game last year and then sat dumbfounded at how pitiful we looked against M State a few days later when we played a team that actually new how to play defense against our team that has not even a clue how to play team offense. I wanted to yell and did occasionally, but dude they were pitiful.
Also let me say that the Razorbacks basketball program with their 2010 and 2011 recruits is going to be a sight to see.
And I say with all seriousness that unless they are all new fans that start to come out when this upswing happens, that the current fans don’t even deserve it.
Arkansas Basketball Fans: Disappointing Since 1999
Are you J Pelphrey?
Who is going to take their family up there to watch some thugs and the least cohesive team effort in the Country.
Put a good product on the floor or move on. Bobby Knight didn’t always have the most talent, but they knew how to play the game. And it was even fun to watch.
Nolan was fun to watch even into his second and third year. He didn’t have squat to start with.
The opposing team doesn’t even pull their chairs onto the court anymore during timeouts. Only our team does. What does that tell you.
Arkansas Basketball slowing fading into the night since 1999.
So, you guys may think this a bit lame…
I think the issue is the quality of the product. When the fans are not seeing good basketball they will not come. No amount of ‘rah rah’ or comments about the responsibility of a true fan can overcome the product. The Arkansas fans can tell the difference between good basketball and not good basketball.
The quality of the product is a function of the emphasis given to the overall program by the powers that be, the coaching, the coaches personal ability to appeal to fans (putting a quality product on the floor certainly heightens personal appeal, but some amount of personal charisma helps), recruiting and winning or at least the opportunity to win.
It’s not the fans or the arena that has lost their edge. It’s the program that has lost it’s edge. Since the latter days of Nolan this program has not carried itself in a way that is focused on competing at the highest level.
The fans definitely realize this. The powers that be are pretending not to know.
One of the top 20 programs in the history of college basketball has a power ranking in the 300’s with a coach in his third year with the program. Yes, I know all the current issues. Yes, I’ve been told we should wait until the coach ‘gets his team on the floor,’ before we judge the situation.
My view is we are seeing the coach’s team on the floor every night. Whatever or whoever, it’s his team.
Well said Hogblogger.
Indeed.
I would also like to point out that this is not just a case of “fair-weather” fans abandoning a team in a tough time. The basketball program has been in an almost constant decline since the mid-90s. Each year there are reports of so-and-so recruit who will finally get our team over the hump and back into national consideration, and each year the Razorbacks end up in about the same or a worse state than when the season began.
Add to that the suspensions, accusations, and general lack of excitement that has come to characterize the program, and it’s not hard to see why the level of interest is so low. The team appears undisciplined and unmotivated, and that suggests that improvement is nowhere in sight.
Until the players and coaches show (not say, but SHOW) that they are committed to competing and improving, the program will be met with indifference.
Great post. I completely agree. So, as fans that desperately want a good product on the floor – what options do we really have right now?
Do we continue to wait it out? and wait what out? Richie Cunningham isn’t one day going to say, “I guess I wasn’t up to the job – I am not a top tier coach. I am not the fiesty, up and coming fireball you bought.”
Can we bring in a good, proven coach? With Coach Petrino, we see firsthand that shelling out the money for true coaching talent is worth it. But have we fallen so far that a proven coach wouldn’t come here for a million dollar raise?
Kentucky wasn’t the fit for Gillespe, and they forked out the dough, and righted the ship. I am not trying to put us at the same table as Kentucky (I would have before Kareem Reid) – but can we right our ship with a big name hire? Petrino is worth the money – no doubt. Is there a name out there that would come to Fayetteville?
Before we go do that – is Richie Cunningham the right guy for us? Is he going to be able to recruit, train, and teach the talent we need to compete at a national level – in 2 to 3 years? Can he do it? What are his strengths?
Is he a basketball Xs and Os coach that can build a team with his “system”?
Is he the hard-butt coach that puts guys into incredible physical shape so we can overpower and outspeed our opponents?
Is he a super motivator that can get these 18 year olds to overachieve because they believe in themselves?
I don’t know. I am scared to let him go though to go after a big name, because I am a little embarrassed to find out the best replacement we could get.
I love Razorback basketball. This frustrates me to no end. Beck, Corliss, Thurman, McDaniel, Darnell… I remember crazy Ken Biley prancing around “knockin’ on tha door to tha final four!” It was so fun to have a team of almost no-names – but we would come in there and Hawg Ball you to death. In the middle of the game we would be up by a dozen, and Nolan would all of a sudden send back in all of the starters! We could win with our second team in the day. Guys were hustling, playing tough defense, passing the ball… and BWA was PACKED and LOUD. that was fun. Then came Kareem Reid (but that is my opinion and has nothing to do here)
So – what do we need to do?
Is Opie Taylor our man? Do we bet our ranch on him? Do we have a choice?
I’m not sure Pel is the guy. But he had been working at a disadvantage. When he came in he had to replace most of the team but had built up little equity with recruits. So he had to take a chance on guys, hoping that they would work out. They didn’t and either left the team or were dismissed. Now he is starting over. I say let’s be patient. Once the starters return will we see some improvement over last year?
I think everyone was in the Tyson Box eating all the food.
I got there earlier and there were several older people holding up tickets, but no takers. Walking through the North Parking lot was a breeze as hardly anyone was parked in there.
It will be interesting to see how many people show up for the Texas Game.
It is always interesting at the beginning of the game to see who the starting guards will be.
The girls competing for the halftime prize were hilarious.
Oh well, a few good athletes or a cohesive team would start the rebuilding process. Just not sure the players or fans have faith that Pel can get it done.
That chicken/egg thing is a no-brainer: The coaches are paid good money to produce a good product and the players have full scholarships to earn. The people of Arkansas provide excellent facilities, including one of the best collegiate arenas in the world. It’s all designed to provide an exciting basketball experience. It’s up to the team to provide the excitement. They are the ones the fans go to see. They are the ones who have turned the ball over.
Any good performer knows you have to put on an exciting show before you can expect a good audience. When Eddie Sutton first came to Fayetteville, Barnhill Fieldhouse was about a 4000 seat arena, with sawdust on the floor around the court. Arkansas basketball couldn’t draw flies. Moncrief and Brewer and Delph and Co. provided the excitement, and the fan base grew. And grew. The fans will come back if and when exciting basketball returns.
As for the fans hanging in there: I believe they have done that for much longer already than most fans would have. Their patience is worn out. Who could blame them? Quality has been deterioraing for a long time, since ‘95, as others have noted. Now it is at rock bottom. I never thought I would see this.
What’s the situation with student tickets? Do they have to buy regular-price tickets, discounted tickets? Seems that with low attendance the university should give students free tickets, just to warm the seats and make some noise. If any group should support the team through thick and thin, it is the students. However, I’m afraid “the program” has not been supportive of the students in a long time. After “Hawgball” went big-time, the students were given the shaft, IMO.
I’m actually afraid to guess how much farther we might fall this season.
Courtney Fortson may be back soon, but how much of a difference would he really make if this team, as a whole, doesn’t show the intensity and passion of what we have come to know as REAL Razorback basketball.
The players just seem to go through the motions, as if they really don’t have any confidence in what they’re doing.
As much as I hate to say it, that comes from the leadership and coaching they’re recieving, or at least it seems that way to me.
We’re winning, sure, (a 3 game winning streak) but considering the competition we’ve been facing, we sure haven’t looked all that impressive. As a matter of fact, we’ve looked down right boring at best.
I don’t nessesarily believe the lack of attendance have everything to do with Pelphrey’s lack of coaching, but like HogBlogger mentioned, the lack of confidence Razorback fans have in the overall basketball program in general has a lot to do with it.
If things don’t start turning around pretty soon, i’m afraid our recruiting will start crumbling at the most crucial time I can ever remember in Razorback basketball.