Yeah…I said it
Voltage rising in what once was the Electric Zoo (Commentary)Posted on January 14, 2008
In what may have been the biggest student turnout since the Georgetown game two seasons ago, the JMU Nation not only competed with the Pep Band for the most decibels, but stayed from start to finish.
JMU Athletic Marketing did a great job of increasing attendance for Saturday’s 93-74 men’s basketball victory at an arena that used to be known as the Electric Zoo for it’s intimidating and loud environment.
It wasn’t quite a zoo and it wasn’t exactly electric, but it was clear that the 4,829 in attendance at the Convocation Center inspired the Dukes to dictate the play between North Carolina-Wilmington.
JMU took a 12-point lead into the half and continued to control the pace with a balanced scoring attack that saw four players with at least 17 points. Junior guard Abdulai Jalloh scored a game-high 22 points and raised his arms to pump up the fans after key plays.
“We owe our fans a lot for the last few unsuccessful years,” Jalloh said.
JMU coach Dean Keener expanded on the importance of the crowd and JMU’s continued success.
“We’re really trying to recreate an atmosphere at the Convo,” JMU coach Dean Keener said. “Forget about winning or losing, when you play hard and whether that’s running the floor, diving on the floor, taking a charge, making the right pass; when you play hard and you play smart I think fans…will come back.”
Keener’s team merited the cheers and admiration of the home crowd, but it was hard to tell if the students were in attendance more for the 10-5 Dukes or the giveaways.
A well-executed marketing plan got students in early as they hoped to score one of the 500 free mugs, and despite a 20-point lead for much of the second half, fans stayed in hopes of winning a flat-screen television raffle.
Dick Mason, a season-ticket holder and die-hard JMU fan, began following the basketball team when the Convocation Center was completed in 1982. A booster member, Mason, and his wife Pat seldom miss home games for the men’s or women’s team, and they said they were a little surprised at the student turnout.
“[Pat’s] missed no more than five games in 20 years,” Mason said. “[The atmosphere] was really awesome. It was almost like the electric zoo.”
A realist, Mason was aware of the TV raffle and was convinced that it was the ultimate reason the west side of the arena was near capacity.
“I think the TV helped tonight too because the students didn’t leave,” Mason said.
Now that more students know about Madison’s improved team they’ll be following it more closely, raising the importance of Wednesday’s game at Old Dominion (8-9, 3-2).
The Dukes have dropped their last three games on the road including their only two conference losses at Hofstra and William & Mary. A win over the Monarchs could really boost attendance for Saturday’s televised home game against George Mason (11-5, 3-2).
Keener has wanted more fan support for his program for four years and was rightfully annoyed when his players were asked about getting to return home for next Saturday.
The Dukes are 3-5 on the road and certainly can’t overlook a conference opponent like ODU, but they are excitable young men who haven’t yet experienced this type of support at home.
If they can harness Saturday’s energy and win Wednesday the Dukes will receive an even bigger fan-draw against Mason and be able to say — for the first time in a long time — that there really is a home-court advantage in Harrisonburg.
Tim Chapman is a sophomore SMAD major with a print journalism concentration.
