Editorial

It was a scene like no other: 2,000 IUP fans piling into the confines of Memorial Field House. There have been inklings of school spirit at IUP, but this was different.
This was no ordinary spirit. It was fever. It was fever that spread quickly amongst the residents of Indiana. Evidence of this was how fast tickets sold for the event. Ninety minutes before tipoff, there wasn’t a ticket left. It didn’t hurt that that the Student Co-op bought 900 tickets and gave them away for free, but in doing so made it the hottest ticket in town and the place to be in Indiana on March 16, 2010.
People were turned away before the game began and when it did begin, there were very few times that people could hear the person sitting right next to them.
IUP has not had a distinct home court in more than a decade, and it came back Wednesday night. It was much needed and well done.
The fans showed up early, wore white as requested by the athletic depart¬ment and rarely fell into silence as they became as much a part of the game as the players on the court.
It was almost like the players fed off the energy of the crowd. They would walk up and down the court, waving their hands in the air to get the crowd louder, and they did. In doing so, they rattled the West Liberty squad on a number of occasions.
When the clock struck zero and it had become official that the Crimson Hawks were on their way to the Elite Eight, the emotion in the building was so palpable that the fans rushed the court to celebrate with the players.
Rushing the court is not an uncommon occurrence in college basketball, but is uncommon on the court of Memorial Field House.
Congratulations to the Crimson Hawks players and coaches for earning a trip to the Elite Eight, but also congratulations to the IUP fans for making a small Division II basketball gym sound like a 20,000-seat arena and helping your team win a regional title.
It was truly a scene like no other.
 

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