Hey, that was some game Tuesday night, huh? Scooter Johnson slamming down on a fast break, Ryan Lawson hitting threes from everywhere and the most vicious physical combat in the paint since the U.S. Marine Corps discovered paintball guns.
Oh wait. I forgot. You were one of the roughly 11,500 ETSU students that wasn’t at the game.
I do not mean this as a condemnation of our basketball crowd.
The community turned out in full support for the Bucs (on a Tuesday night, no less) and I applaud them for their enthusiasm.
They deserve ETSU’s complete gratitude. The game saw loud, energetic, yet classy, fans.
I heard no profanity, little mockery and the only obscene gesture I observed came from a student.
However, what does it say about our traditional student body when one can turn around and notice that the loudest people in the stands all look to be over 30?
ETSU has a talented, exciting basketball team. Granted, we don’t have the lobs and tomahawk dunks of some of the bigger schools. But you cannot watch Scooter Johnson block a shot into next week and tell me it’s not exciting.
ETSU clinched a first-round bye in the Southern Conference tournament Tuesday night and they lead the North Division of the SoCon by a game.
They are currently tied with College of Charleston for the conference lead.
However, it is distinctly unfair of me to not acknowledge the nature of our school.
ETSU is a regional university, and has a vast majority of commuter students and a large number of non-traditional students, and it is not reasonable to expect them to attend every game.
Nevertheless, I think you owe it to yourself and to your school to make it to at least one game before the season is out.
I’ll make a deal with you. Davidson plays here at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
If you find me immediately after the game (I’ll be at press row, courtside) and you commute to school, I will take your name and anything you want to say (within reason) and put it in my next column.
Granted, this isn’t that big of a deal (woo-hoo, I’m in the East Tennessean!), but hey, what’s to lose? You see some good basketball and you get your name in the paper.
I can’t promise whether or not my editor will accept it, but I will submit what you want to say.
On-campus residents: you have no excuse. Get yourself to the Mini-Dome and watch some basketball.
Or baseball.
Or tennis.
I’ve recently heard of a “Scub” (Bucs spelled backwards) that paints up at games.
I applaud this enthusiasm and I wish I saw more of the Scubs.
Fellow students, we have a basketball team that has held up their end of the bargain; they’ve made themselves worth watching. Let’s get out and watch them.

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