#mccarthey

Plain and simple, I love watching a women’s basketball game at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

I’ve known for a while that it is something special and unique but I was reminded more and more about it this past month when we – Gonzaga women’s basketball – were on the road playing seven of nine West Coast Conference games. And maybe it wasn’t so much while we were on the road, but when we returned to the Kennel this week.

The biggest crowd we played in front of during the exhausting stretch was 700ish – 400 of which were Zag fans – and the smallest was a little more than 300. 

In reality it is nothing new to me.

I have been with Gonzaga, and making these treks, for eight basketball seasons now. I have also been in the business for four other basketball seasons – two with Longwood University, when they were transitioning to NCAA Division I, and two with Robert Morris University – where in the two years the team won six games.

The crowds were never anything spectacular, a few hundred was a good day.

Don’t get me wrong; I still loved it. The players played as hard as the next and the fans that did attend were so committed to the squad and proud supporters.

But man, was I blown away when I first arrived on Gonzaga’s campus – in what seems like a lifetime ago now. It was like my hopes and wants for women’s basketball – and the deserving athletes I covered at RMU and LU – came true.

And ok, the dreams of a former Division II women’s soccer student-athlete whose desire was for women sports in general to be respected and loved.

Boy did I find that at Gonzaga.

In the early years of my tenure, the Zags averaged a couple thousand – still pretty impressive to me but so meager to what it has become now.

Just look at this past two-game homestretch. The first game – the Bulldogs first home contest in 19 days - saw 6,000 show up; the first sellout of the season for Gonzaga. And the second had 5,476 in attendance. That’s THOUSANDS folks. (For comparison reference, there is a Division I team out there they averages 89 fans a game).

And it isn’t just the vast number that impresses me. It is just how active and involved the fans are. Doors open an hour and a half before tip and you have droves entering the building. We give a specific t-shirt color to wear – on social media, in email blasts – and they no doubt are wearing said color (lets not talk about the year we didn’t give specific t-shirt colors – hint, fans were NOT HAPPY).

The fans are intelligent too; when the team needs a spark of energy, they are on their feet instantaneously, they see a beautiful fast break assist-to-layup from Haiden Palmer to Kiara Kudron or watch Jazmine Redmon force nearly two jump balls each game with her fantastic defense and they are making noise once again.

Don’t get me started on the support they give our walk-on when she enters the game. There are moments during each game that draw so much emotion out of me because of the fans (I try to play it off that I am tough but inside tidbit: I cry at commercials – no lie).

• Lights off, intro video playing and the fans on their feet – gives me chills each time. • Lindsay Sherbert drains a 3-pointer Saturday to help Zags break the century mark for the first time. Game has a little over one minute to play and makes it a 37-point lead. No matter; fans all on their feet, waving their arms, the octave level reaches it’s highest for the whole game. Chills, and maybe a little teary-eyed (I may deny it though). • Walk-on scores first collegiate point sinking a free throw Thursday. Crowd goes bonkers – makes me do a fist pump.

I am grateful everyday for the fans that support and believe in the players – and support women’s basketball. Sometimes I wish I could let them know how much it means to these athletes and how much they impact them (and have impacted me).

Maybe skywrite it? Maybe Stephanie Golden can put together a ‘Dance Recipe of Thanks’?

I’ll definitely have to keep brainstorming but for now the best option I can come up with is for Gonzaga to keep winning [especially at home] for them and because of them.