By Amy Michel
Contributing Writer
With the first three weeks completed and another two weeks to go until the second round of voting is concluded, the 2013 Naismith Student Section of the Year contest has St. Bonaventure in second place, leaving students and players alike excited.
St. Bonaventure’s student body size is roughly 2,000 people, the smallest in the top five of the contest, compared to schools like Pittsburgh which has 39,000-plus students.
The internet has been the biggest tool in promoting the contest, according to Tom Missel, director of media relations and marketing.
“Our biggest emphasis has been on social media, pushing the vote through the university and athletic department Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. Plus, we’ve e-blasted our alumni a few times, knowing how passionate they are for their alma mater,” Missel said.
The progress that has been made since week one has varied. After a slow start, Bonaventure claimed the number one overall position but has fallen to their current spot of second place.
Some students and alumni find themselves optimistic that the WolfPack could become number one in the country.
“I try to be as loud and obnoxious as I can when I go to the basketball games,” said Ben Marcus, a freshman business major. “I think our student section may be smaller than other schools, but we’re always right on the court wearing yellow and yelling our hearts out. I think that Bonaventure’s big sport is basketball and because there isn’t much else to do in the winter all of our extra energy goes into the fan section at the games. I think that we have the chance to make a little run in the tournament, but we would be big underdogs if we won.”
Even some of the players agree. Senior guard Chris Johnson said he thinks we have one of the best student sections in the country.
“They’re amazing,” he said. “It’s like having a sixth man out there. Our fans are great.”
The WolfPack even travels well, Johnson said.
“We play on the road in some big places, but there’s no place like ours here. It showed last year when we went to Nashville. We had fans down there. It felt like we were playing in the Reilly Center. It just shows how great they are.”
Abby Maiello, a freshman sport studies major, thinks Bonaventure has a good chance of winning thanks in part to the strong bond throughout campus.
“I have voted every day,” she said. “I find our student section to be small and rowdy. I believe that the reason we can get so loud is because we’re on the court.”
Alumni Kevin Frank, ‘09, expressed his support as well.
“St. Bonaventure has a great shot at winning the best student section because they take pride in cheering on their fellow classmates, friends, and a great organization that represents their college,” Frank said. “Although they may not have the largest student body you continually notice the passionate student section filled up each game with nearly half their undergrad enrollment supporting the team they love, even when a student section contest is not at stake.”
There are, however, a few skeptics out there. Sean O’Connor, a sophomore marketing major, is doing nothing to help out because he doesn’t believe the contest is accurate.
“I don’t think our student section can honestly compete with other big schools or schools in general because we don’t have the student body and we have terrible chants,” he said. “In comparison to other schools, we are very quiet.”
The winner of the contest will be announced March 8 and will be rewarded with a $10,000 donation to the school’s general scholarship fund. To vote go to www.facebook.com/ilovecollegehoops and click on the “student section vote” icon.
