By Kristie Schiefer
News Assignment Editor
At the beginning of the 2012-13 men’s basketball season, the Reilly Center housed a full student section. But since the start of the spring semester, support dwindled.
During the Feb. 20 game against UMass, the Bonnies saw one of the worst student crowds in the Reilly, with only 75 students in attendance, according to Sports Information Director Jason MacBain.
“The UMass game was probably the most pathetic student showing I have ever seen, even considering it was a crucial A-10 matchup down the stretch,” John Mattia, a senior business major, said. “As soon as we started to struggle this season, the students abandoned the team.”
On March 2, during fan appreciation weekend, the student section was sold to the general public.
Lack of student attendance in the first two sections closest to the tunnel and bleachers behind the basket were sold at the opportunity to make money.
“Students were upset they were not in their regular spot,” MacBain said. “It’s tough to gauge how many students will come back (from break). It’s tough to bite the bullet and lose money by not selling seats to regular general admission.”
Ryan Green, a senior business major, was especially frustrated that most student seats were sold for more money while packing students in the corner where they overflowed into the aisle.
Other angry students flocked to Twitter to express disdain, which didn’t go unnoticed by MacBain.
“I saw (students) on Twitter complaining about the seating situation and the amount of security,” he said. “That’s why I decided to ask the question and get to the bottom of it myself instead of sitting around and guessing why no one is showing up.”
For the 25 to 30 students in attendance at the March 2 game, MacBain said there was a lot of security. Normally, staff plans for 300 to 400 students per game.
“There was no way to know how many students are going to show up — 300 or 20 — so we have to physically assume our regular staffing for such event,” he said.
However, personal encounters and complaints indicated that students aren’t showing up to other games because of too much security, according to MacBain.
Mattia said he believes SBU Security is only one of the many issues that have plagued student support of the Bonnies.
Vito Czyz, director of safety and security, could not disclose the exact number of event staff working security at games. However, he said the number of security is based on many things including the number of entrance points open, expected number of attendees and any special circumstances that the staff may encounter, such as a double header or multiple campus events occurring at the same time.
“I have been to several other NCAA locations locally and out of state to benchmark security operations,” Czyz said. “For our specific circumstances here, we provide security in areas that other schools may not be required to, due mostly to physical building and arena configurations.”
Czyz said security is properly staffed, but evaluations on staffing levels are done year to year.
“Some complaints are that security stands in front of students and blocks their view,” he said, which should be eliminated come Saturday’s game.
Green in particular said he has a hard time ignoring troublesome security guards.
“I am there to watch basketball and root for my team. There is nothing wrong with that. I feel like the security guards are trying to distract us from the game,” he said.
MacBain discussed that communications on social media from students and discussions between season ticket holders and security are leading to indications that security is trying to calm down the Reilly.
However, it stems from issues with miscommunication and the Fan Code of Conduct, according to MacBain.
“There has been an average of one to two fan ejections per game due to violations of the Fan Code of Conduct this year,” Czyz said. “We have made it a practice to give fans a warning and attempt to educate them. A small percentage of fans each game seem to create a disruptive atmosphere.”
Czyz said Event Staff is placed in positions where they can address issues immediately before behavior leads to public complaints.
“Many small children attend these games and we have received numerous complaints over the years from the public, faculty, staff and other students to curb fan behavior issues,” he said.
While a small number of students have been addressed on Fan Code of Conduct issues, Czyz said the majority of students are well-mannered, enthusiastic and strong team supporters who do not use obscenities and are not disruptive to other fans trying to enjoy the games.
“That’s why the Reilly is so great — because it is rowdy,” MacBain said. “It just has to be appropriate.”
MacBain also said the athletic department does not want to make the Reilly any less rowdy. As a former student that used to sit in the student section, he’s aware of what goes on.
“The student section is what makes the Reilly. Ask any opposing team, coach or fan,” he said. “It’s hostile and intimidating, and we don’t want to lose that. We lost that in this spring semester and we’re trying to get to the bottom of it.”
Mattia and his friends decided to occupy the baseline area near the visiting bench last year to really take advantage of their proximity to the court and make it a nightmare for opponents.
“This is what makes the Reilly a miserable road trip, and we’d love to resurrect that reputation as best as we can,” he said.
Czyz also said most of the Security Event Staff truly enjoy working the games, even though enforcement of the Fan Code of Conduct is not always an easy task.
“We think we have made big strides in making the Reilly Center an overall ‘fan friendly’ place for all members of the public and campus community to enjoy a game while not losing the hostile environment created for opponents,” Czyz said.
However, MacBain doesn’t think that the student attendance has been as bad as the numbers in the student section suggest.
“The student section isn’t filled, but students sit in the red seats and corners spread through the arena,” he said. “We would like to get them all in one place.”
MacBain said he is planning on getting a student group together as soon as the season is over to discuss low attendance.
“The only way you know is asking the students themselves,” he said. “Is it the time, opponent, whether the team is winning or losing, midterms, Wednesday night classes or too much security? There’s a long list and wide range of guesses.”
Contemplating the root cause of this problem also stumped Mattia.
“Part of me can’t comprehend why the students of today refuse to care or respect the presence of a tradition-rich D-1 basketball program at a school of 2,000.”
