Eastern fans should 'get in the game'

What would it take to fill McBrayer Arena during home basketball games on a consistent basis?A national title? Four straight OVC titles?

With more than 12,000 students on campus, free tickets to games and a competitive team on the court, I would expect more fan support for the Colonels.

Instead, games might reach 2,000 in attendance if we're lucky.

Good luck getting people to come.

Maybe offer a promotional night. Maybe the first 1,000 students get an automatic "A" on a final exam. The first 2,000 students get to be "Dean-for-the-Day." Maybe even give the first 3,000 fans a chance to have a building named after them.

Would that work?

I attend other division basketball games, and what makes the games fun is the crowd: the face painting, the different ways the student sections can get creative, the buzz in the air. Those should be staples of every college basketball game.

I figured out a simple formula that might make basketball teams (and any college sports) more popular.

Follow me.

Fans support their team, night-in and night-out. Players feed off the sell-out crowds and play with a little more motivation. Then recruits hear about the prestige, the games and the crowds and we get more athletes here.

Then we win more games. And then we win a national title.

Ok maybe the last one is pushing it.or is it?

Last year, just down the street at Western, the Hilltoppers toppled teams like No. 3 Louisville, made it to the Elite Eight and became a force in the NCAA tournament.

The fans consistently show up. Not fair-weather fans that jump on the bandwagon when the team is winning, but real fans that always show support.

The Hilltoppers are getting closer each season to shedding the "Cinderella" label and becoming a role model to follow.

Imagine Eastern getting the attention for making the Sweet 16 or the Elite Eight every year.

Don't athletes feed off the crowds?

I played college baseball and soccer. I always played at the level I was supposed to. But any time the crowd had swelled or fans were there to see me play, there was extra motivation to shine and to raise my game to the next level.

Players feel the energy and respond to it.

That's why there is home court advantage. Sometimes fans are called the "Sixth Man" because they give the home team such an advantage.

Crowds can be deafening. It can get to the point that opposing coaches can't hear themselves think.

Maybe it will take a few NCAA runs to bring in the fans.

This year's team looks strong and might start a trend. They play exciting basketball and have a lot of playmakers. Against Big East power Pittsburgh, we only lost by 11.

The more we win, the better the chance to get camera crews here. Heck, Dan Patrick might even come around more often.

Back in the day we were known for the tradition of basketball at Eastern.

It's time to bring it back.

All it takes is one maroon-faced, ready-to-lose-their-voice fan to make a difference.