Samford men’s basketball has been on a five-game winning streak and won six of the past seven. The Bulldogs haven’t lost in the Pete Hanna Center in over a month. The team is heating up just in time for the end of the season, and yet student attendance at basketball games has continued to dwindle. The once formidable Red Sea has become a puddle this season, leaving the few committed fans wondering where their peers are.
“My freshman year, if you weren’t here 30 minutes early, you weren’t getting a seat over here in the student section,” said junior JB Harper. “This year, you could show up five minutes into the game and there’s still plenty of seats out here for really anywhere you want.”
In Samford’s recent win against Wofford, 1,123 fans were in attendance; only 205 were students. The same matchup last year was over 3,000 attendees.
“I think part of it is because we aren’t as good as we have in the last couple of years,” Harper said. “But considering it to be a first-year head coach, we’re above 0.500 and we’re fifth in the SoCon.”
The biggest change from last year is the head coach. “Bucky Ball,” a style of play coined by former head coach Bucky McMillion, grew a reputation for being must-see basketball. Fans were promised high-scoring affairs with exciting plays that needed to be seen live — but most importantly, McMillion won. In his tenure, two regular-season SoCon trophies were brought home.
McMillion also added fuel to the student section of fire. He made frequent stops at
different Greek houses asking for chapters’ attendance and put together a GroupMe that was open to the entire student body. Messages in the GroupMe included cash prizes and ways to get into the opposing team’s head.
Committed fans like Harper don’t think the change in coach should be a change in level of support.
“We could very easily win the SoCon this year,” said Harper. “It’s just a little disheartening that a bunch of the students just don’t seem to realize that.”
Harper isn’t the only one feeling the emptiness of the stadium. Daniel Eudy, a member of the Samford band, has attended every game and been disappointed by the student section.
“It’d be nice to see more people in the student section,” said Eudy. “We try to be the
spirit of what’s going on here, but it’s also nice to see more people in the student section. I feel like it’s kind of going down.”
The Bulldogs have four games remaining on their schedule and only two left at home with Virginia Military Institute and UNC Greensboro. Currently tied for fourth in the SoCon standings, it is realistic that Samford can work their way up to the second seed and obtain a bye in the first round of the SoCon tournament.
“When it’s just like 10 people out here on a Wednesday night, it’s so much less fun for both the students that are here, but also for the athletes on the court,” said Harper. “Just show up. You don’t have to be the most into it. Just come here and have some fun. Just be present and that will go a long way.”
Sports Editor
