By late December 2005, I had received acceptance letters to attend the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I grew up an Illini fan and even dressed as Chief Illiniwek for multiple trick-or-treating experiences as a toddler. Both my father and oldest brother attended Illinois and I knew that campus like the back of my hand. I had experienced the winning tradition of Illinois basketball, albeit from the nosebleeds in Assembly Hall, and I had attended every home football game at Memorial Stadium including the Sugar Bowl against LSU in 2002.
However, my uncle who lives in Cedar Rapids was keen on converting at least one of my dad's three boys into an Iowa Hawkeye. I visited the campus on many occasions, each colder and snowier than the last, but I had never been present at Kinnick Stadium or Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
On Jan. 4, 2006, I still considered myself an Illini fan for life and was leaning heavily toward attending school in Champaign, and that's when my uncle called me. Two tickets, located in the fifth row at half court, became available to me and my dad for when Dee Brown and the undefeated, No. 6 Fighting Illini were to put their 15-game win streak on the line in Iowa City on Jan. 7. I couldn't pass up the offer, even though the deal was I had to wear an Iowa basketball T-shirt to the game. It was a chance to see Dee Brown and James Augustine (a graduate of my high school) play up close, and it was my first glimpse inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Feeling as awkward as possible for cheering the Illini on in a black and gold shirt, I remember walking in and thinking, "not a bad seat in this place." The lights went dim, fans stomped the ground sending thunderous echoes throughout the arena, and then I reached my seat. By the time the game ended, Illinois has been handed their first loss of the season, but more importantly, I had undergone a transformation in that electrifying, sold-out crowd as the Hawks pulled away. I couldn't be happier where I'm at, but I could go for seeing crowds like that at every game.
Since that day, I have attended nearly every home basketball that I could, but I have not felt as if I were in any crowd similar to my first game. On paper, things don't look up for the Hawks coming off a 63-59 loss at Penn St. after blowing a 14-point second half lead. On Thursday night, I anticipate Carver-Hawkeye Arena to be a hostile environment as ninth-ranked Michigan State rolls into town, but I can only hope that the crowd and student sections are just as electrifying. More so, I should hope that the Hawks can pull off a fourth straight regular season victory at home over the Spartans.
I've decided to conclude this blog with a video clip I took of Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor sinking a three-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime in the Hawks' win over the Badgers on Jan. 21, 2009.
Since that day, I have attended nearly every home basketball that I could, but I have not felt as if I were in any crowd similar to my first game. On paper, things don't look up for the Hawks coming off a 63-59 loss at Penn St. after blowing a 14-point second half lead. On Thursday night, I anticipate Carver-Hawkeye Arena to be a hostile environment as ninth-ranked Michigan State rolls into town, but I can only hope that the crowd and student sections are just as electrifying. More so, I should hope that the Hawks can pull off a fourth straight regular season victory at home over the Spartans.
I've decided to conclude this blog with a video clip I took of Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor sinking a three-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime in the Hawks' win over the Badgers on Jan. 21, 2009.
Thanks to a fan for choosing my ear to yell in.
For a few recent articles you may have missed on Hawkeye hoops:
Cheers.
I haven't been to a single Iowa basketball game. I kind of want to now.
ReplyDeleteMy dad is a die-hard Illini fan and Illinois grad...I think he wants to disown me on Iowa-Illinois game days.