SOME of the students who fill the stands in Alumni Hall aren’t basketball fans. They are punks – foul-mouthed punks who must be blind when they look in the mirror because they’re not bothered by what they see.
Not all of them are cretins, of course, just the loudest ones. For $5, these dysfunctional members of the St. John’s student body scream that every player on the opposing team still bottle-feeds and that coach Mike Jarvis should be fired the first time St. John’s trails.
So much for a home-court advantage, which is what St. John’s had hoped this new student section would provide. St. John’s (1-4), which plays host to St. Francis (1-3) tonight, is 0-2 this season in Alumni Hall.
When the Red Storm made it to the postseason NIT last spring, associate athletic director Rick Cole showed some forward and bold thinking by expanding the student section. He moved some long-time regular-season ticket holders and corporate partners to other locations and made available the seats opposite the players’ benches.
Although this didn’t sit well with some season ticket holders, college basketball is for the students first. St. John’s got some loud, if not sellout crowds for the Red Storm’s two home tournament games and the idea stuck.
Like a lot of good ideas, it needs to be tweaked. Someone in authority at St. John’s, whether it be Father Donald J. Harrington or athletic director David Wegrzyn, needs to have a sit-down with these crude and awful standup comics.
Harrington or Wegrzyn need to relay the message that a supportive home crowd doesn’t have to be auditioning for a role in the movie “Jackass II.” The fans who can’t receive that message should be shown the door.
“We meet regularly with the student leadership,” said Cole. “We want this to be a positive experience that puts St. John’s in the best light possible. We’ll keep working to get it right.”
Hopefully Jarvis is taking the same approach with his team. It is not 1-4 because of the crowd. Either the team isn’t living up to its potential or it is. Whatever the case, Jarvis is responsible.
But this isn’t about the coach. Several players have told reporters that the booing and catcalls strike a nerve. These are their classmates telling them they’re playing like a bunch of walk-ons.
When the Duke fans began chanting “Fire Jarvis!” Mike Krzyzewski read them the riot act. The Dukies reverted back to witty insults and that haunting, sing-song chant that gets inside an opponent’s ear.
Alumni Hall can be a great homecourt. And should start with the student section.