It's the end of October and that means it's time for a season of orange spheres. Not the kind you carve, but the kind you dunk.
OK, maybe tonight is a night for pumpkins, but after that comes basketball season. And this year, ASU's teams need a student section to come out in full force for every game.
I attended the ASU Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon last week and heard from a few players and the coaches of both the ASU men's and women's basketball teams. It was exciting to hear about how the teams are doing in preseason practices, and it got me thinking about how the first games of the season are quickly approaching.
The women's team plays an exhibition game Thursday and opens up regular season play on Nov. 10.
The men's team plays an exhibition game one week from today and opens up regular season play on Nov. 13.
Both teams have exciting things in store for the fans. Coach Charli Turner Thorne's women's team is ranked highly in preseason top 25 polls and has high expectations following last season, when the team was undefeated at home.
On the men's side, we will finally get to see the potential that coach Herb Sendek will bring to the table and what he can accomplish with our team this year.
But it's not enough for the players and coaches to be working hard. Basketball is a sport that thrives on fan support. When you think of college basketball you picture the fanatical "Cameron Crazies" in Duke's student section or even (forgive me) the ticket lottery that University of Arizona students try desperately to win in order to see their team play each year.
Meanwhile, in Tempe, at the now second largest single university campus in the nation, last year's attendance average was only about 6,700 people for men's basketball games at Wells Fargo Arena and 2,100 for women's games.
If we expect Sendek to be able to recruit star players and Turner Thorne to continue to do so, then they must have a fan base to show off to recruits to make them want to play in our arena.
At the Tip-Off Luncheon, coach Sendek said he wants to be able to bring recruits through the tunnel at Wells Fargo Arena before a game and have the hairs on the back of their necks stand up. In order to make that happen, students and fans need to show up in overwhelming numbers and cheer loudly no matter which opponent we play.
Sendek said he looks forward to the day when students and fans show up for a game and are surprised by who our opponent is because they only needed to know that ASU was playing in order to want to attend.
Sendek has already made a favorable impression among students by visiting the student section briefly during football games. And he has been working hard to get corporate and community support for his team this year.
The athletic department could help him out and encourage greater student turnout, possibly by relocating the student section to one side of center court rather than a corner of the arena. They have already done a good job of making the games affordable for students.
Basketball season tickets for students are just $33 at men's games and are absolutely free at women's games.
One last thing that was said at the luncheon that stuck out in my mind was when Turner Thorne promised that "if you try us just once, it won't be enough."
I can attest to the addictiveness of ASU women's basketball, and I hope to become just as excited about the men's team this season.
There is no doubt about it; ASU basketball has a bright future - and now is the time for students to get on board.
Laura Thorson is a history and political science major who is dressing up like Veronica Mars for Halloween. Reach her at laura.thorson@cox.net
