New member orientation typically takes attention away from other campus activities, including athletics. However, men’s basketball has become a new source of energy and a home-court advantage through its spring season.
The men of campus fraternity Sub T-16 have recently been seen on the baseline of Moody Coliseum cheering on their Wildcats and rooting aggressively against the opponent.
All of this started with supporting one member of both the team and the club: Jack Sawyer, a freshman from Aledo.
“He’s in our club so we wanted to show up and support him in any way possible,” said Sub T president Creek Churchill. “We started doing that, and things led from there. They wanted us to come back and they said they would feed us, so we just kept coming and supporting them.”
The first appearance occurred during the first weekend of pledging on Jan. 18. The club’s pledges, known as gobs, were seen on the floor-level stands next to the visiting team’s bench. This location has proven to be more than ideal for the club and the Wildcats.
“We enjoy yelling,” said Churchill, senior management major from Childress. “And obviously chirping the other team.”
Churchill also said there was one specific game where the club members knew they were having an immediate impact on the game.
“We got in one of the player’s heads against Southern Utah,” said Churchill. “Right when he came out of halftime, he came over and yelled at us.”
The player, Dominique Ford, a senior from Las Vegas, Nevada, ended the game with just six points in 19 minutes. Ford is one of the Thunderbirds’ best players and had scored 28 points in the team’s previous game.
Men’s basketball head coach Brette Tanner acknowledged the fraternity’s impact on several opponents and how important their attendance is.
“It changes the atmosphere,” Tanner said. “There is no home court advantage if there isn’t an advantage. Playing in your own gym is not really an advantage anymore. There has to be an atmosphere, some excitement, there has to be something that helps throw the opponent off their game. We see that when we go to other places.”
For half of the game, the fraternity is placed directly in front of the opponent’s basket, allowing members to do anything and everything to be distracting during free-throw attempts.
Tanner also said the support and attendance directly impact the team.
“It’s given our guys confidence,” Tanner said. “It’s made it more fun and that relaxes our guys a bit while putting more tension on our opponents.”
Amid the team’s five-game win streak, three of which were at home in Moody Coliseum, a donor reached out to the fraternity and asked if they would go to the game against Tarleton State University on Feb. 27. The club accepted and was transported to Stephenville on a charter bus.
“We were like yeah, for sure. We want to support our boys,” Churchill said. “It was dollar hot dog night so we got to eat there, hang out with the boys and just yell for our team.”
Tanner was also excited about the opportunity for the fans to travel, whether or not they were well-received by TSU.
“I’m sure Tarleton will stick them up in the nosebleeds or whatever,” Tanner said. “Knowing that they’re there and supporting the team is all we want to know. We want to know people care. That’s what they’re showing us right now.”
With just two home games left in the season, the Wildcats hope to have the same level of support they have had through the last month of the season. The team will host the top two teams in the Western Athletic Conference, Utah Valley University and Grand Canyon University this week on Thursday and Saturday respectively.
“We’re just so grateful to all the students,” Tanner said. “It’s not just Sub T. They’ve been awesome and they’re the ones people are noticing, but I know there are a lot of other students that come to every game. It matters. We’re thankful for all of them that come.”
