Sunday, February 2nd, 1997

Hokies Storm Back to Defeat Dayton, 59-52

Behind the inspired play of Keefe Matthews (remember, I told you about three games ago that he was looking good), the Hokies came back from an 11-point deficit to dump the Dayton Fliers 59-52. It was a much-needed win for the Hokies, who are battling primarily for a spot in the NIT, and secondarily (and less likely) for a spot in the NCAA's.

My seats this game were lousy - after sitting in the front row of the student section for the last two games, me and my buddies were relegated to the fifth row (you can't see anything from there! - HA HA) I've posted a game report on my Basketball Page that I thought was a little more insightful than the usual drivel I spout. After all, I never said I know a lot about sports - I just looooove the Hokies.


 No, Shut Up ... Because I Think YOU Suck

This tirade's been coming for a while, so buckle up....

Five minutes before the Dayton game started, Bill Roth stepped out onto the court with a microphone and addressed the students, asking them to stop the "YOU SUCK!" chant that has been present for about a year now in Cassell Coliseum. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, the chant started as "Ahhhhhhhh, SIT DOWN!" when an opposing player left the game (the "SIT DOWN!" part comes when the players rear end hits his seat on the bench).

About a year ago, some genius decided to add "YOU SUCK!" so the cheer now goes, "Ahhhhhh, SIT DOWN .... YOU SUCK!" From what I know, Tech is the only school where this occurs, although the "Ahhhhhh, SIT DOWN!" part is fairly popular across the country.

In the pre-YOU-SUCK days, I liked the chant, but once the "YOU SUCK" was added, I started wishing it would go away. Not because I'm offended by the minor vulgarity of it (that's pointless anyway, because the word "suck" has been permanently added to the American vocabulary by Beavis and Butthead). Give me credit for having a little stronger stomach than that.

No, I don't like the "cheer" because it's classless and not clever at all. I'm not impressed by a bunch of drones yelling "YOU SUCK!" and giggling. I'm impressed by the clever cheers and antics you see at places like Duke, where they put a lot of effort into their cheers and the things they do, and the results are often hilarious and rarely vulgar.

Before I get too wound up, I'll just say that for the Dayton game, Bill's pleas worked. The students mostly behaved themselves, even when the crowd got rowdy in the second half. I'm sure this thing is far from over, though. I'm also sure that the dwindling attendance on the paying public side can be partly attributed to the "cheer."

And another thing - I think it was a hell of a thing, what Bill Roth did when he asked the students to cease the YOU SUCK chant. I'm sure he was directed to do it by the athletic department, but that doesn't change the fact that he went above and beyond the call of duty. Asking the students to cease yelling "YOU SUCK!" is definitely not in his contract. So from people everywhere who are tired of the "YOU SUCK!" cheer, a Hokie Central "thank you" goes out to Bill.

I'm betting that this thing is far from over, though. It's going to take more than one message before one game to put a stop to this thing. But it's worth it.

Hmmmm....I should have posted this in "My Opinion."


 Basketball Notes

  • It has been popular to bash the students for not coming to the games, and up to this point, I've defended them, saying, "Hey, the paying side has been awfully empty, too." Then I read in The Roanoke Times that out of a student population of 24,000, ticket pickup has only averaged 2,000 per game. You won't find me defending the students anymore, although I will give a heartfelt Hokie Central "thank you" to those who do show up.
  • GW-Danville's all-world DE Tyrone Robertson made his football recruiting visit to campus this weekend. This is common knowledge, and was also reported on the Big East Recruiting message board by a fan who sat near Ricky Bustle and Tyrone's dad at the Dayton game. This is encouraging, because Tyrone was debating whether or not he was even going to make the trip.
  • After the game, Keefe Matthews said to a reporter, "When I came to Virginia Tech, I had two goals in mind. Number one, to graduate, which I'm on course to do this Spring, and number two, to go to the NCAA's twice." If you're not a Keefe Matthews fan, his first goal, and the fact that he's achieving it, ought to make you one.
  • The Hokie Huddler was taking the position in their latest issue that 6 victories in the Hokies' last ten games (including Dayton), would give the Hokies a 16-13 record and a likely birth in the NIT. I expressed my doubts about that to a friend at the game Saturday, pointing out that three years ago, Tech went 18-10 and didn't get invited. He said, "Yeah, but we won the thing two years ago." Good point. Add to that the televised hysteria that occurred when Travis Jackson hit his three-pointer against New Mexico State in that tournament, and I think the NIT is probably pretty warm to the idea of inviting Tech and giving the Hokies a first-round home game.

          

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