Ok, so let’s get one thing straight. Basketball will never be king in Alabama as long as football is still around. Now, for the rest of the story.
The Auburn men’s basketball team gets a lot of negative feedback on the court and off the court. Are they the best team in the country? No. Are they the worst team in the country? Absolutely not. Do they play hard just like everybody else? You bet. Do they wish that they could be a powerhouse? I would like to think so.
This team is just that; a team. They play their hearts and souls out every night in front of a small number of people, and that is a major problem. If you were a college athlete and you ran out on the court for shoot-around, and you saw maybe 50 students in the student section and probably around 1500 people in the rest of the seats, would that get you motivated to play? Yes, I’ve heard the phrase, “winning breeds fans,” but come on! For a university that prides itself on athletics, the turnouts at the games are pretty embarrassing. Some people say, “Well, it’s just hard for me to come to games because they play so late.” Whatever. You know that if there was a football game on Thursday evening at 6:30, you would probably be there around 4.
Frankie Sullivan, a sophomore guard: "It's like an imaginary sixth man," said Sullivan of the Tigers' crowd support. "When we go on the road, we see that a lot of times. Our fans don't support us like that all the time. I wish they would. It brings a lot of energy. It turns me on. I'm ready to play every game, but the crowd just gives you a boost like an energy drink. Hopefully, they come out more, we really need it."
This was after the Tigers nearly defeated then ranked #2 Kentucky. By the way, there were maybe 3000 Kentucky fans at the game.
Most people blame this year’s lack of success on the coach. The coach isn’t out there playing. Lebo is a good coach. He knows the ins and outs of the game. He is a pretty good play designer. Yes he has been here for six years in which two of those he had winning seasons. But honestly, do you expect Auburn to shell out the big bucks for a big name coach? I sure don’t. If Lebo is let go and another mid-major coach is hired, the same situation most likely happen again.
At least give him one year in the new arena. I think he deserves that. Don’t you think he did at least a little politicking to get that thing built? He’s bringing in another highly-touted class for 2011. It’s a class that has someone at every position to build depth.
If you are an Auburn fan, then you support Auburn. You don’t hate Auburn. You don’t just support football. You don’t leave a game with two minutes left when we are playing Alabama and only down by one. Our fans cease to amaze me. Get on board children.
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