As a lifelong fan of college basketball and the Providence Friars, I annually look forward to the start of the season. When I married my Peruvian wife, she told me that she heard all American men spent Sundays watching pro football. I told her not to worry, as I don’t care for pro football and my favorite sports are major league baseball and college basketball. After a year of marriage, she realized baseball season ends just as college basketball begins, and vice versa. The symmetry is nearly perfect.
As much as I love college basketball, that feeling is enhanced when the Friars are expected to be good, as they are this year, the excitement increases exponentially. I truly believe this could be a special year in Friartown. This team has talent, athleticism, strength, experience, and depth. We’ll find out how this all comes together over the next four months, and I will enjoy every minute of it.
I’ve mentioned previously that my first PC game was at Alumni Hall, but I really became a fan at age 9 when the Friars moved to the Civic Center. I used my paper route money to take the number 26 bus downtown to go to every weekend game I could. I was at the first Big East Tournament there when the last place Friars nearly upset 8th ranked St. John’s. I’ve been to a number of Big East Tournaments at Madison Square Garden, including the 1994 and 2014 championships. We have been fortunate for all of these years to be in a conference where college basketball really matters. If it wasn’t for the wisdom of Friar legend Dave Gavitt, who knows where would be today, and where the sport in general would be.
A couple of weeks ago, Twitter legend Matthew Lebeau (@Leb_Zeppelins) tweeted that the two most passionate fan bases in college basketball are for schools within the 50 miles between Providence and Storrs, Connecticut. While some people from rival schools did not like this, I think it would not be hard to make the case that the passion in this area is as strong as anywhere in the country. The best part about the Big East today is the current schools fulfill Coach Gavitt’s initial plan of a basketball-first conference. The fact that the Big East is the only power conference that plays a true round-robin schedule makes it even better. Another benefit for Providence, UConn, Creighton, and Xavier is that they are the only basketball teams in their respective markets. They have the double benefit of appearing to be the equivalent of the “professional” franchise in their communities while also being a part of their communities. Each of these schools contribute much to their areas beyond basketball. For Providence in particular, players have conducted summer and winter clinics for neighborhood kids, have volunteered for reading events with local schools, etc. There is a reason these schools sell out almost every game.
Marquette has a professional NBA team, but they have held an important place in the Milwaukee residents’ hearts since the Al McGuire years, and the school’s continued investment in the program consistently brings hope and support from their fans. Villanova has a similar situation in Philadelphia, and two national championships bring a lot of goodwill. Butler will never compete for supremacy in Indiana, but they have a solid, loyal base, and back-to-back championship game appearances show that they can do great things. Rick Pitino has brought life back to St. John’s, and those who remember the Lou Carnesecca years know that when The Red Storm is rolling they are definitely New York’s team. Seton Hall has one of their own as coach, and he appears to be bringing his passion and energy back to Pirate fans. DePaul and Georgetown have work to do to bring back local support, and this year could be a step in the right direction.
Attendance in the Big East has been trending upward, with Providence, UConn, Xavier, Marquette, and Creighton averaging over 10,000 fans per game. This is more impressive since UConn is the only one of these schools with over 10,000 students, and Providence, Creighton, and Xavier each have under 5,000 undergraduates (Marquette has 7,500). Additionally, St. John’s will be playing more games at MSG, a sign that they are generating more local interest.
One of my favorite aspects of the Big East is the rivalries among the teams. UConn fans often say Providence is not a rival, but a cursory look at their basketball message board will see numerous attacks on Providence. Since their return to the Big East from Parts Unknown, every game between the two teams has been sold out, and the crowds have been raucous. Providence College and Creighton had only a couple of games before they joined the Big East in 2013. Since then, the schools have played 26 times, 14 of which have been decided by 6 points or less, including four overtime games and a matchup in the finals of the Big East Tournament. Similarly, Providence and Marquette have played 3 overtime and 4 double overtime games since realignment. They also had a blizzard game, an ice rink game, and a bat game. With former coach Ed Cooley having left Providence for a Georgetown team that is looking for rosier times ahead, those games have become more intense around here. The Rick Pitino show will always bring mixed and passionate emotions in Friartown.
As we go into this season, I will be anxiously awaiting every big play, the fans, the players, the cheerleaders, the band, etc. at every game, as I have not missed a game since the pandemic season. The student support is far better now than it was when I was a student in Friartown forty years ago. Their passion, enjoyment, and pure joy shown at the games is a great image for the team, the school, and the city. Hopefully, local resident Taylor Swift will attend a game this year to see the amazing rendition of You Belong With Me. After the games, I will rewatch the game either the same or the next day, intently looking for things I missed live and listening to the analysis of the Fox announcers (even Donny Marshall).
Finally, around the games I will likely spend too much time on social media. I belong to a pcbb1917 Discord channel where we will exchange praise, complaints, and excitement over the previous game while looking forward to the next game. (Shameless plug: the pcbb1917 Discord channel has free and paid options, and it’s well worth it for any Friar fan.) This will also include the often brilliant and occasionally overboard Providence College Burner Community (PCBC), which has become the preeminent Twitter fan base in all of college basketball. They get involved with recruits, players, coaches, opposing fans, etc. For a school of 4,000 students to have the reach they have is amazing. I was also going to mention the great work of the Providence Crier, but he’s been ignoring me so I will not mention him or his faithful sidekick BOC. For my second shameless plug, Matt Lebeau (@Led_Zeppelins) was referenced above. He is in need of a kidney, which hasn’t stopped him from being a loyal Friar supporter, PCBC member, and a moderately funny tweeter. If anyone is so inclined, or knows someone who might be willing to help, following is a link to the Brown University Health site:
Hope to see everyone at the games. Go Friars.