WNIT experience, from one who was there

[Doc]

Just got back home from Lawrence, KS after seeing our women's team cut down the nets (yes, they did take them down, just not with my poster-board oversized ceremonial scissors)!  Congratulations to the team for their magnificent run to close out the season!  Bringing home a post-season national tournament trophy for the first time.

What makes it even more impressive was the atmosphere in which this final game took place.  WOW!  16,113 was the reported number at the game, and from the looks of it, Phog Allen Fieldhouse was indeed sold out, with butts in seats going all the way up the "Pay Heed, All Who Enter: Beware of the Phog" banner hanging in the rafters.

I left St. Louis at 5:45 AM local time and arrived in Lawrence at 10:15 (tip-off 1:00 local).  There was already a gathering of fans at the entrance -- as all tickets were "General Admission," you had to stand in line to ensure the best seats.  I was behind about 10-15 people, but within half-an-hour, the line literally went around the statue in front of the gym and disappeared behind the south wall.

Once the gates opened, I claimed my seat in the front row opposite our bench in a sea of crimson and blue (upper right on TV screen).  We had approximately 15 USF supporters (mostly families of players/coaches) sitting behind our bench, but that was all.  The KU fans were all very friendly before the game, despite my appearance (same hat, horns, vest, for those who know me, plus the poster-board scissors and basketbal net I waved around).  It was all in good fun during the pre-game and the fans understood that.

As tip-off approached, the stands completely filled out, all the way to the top, including the corners.  The KU fans around me admitted that this has never happened before for their women's games, and to them, today's atmosphere was very much like that for their men's teams.  The pre-game "Rock Chalk Jayhawk K.U." chant was indeed creepy in this old arena.

As for the game itself, every time Kansas made a run and the crowd really started making some noise, one of our girls would knock down some long-range bomb, and -- whoosh -- you could hear the air being let out of the building.  Every time, that is, until the final push.  When KU had the put-back (on the fourth offensive rebound) plus foul to make it 67-61 you could actually feel the building rocking . . . the UConn crowd noise never came close to rising to this level at the conference tourney games.  I felt we were fortunate that this coincided with a media timeout to at least take a little edge off the crowd when play resumed.

Our girls never seemed rattled by the noise, even when the margin narrowed to one point.  The KU fans later told me that they thought it was over for us at that point and that we wouldn't be able to handle the environment.  That is where I feel our girls most deserve all the credit in the world.  Sure, they have beaten tougher teams on the road (Rutgers, DePaul, Villanova) but none of these even came close in attendance.  The St. Bonaventure win, they said, was the closest in terms of atmosphere, and that was a mere 4,000 fans, less than one-quarter the crowd size in Kansas.

Well, a few made baskets and a bunch of free throws later, it was all over.  One Kansas fan a few spots to my right avoided all eye contact with me as he passed by, muttering profanity about his coach under his breath.  When I tried to tell the lady behind me "Good game" she simply said, "No, not really," and stormed off.  That kind of surprised me given that most of the in-game banter was pretty friendly.  The rest of the KU reaction was more like what I expected, with an overabundance of "congrats" and "good job."  This even continued across the street where I made my way to catch the final innings of the KU-Baylor baseball game in progress.

Overall, it was quite an experience.  The historic arena.  The amazing crowd.  The game itself with a championship-winning performance.  Maybe things have changed since I moved from Tampa in 2003, but I don't think we could have come close to this environment in the SunDome.  I want to believe we could.  In any case, this game was played where it should have been played, and to clinch our school's first basketball title in the house that James Naismith and Phog Allen built made it all the more special.

[HOTMello2005]

You forgot to mention the TV air time you got during the pre-game introduction!

[80mins]

Thanks for the recap. I believe one of our ladies is wearing your hat in the e-mail that went out about meeting them at the airport!

[bullwark]

Great summary of events, thank you.

[CoralSpringsBull]

As I watched the game on television, I saw this one guy dressed in USF garb. Now I know it was you, Doc. Great recap. Thanks!

[depbo]

Great job as usual Doc.  I remember when I was in school and would travel to the CUSA/BE Tournament's and seeing you there.  Always decked out in the hat, horns and vest.  Glad to hear you were able to get out there.

The only thing about this win, though, is the lack of coverage on ESPN or other channels.  It is what it is I guess.

[crambone]

Did you see any Kansas fans pushing down old people or dumping beers on children like they saw us do last year?

lol....nice write up, and thanks for making the trip to support our ladies!

[Guest nybullsfan]

Thanks for the update Doc, keep in touch!

[JoeB]

Great recap.  I was able to watch the last 15 minutes or so on TV once I found the station (channel 807).  Had no idea I had channels that high up.  I was guessing we had about 10 or so fans there.  Did Doug Woolard or Judy Genshaft make the trip?

This thread might have to go in the Hall of Fame considering its our biggest Championship win in school history.  Mods do you agree?

[flsportsfan83]

Great recap.  I was able to watch the last 15 minutes or so on TV once I found the station (channel 807).  Had no idea I had channels that high up.  I was guessing we had about 10 or so fans there.  Did Doug Woolard or Judy Genshaft make the trip?

This thread might have to go in the Hall of Fame considering its our biggest Championship win in school history.  Mods do you agree?

winning the Big East in Soccer is a bigger deal.