But, with the introduction of new coach Mark Fox, formerly of the University of Nevada, on Friday, that may be changing.
Fox comes to Athens with NCAA Tournament experience and a 123-43 record in five seasons in Reno. He’s a largely unknown quantity on this side of the country, but that may turn out to be a good thing — provided he wins.
“In years past, I’d rather go downtown and see a concert or just drink or really do anything [than go to a Georgia basketball game],” said Ben Hansen, a junior from Decatur.
“And it’s mostly because they stunk. I think I’ll at least give it a shot this upcoming season because of the new coach, even though I don’t really know much about him or know what the expect.”
Hansen’s comment is a common sentiment among University students. Of 20 asked Friday morning at the Miller Learning Center on campus, 16 said they had been to “less than three” Georgia basketball games in their college careers.
But of those 20, 15 said that they enjoy basketball, and all of those said that the reason they didn’t go to more games was, well, “they stink.”
“I love basketball, but we’ve had some really bad teams since I’ve been here,” said Amiee Riley, a junior from Atlanta.
“They stink lately. But hopefully this new guy will be able to turn it around. I’ll probably go to at least a few games next season to see what he’s all about.”
John Bateman, the Director of Marketing for Georgia sports, estimated that average student ticket sales for men’s basketball games last season were “between 100 and 200,” far from a student-section sellout.
“It’s been rough recently, but we all know the reasons,” Bateman said. “It’s hard to say if hiring coach Fox will lead to an immediate increase in student ticket sales, but we certainly hope it will.”
Of those 20 students polled at the Miller Learning Center, 14 said they would probably give Georgia basketball another shot during the 2009 season.
“I actually used to play basketball at [the University of] Miami, which is also a ‘football school,’” said Brad Hill, a senior from Atlanta.
“It was kind of a similar situation. People weren’t obsessed with it like they were football, but, if they got a winner, they were willing to get behind it. Hopefully coach Fox can give that to them. I know I’ll be watching.”
The student attendance problem at men’s basketball games is not a stranger to anyone in the Athletic Association. Stegeman Coliseum typically only sells out during gymnastics meets and the occasional women’s basketball games. Unlike men’s basketball, both of those programs are proven winners.
But optimism is still running high.
“I want that coliseum full,” Athletic Director Damon Evans said at Fox’s introductory press conference Friday.
“I want these students jumping around. I want people around the country to be talking about Georgia basketball."
Here's a link to another story I wrote about Fox joining the prestigious Georgia coaching family.
Photo credit: Jason Broom, The Red & Black
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