Last year, a student just like you was thumbing through this newspaper when he came across something that made him stop and think.
Gini Chukura found an advertisement looking for players to try out for the Terrapin men’s basketball team, and before he knew it, the sophomore from Silver Spring was a Terp.
Chukura told me he doesn’t care if he plays much this season – to be on the team and help it improve in practice is plenty. After all, he’s just here to get an education like you and me.
But we’re not all here just to sit in class and explore the wonders of Rikaloff in our spare time. For a great deal of us, watching one of the nation’s elite basketball programs is a significant reason we chose to come to this school.
I remember sitting on the mall during my freshman orientation when Steve Blake walked by. I would have slid the cinderblocks under the bed, hung up my Tom Brady posters and moved in that day if I could have.
When I see freshmen walk past Travis Garrison, turn around to double-check and then fire up their cell phones to call a friend from back home, it’s obvious the role basketball plays on the campus.
When I see sophomores and juniors doing the same, it proves how roundball-rabid (and maybe a little pathetic) we are.
And that’s a good thing.
For all the banter about a lack of tradition and the skepticism about the university’s fan base, there’s no question the basketball following here is among the strongest in the country. Just ask freshman forward Dave Neal how special it was to tell his friends that he would be suiting up with the team he’s followed for years.
But when I walk into Comcast Center for games like the first exhibition against the mighty X-Men of St. Francis Xavier, I cringe upon seeing a half-filled wall. (And wonder whatever happened to Wolverine. I’m sure he’d make a mean perimeter defender.)
Testudo’s Troops seemed like they had gone through The Battle of Antietam that afternoon. I know the team went to the NIT last year, but c’mon.
I realize there are still plenty of people on the campus who live for hoops. Several have Mike Grinnon as their desktop background and others turn the wall in their apartment’s common room into a full-scale NCAA tournament bracket (or at least my roommate does).
But there are others who can’t find the time in their weekend to spend a couple hours with their team, its sweaty head coach and a cute furry turtle. I’m sure those same people will have their faces painted when Duke comes to town Feb. 11, and they’ll probably suggest that J.J. Redick perform an act of self-reproduction at some point.
You’re the ones I’m calling out, and some of the fans I plan to reach in my column this season. I want to make you wake up and realize how lucky we are, and that free tickets to a basketball game at a $107 million arena should be cherished.
Of course, I’ll also have something for the message-board geeks. Don’t worry IheartNCM22, I’ve got you covered.
For a student publication, this newspaper is among the best in the country in its coverage of news and sports. But unlike many college papers, it sometimes lacks material that actually facilitates debate and conversation.
Like the ad that caught Chukura’s eye, I want this space to make you stop and think, and there’s no better forum to facilitate such discussion than through basketball – arguably the greatest unifying factor among the 35,000 students here.
When issues arise on the court, the discussion should span further than your buddies at the frat house and the cheesesteak guys at Al’s Grill. People should pick up the paper for more reasons than the crossword puzzle, Sudoku and a sex columnist who may use the word “penis” occasionally because for some reason it still looks funny in print.
As someone who covered the men’s basketball team for a local magazine last year, I hope to bring you insight that even the super-fans don’t have access to. I also encourage you to get involved and e-mail me comments, suggestions and recipes for your favorite adult beverages. If you always agree with some of the things I write, then either I’m not doing my job or you’re just smitten by my headshot.
This season should be special, for it marks the end of an era. As me and my fellow seniors end our careers, we comprise the first class to enter this school the year after the Terps won the national championship. If you’re anything like me – and admit you wouldn’t be here if not for guys like Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter and Mike Mardesich – then my column should speak to you.
We’re going to have some fun this season, provided you come out to games and do your part.
From now though March, basketball should be part of your curriculum. For those of you who have already felt that way, consider me your new T.A.
Class begins tonight at 8 p.m. I expect to see you there early.
Free Throws
n I will use this space to make quick points throughout the season. Please feel free to load up my inbox with comments and if you say something creative, it may end up here (provided you give me your full name, year and major). If you say something stupid, it also might wind up here.
n To give you a little more background of where I’m coming from, I’m from the Boston area, I am not related to baseball commissioner Bud Selig and I was thoroughly disappointed by this week’s Laguna Beach finale. I have written for this paper since my freshman year, have interned for The (Baltimore) Sun and spent the summer covering the Orioles and Nationals for MLB.com.
n And to get this out of the way: Yes, Diamondback die-hards, you may recognize my face from the front page of the Dec. 12, 2002, issue. It is true that I was featured in this lovely newspaper for inciting a virus called “The Boston Plague” that sent more than 30 people on the seventh floor of Cumberland Hall into fits of violent vomiting.
And I’m still very proud of that.
Contact columnist David Selig at dseligdbk@gmail.com.
