When senior Allison Carney and her three roommates hear a firm knock on the door and a stern male voice say, “Police!” at their door in the South Campus Commons, they aren’t the least bit worried. They know that men’s basketball forward Ekene Ibekwe is standing outside.

For Carney and her roommates, junior Laurel Jefferson, senior Katie Purcell and senior Cori Koch, all members of the women’s track and cross country teams, brief pop-ins from their hallmates, Ibekwe, forward Nik Caner-Medley, guard Mike Jones and guard D.J. Strawberry, have become almost commonplace.

When student athletes return from long road trips, grueling practices and nights out in College Park, they, like thousands of other students, head home. Their on-campus homes have all the staples of any other residence: a kitchen, a few TVs, a bathroom and, of course, neighbors.

“They’re such nice guys,” said Purcell, who has lived a few doors down from the players since last year. “But it’s really nothing spectacular.”

Carney laughed as she recalled an instance when Ibekwe entered the apartment at 11 p.m. in need of a computer to write a paper.

“I was baking a cake for my boyfriend, and he was just chilling writing his paper until like 1 a.m.,,” she said. “But the next day, I found a rough draft in my trashcan. The paper was, ‘How to find the perfect mate.'”

Other floormates haven’t had such smooth sailing. Last year, the basketball players flooded several rooms in their building by hanging clothes on their fire sprinklers, senior physiology and neurobiology major Katherine de Souza said.

Two main consensuses exist among the residents living in the vicinities of the athletic attractions: They are no different than any other neighbors, and they borrow vacuums – a lot.

Seniors Steve DiCocco and Rick White said the athletes stay pretty quiet except for the occasional request for a vacuum or cleaning supplies.

Carney, who’s vacuum also frequents the basketball abode, said her floor does have a slightly higher level of fame for students.

“I’ve been in an elevator and people see me get off and say, ‘Wow, you’re on the same floor as the basketball players?'” she laughed. “They have no idea that we’re athletes too.”

In a different section of the South Campus Commons, several football players share a floor as well.

The floor’s resident assistant, Tony Rivera, said the players rarely cause problems and their rooms always look clean when he does inspections.

“They’re pretty well-liked,” Rivera said. “Sam [Hollenbach] and Danny [Melendez] are two of the nicest guys on the floor.”

Vivian Dussek, a senior criminal justice major who lives on the famous football floor, said everyone knows who they are but don’t treat them any differently. She remembered a night when ACC Defensive Player of the Year D’Qwell Jackson and wide receiver Jo Jo Walker relaxed in her room with her and her roommates one night “like it was nothing.”

Senior history major Melissa Wright, senior English and secondary education major Danielle Pate and junior biology major Suchithra Narayan live directly next to a room of football players and said except for the occasional loud music, they can’t complain.

“Sam is the sweetest person ever,” said Wright, who is a community assistant in the Commons. “Sure definitely very loud sometimes with their music, but so are all guys. When we go over to tell them to turn it down, they always apologize.”

Wright said it wasn’t even unusual seeing these collegiate varsity athletes pushing each other down the hall in metal shopping carts.

“They’re no different than anyone else. Boys will be boys.”

Contact reporter Geremy Bass at sports@dbk.umd.edu.