Montana Grizzlies Sports, Football and Basketball : Grizzoulian

This morning's Missoulian features a profile on former Griz basketball player Daren Engellant. It's a good read, with the most interesting part being his opinion on the student section.

One thing for sure: Engellant is a big fan of the idea of moving the students back to side court in Dahlberg Arena and trying to recreate the old Zoo atmosphere.

"I think it's a great idea," Engellant said. "I really was surprised they had done that (moved the students out) and I know the reasons they do it. But when they built that whole arena I guess I was skeptical.

"That (students at side court) was a huge advantage for us," he elaborated. "Even when they introduced our team and we could go over there and slap five to all the football players who were down there supporting us and standing up.

"The other team would take the ball out of bounds and they'd be screaming in their ear. You talk about a sixth man. That was huge for us. You get the students there and it actually becomes a participatory sport because they will stand.

"I would tell you that we probably wouldn't have had the record we had at home if we didn't have the support of those students at courtside."

How much does this sentiment need repeating? The student section can have an enormous impact on the game. That is, when a third of it isn't sitting down while others are moving away at the 8-minute dash. No one can deny that the CSU opener was one of the most enjoyable basketball games of the past three to four years. The only other one that comes close is the Stanford opener. If the students want to get the seats back for good, we have to earn them. Right now, we're not doing it.

Oh, and look at that, football players supporting the basketball team. Who would've thought? Them actually coming and supporting other teams after we go and watch them, sometimes in the cold, and stand for close to four hours? That's amazing.