UTSA Convocation Center (capacity 5,100)
San Antonio, Texas
The Result: TCU 62, UTSA 46
UTSA raced to a 7-0 lead, but TCU retaliated with a decisive 23-8 run. The home team exhibited great hustle, but poor shooting did them in as the Roadrunners hit just 32.6% from the floor and converted only 5 of 21 three-point attempts. UTSA will have a shot at revenge on TCU’s court later this month, completing an unusual home-and-home series against a non-conference rival.
Venue Rating: B+
Facility: B. While the seating is all chairbacks, the place has something of a bleacher feel to it, and the wood beneath your feet is a good stomping surface. The building is a little too cavernous, leaving me wishing it were all squished into someting a bit smaller. Because of the low angle at which the bleachers rise from the floor, the views from the upper section can be easily obstructed by the fans below.
Attendance (1,063): B+. The official attendance figure seems low. The crowd filled most of the two large sections of bleacher closest to the court, and unlike so many of the other places I visited during my tour, students were out in force.
Whatever the number, it was dramatically higher than it was when I went to a game against Jackson State last season. Perhaps San Antonians are finally waking up and realizing they have an exciting Division I college basketball program right here in town.
Basketball Environment: A-. Compared to other stops on my tour, UTSA boasted the largest number of students with painted bodies. My friends and I enjoyed discussing the relative artistic merits of the UTSA rowdies. Fan favorites: a student with pointy silver headgear, another with blue handprints on his torso, and a third with a hairy monster mask.
UTSA also had a pep band, cheerleaders and a dance team. Put it all together and it made for a very good college basketball environment with the potential to be even better as word gets out.
Fan Face-Off: UTSA Fans Win Easily
While I spotted quite a few purple-clad TCU fans in the crowd, they never mounted any kind of organized cheering effort. The core of UTSA’s student section did a good job until the game fell out of reach. If their zeal spreads to a majority of the students, UTSA’s home court could become a very difficult place to visit. The students lost points, however, for that common but profane chant used to express disagreement with a referee’s call.
Best Mascot: Horned Frogs
"Roadrunner" is a pretty nifty mascot, but "Horned Frogs" may be one of the top 10 mascots in Division I. I chose "Horned Frogs" even despite the fact that my grandmother, Gladys Polite, likes roadrunners and has collected their images throughout her adult life.
“Horned Frogs” wins not only because it’s a unique mascot, but also because these are large and aggressive creatures that can squirt blood from their eyes when threatened…though I didn’t observe any TCU players attempting this on defense.
Graduation Success Rate: UTSA 50%, TCU 33%
Can we really say UTSA’s basketball program “wins” with a 50% graduation success rate? Ivy League forfeits aside, this is the lowest combined total of my adventure, and an embarassment to both institutions.
Cotton, Sweet Cotton
Almost everywhere I went over the past 10 days, cheerleaders threw school t-shirts into the crowd. And for nine long days and nights, I jumped up and down in vain. That all changed on this, the final night of the 10-10-10 odyssey.
During the second half, Rowdy Roadrunner—UTSA’s walk-around mascot—threw one in my direction. Jostling with my friends, I touched it as it sailed through the air before it fell behind my seat. Like a player groping for a loose ball, I turned and siezed it, then held it aloft in with two hands, showing it to the world and, at long last, savoring the feel of soft cotton which I had craved for so long.
Life on the Road
I flew home from Philly this afternoon and enjoyed dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse with my wife, Pattie, and sons, Patrick and William, before heading over to the game. (William made my t-shirt feat look easy, nabbing a shirt of his own minutes after I did. )
My friends Sharon Fitzpatrick, Jim Vitali, Roy Travers and Paul Miller met me at the game to help make the grand finale even more special. I also enjoyed my third half-time interview, this one with UTSA play-by-play man Jason Minnix.
Total Miles: 2,402 road + 3,042 air = 5,444 total
Next: A look back at the adventure.
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1 comment:
It was a shame that UTSA radio dropped the ball on its webcast. I enjoyed the halftime fragments that survived the trip through cyberspace. I take the technology for granted until it fails.
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