Ducks, Irish get that homey feeling
For a couple of reasons, it would stand to reason that Oregon and Notre Dame will be the local fan favorites for the NCAA subregionals that begin today at the Arena.
The Ducks would be a natural, given their geographic proximity to Spokane, while the Irish and the city have a long-term connection based on sports and religion.
In the stands of the Arena during practices Thursday, those teams certainly had the greatest number of followers. In fact, the Notre Dame players were swarmed for autographs as they left the floor.
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey was smiling broadly and said, “We’re trying to pull all the karma together for this weekend.”
He said he likes the assignment of his team playing in a strong Irish Catholic town during the week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day.
“This has been awesome, I’m telling you,” said Brey. “This is a great basketball town. I think it’s a pretty good Notre Dame town and it’s a pretty good Irish town.”
The team arrived Tuesday night to help adjust to the time change. They were greeted at the airport by local fans.
Then a local booster reception Wednesday turned into an impromptu rally on Spokane Falls Boulevard, which is also on the route for Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
“I’m going to be in that sucker,” said Brey. “I may have to be in that front and center. I’m feeling good vibes from this community.”
Oregon should have a solid fan base, as the trip for Eugene-area fans is short. The Ducks hope to also enjoy a home-court advantage, despite the fact they’ve been tough recently on the host Washington State team.
“You’re close to home and that part of it has been fantastic,” said Oregon coach Ernie Kent. “There are knowledgeable basketball fans with Gonzaga playing here. This city’s just been so warm, so wonderful, so friendly.
Then he put together his best argument about why Spokane fans should come the Ducks’ way this weekend.
“I know you got the Cougs up here – they’re not here. The Zags aren’t here. We’re the next closest Northwest team to be up here, so hopefully, they’ll root for us,” he said.
Underdogs make pitch
But for those looking for an underdog to adopt today, players from Winthrop and Miami of Ohio both said they’d be accommodating.
They are each clear underdogs in today’s contests, although you wouldn’t get that feeling by talking with the dozens of vocal fans who showed up for their Arena practices. Each school had noticeable entourages in the stands.
Winthrop takes on Notre Dame and Miami draws Oregon today, but neither team is intimidated by playing a game on the road far from home in the national spotlight.
“We’re looking at it as another big game that we play in our preconference schedule – North Carolina, Wisconsin type of game,” said Winthrop star Torrell Martin.
Players from both midmajor teams said they don’t mind the long travel to Spokane.
“I wanted to go the farthest away possible, just for the experience,” said Miami’s Tim Pollitz, an Ohio native.
The Winthrop faithful said the 6-hour plane ride from South Carolina wasn’t too bad, but the cold weather isn’t ideal. It won’t matter if the Eagles win their first NCAA game.
“It’s 58 degrees back home,” said one female student with a drawl, shivering in the stands. “But that’s all right. This is the year.”