Amongst the sea of gold ties, Simon Janelle tucked his away. Only the Windsor knot could be seen peeking through the low-hanging v-neck collar of his white Iowa hockey jersey.
“It’s kind of like you’re getting drafted, kind of like in a hockey game,” Janelle said. “And I just love hockey.”
Despite him confessing his love for hockey, Janelle couldn’t miss being a part of a lively debut for the new student section at the Iowa men’s basketball game. From chirping the opposing team’s bench next to them to cutouts of famous people’s faces, the Hawkeyes’ new gimmick behind the south basket served its purpose.
“Thanks to the fans for coming out, particularly the students. I mean, it makes the environment so much more fun,” McCollum said. “Just keep coming, you know, through the goods and the bad. It’s not going to be perfect. It’s not going to be like this every night. But it can be really special if we have them on our side.”
From pregame to postgame, the student section’s energy was instantaneous. The crowd of majority of current Iowa students fired insults during Robert Morris’ starting lineup intros: “Ta’Zir Smith… SUCKS!” “Desean Goode… SUCKS!” “Albert Vargas… SUCKS!”
During the game, the bunch started the cheers for extended defensive possessions, jumped out of their seats for every tough basket, twiddled their fingers for every Iowa free throw shot, and threw up cutouts of famous people’s faces during Robert Morris’ free throw attempts: Michael Jordan crying, LeBron James crying, elf Will Farrell, even an orange with a face on it.
Even the cheerleaders’ jobs are more entertaining with the student section inclusion. Josh Steffen was one of the cheerleaders who stood on the risers engaging with fans closer than ever before, and he admitted that it makes his job slightly easier.
“We get to connect with the fans a lot more,” Steffen said. “Because last year we were up in the front kneeling, and so we didn’t get a lot of interaction with the fans. But now it’s like we’re right with them.”
Despite the Hawkeyes leading by over 30 points for the majority of the second half, most of the student section stayed put until the clock hit triple zero. And while the new experience was a treat in itself, the best moment came when Iowa head coach Ben McCollum walked over and high-fived all the students in the area, followed by the players.
It wasn’t a preplanned notion for McCollum. It was his way of showing appreciation for what he’s been preaching since day one: for fans to simply show up and support the team.
“I think you got to show them that you appreciate them and that they’re on the team with us,” McCollum said. “I mean, that’s what they are. And so hopefully we can keep them coming back and try to keep creating some excitement in the gym.”