Women’s Basketball Follow-Up: Community Support Highlights Vital Win

Steve Miller
Sports Editor

You know something is undeniably cliché when it becomes cliché even to preface the phrase with a disclaimer about how cliché it is. And all UD students know that the only cliché on campus more cliché than the word itself also begins with the letter C.

But just like stereotypes, clichés exist because of an inherent truth. Community, like it or not, was on full display at UD Arena Wednesday night when Dayton’s women’s basketball team knocked off Duquesne to remain unbeaten in conference and secure first place in the Atlantic 10.

“This is an unbelievable crowd,” coach Shauna Green grabbed the public address microphone and thanked the 3,224 supporters who had come to the arena mid-week.

“The students we had tonight, we need you to keep coming back.”

Each time the buzzer sounds at UD Arena concluding a game, Green performs the same routine:

“Thank you all for coming out, you guys are great,” the sentiment normally flows. “We really need your support on [insert next home date here].”

But Wednesday night was different. Her sentiment, while always sincere, was more triumphant. The lower bowl was at near capacity, the student section was loud, and the crowd as a whole was passionate throughout the game.

“If we can have that environment every single night at the arena…it’s gonna be really hard [for opponents] to come to the arena and win because it’s such a huge boost for us,” Green said in a press conference afterward.

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With such high stakes for the victor — first place in the conference and a potential tie-breaker down the road — Dayton Athletics, Red Scare, and the players themselves promoted the game heavily on campus and in the surrounding community.

“We knew that it was going to be a huge game and the women’s team also reached out wanting a big crowd,” said Chris LaReau, president of the Red Scare executive board.

“So it was definitely a joint effort between ourselves and the athletic department to promote the game.”

Like any good community neighbors, the fans delivered on the request.

The student section, normally barren for the women’s games, was rocking with eager Flyers, many of whom were student-athletes.

“We were excited with the amount of students that came out to the game,” LaReau said.

“We had a good amount of regular students at the game, but we did have a lot of student athletes who came to the game with their teams to support, which is always great to see.”

While Wednesday may have been the first time many students got to witness Dayton’s women’s team roll to a high-pace victory, it was a familiar sight for the consistent contingent of supporters known as the Flyer Pep Band.

The band, who plays at every home game and travels with the team to tournaments, enjoyed the better-than-usual turnout.

“The success isn’t just about the team winning, but it’s about showing the community and the students what Dayton women’s basketball is all about,” said Kayla Pariser, a senior piccolo player in the pep band. “So in addition to the W, it was a win to have more student support there.”

Pariser, and her fellow bandmates, have revelled in the recent success of the women’s team. And the relationship between the band and the players might be an even truer display of community than Wednesday.

“The band strongly supports the women’s team and vice versa,” she said. “Last year when we went to the A-10 Tournament with them in Richmond, when they won we actually got to go on the court and take pictures with the trophy with them.”

“We do feel like we have a strong relationship with the women’s team. And it makes us feel like we’re a more significant part of [their] games.”
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The band, the fans, the students, anyone who comes out to UD Arena will end up leaving with the same feeling because of how the team cherishes their supporters. And that’s not to say there are few, because even average opponents who play in Dayton are met by at least 2,000 of the Flyer faithful, albeit mostly non-students.

“I think that, again, that’s what makes this place special,” Green said.

But regardless of their normal crowd size, having an extra thousand for a critical game seemed monumental.

“All our normal fans were awesome, and then the extras that were there was just, I don’t know it was loud,” said senior point guard Jenna Burdette, who scored 18 points in the win over Duquesne.

“At some point I couldn’t even hear myself screaming on the floor.”

That’s why when Green took the mic on Wednesday, her message felt fulfilled.

“The product has been good for years consistently, and I think they’re fun to watch,” Green said.

“And I think they deserve people coming and supporting them for all their hard work.”

It’s not just the product, though. It’s the authentic class with which Green and the players carry the program, and their true thanks they ensure is heard by their supporters that keep fans invested in the team’s success.
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“I think it’s really nice when the coach acknowledges the community the support, and the students,” Pariser said, who’s band ceases playing for Green’s postgame thanks after every contest. “It makes you feel more connected to the team, not like the team is on a pedestal.”

Three thousand people on Wednesday got to experience that bond and feel connected to a significant win.

“The women’s team definitely feels like a community-centered team,” Pariser said. “They want members of the community and student body to be a part of their success.”

What’s funny about clichés is that, even though they’re taboo on paper and in speech, passionate writers want to return to them because of their truth.

And the women’s basketball team hopes their fans find the same desire after experiencing the fun truth of a Flyer win.

“I’m so appreciative to everyone who comes out and takes the time,” Green. said “And I hope they just keep coming back.”

Photos Courtesy of Kayla Pariser and Taken by Roberto De La Rosa-Finch/Online Editor