Video from Sunday and Student Cheering Conversation

We already have post-game entry open open for comments about the game.

The excellent video in this entry is from the N&O’s great coverage of the Wake-State game. Additionally, we’d like to offer a special thanks to the N&O for covering the end of the game so well as you will see in the video below. They also have video and notes from the game in this entry. We have more comments below the video.

When you watch the Wolfpack walking off the floor at the end of the video, try to imagine the entire RBC cheering a simple and loud “N-C-State”. Wouldn’t that have been powerful?

Of course, our students and our fan base just can’t/don’t think that way. I blame the last 20 years of the cheerleaders and the band promoting the inconsistent and inaudible “Nnnnnnnn….Ccccccccc…..Staaaaaate” cheer for ‘cuteness’ as killing simplistic and uniform chants and cheers that actually make an impact. We have discussed this before and ask that you click here and read this entry to better understand my point.

Additionally, I ran across this message board thread over at Pack Pride where some of the students are really proud of themselves because they have finally all figured out how to jump up and down during a basketball game.

So the student section jump in unison thing today was awesome, and I really think it caused Wake to make some mistakes. My vote is to keep that going for upcoming games. It was cool…

Whooopie!!

It was nice to see some of the old-school-Reynolds-Coliseum crowd jump into the conversation and try to provide a little insight into how to cheer without trying to copy everything that the Cameron Crazies do. Of course, I was a particularly impressed by the following comment:

I just don’t get the insane focus on judging the quality of the cheering by the physical action of ‘jumping up and down’. Jeez…you guys are enginneers…surely you are smart enough to realize that you can’t yell as loud when you are using your energy and your breath jumping up and down.

How about think of some cheers to use? How about picking on some players for things that they have done in their past? How about pick a single player of the other team and all yell in unison whenever he touches the ball? How about come up with some fun pregame things with some props?

I’d much rather have consistent and constant “De-Fense” cheers…and “N-C-State” cheers…and “Red/White” and “Wolf/Pack”…than to see a bunch of scrawny freshmen lifting themselves a half of an inch off the floor while trying to copy the Cameron Crazies because they jump up and down.

Let me provide you a more specific example of something original that the students can do that may also have an impact on the way the game is viewed. When Duke comes to the RBC Center the students need to be prepared to have simple, EASY TO SAY chants and cheers to call attention to relevant topics. One Pack Pride poster suggested the following:

‘ll say this, when Duke comes to the RBC, the guys’ heads we need to get into are the refs. I think everytime Paulus touches the ball we should have a “He’s a flopper (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) He’s a flopper (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)” chant.

How about a couple of the following:

(1) When Duke visits and the starting lineups are being announced, the entire student section should all exaggerate a flop and fall as far to the floor as they can while flailing their arms and making a noise like they just got run over. They should do this for each and every Duke player announced and then have something extra special planned for Paulus.

(2) How about someone coming up with some cheer/prop/action than can be used to highlight opposing team’s (especially Duke and Carolina’s) excessive hand checking. When our guy is trying to dribble and is getting hand checked, the whole place should be chanting something along the lines “He is handchecking (clap..clap…clapclapclap)

(3) What about some creative folks from the design school build some huge mock ‘hands’ that you can hold up whenever the pushing and handchecking is happening?

(4) How about a few students build VERY FLIMSY dolls (the bigger the better) that are wearing a Duke basketball uniform (preferably Paulus). So…whenever a Duke player takes a flop the student section can literally throw these flopping dolls all around the stands to highlight the flop.

How hard is this kind of stuff? I’m a boring friggin banker in my mid-30s and can figure this stuff out. The Student Wolfpack Club and the students need to learn about basketball…learn about our opponents…and focus on making an IMPACT as opposed to wanting to jump up and down and look like Dookies.

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07-08 Basketball Fans

73 Responses to Video from Sunday and Student Cheering Conversation

  1. Girlfriend in a Coma 02/04/2008 at 11:48 AM #

    Can someone who can read lips or enhance the audio provide a complete transcript of the exchange between that asshole ref and Sid over by the monitor?

  2. Ismael 02/04/2008 at 11:56 AM #

    i like at the end when Sidney is reminding his players: “…To the fans, to the fans.”

    This man understands what his job is…its not just to win basketball games, its to put a product on the floor that people can’t get enough of and to get his players to play for the fans and think of them and get motivated because of them, they paid good money, don’t make em feel like they wasted two hours plus the hell of parking in a modern sporting event.

    Good job wolfpack!

  3. StateFans 02/04/2008 at 12:09 PM #

    Please chime in and let us know if the audio is working for you…

  4. burnbarn 02/04/2008 at 12:12 PM #

    audio works great.

    i wonder who said ‘for the fans’ before coach said it?

  5. Girlfriend in a Coma 02/04/2008 at 12:19 PM #

    I have audio but it’s not clear enough (at least on my work computer) for me to make out that conversation.

  6. PackWolf82 02/04/2008 at 12:27 PM #

    I wouldn’t mind being back in the student section to try out those suggestions. And I know I would have definitely started the N-C-State Cheer after the Dunk. I loved queuing that one up after something big happened!

  7. TampaPack 02/04/2008 at 12:27 PM #

    ^ Good point Statefans. I was in Reynolds for the Les Robinson years and we still found something to cheer for/about. You have to key in on specifics (who got arrested, travels, etc. etc.) you get the point. When it becomes personal, you really have a chance of getting into their head. Jumping just to be jumping does nothing. Cheer for your team and try to get under the skin of the opponents.

  8. wirogers 02/04/2008 at 12:28 PM #

    I remember back in the olden days, the Technician would post the game plan for each player of the oposing teams introduction. I agree with ‘StateFans’ we need to go back to the old school items and not copy the flipflopping environmentalist from Durham, have a backbone.

    As I have always pointed out to the would be do gooders here in the North. State is the most politically and title nine correct university in the ACC.

  9. BJD95 02/04/2008 at 12:34 PM #

    During the beautiful Gaudet year, Chrissy Collins was shooting like 25%. I successfully got our entire section (behind Duke’s bench and family) to loudly chant “Shoot! Shoot!” every time he got the ball, and “Awwwwww” every time he passed. We shouted encouragement after every miss. Late in the game (which we won), he finally made a basket and we went crazy. Good times, good times.

    I don’t know if we got into Chrissy’s head, but I did get Doug Collins to look at me with a frowny face. I suggested an activity which he could do with himself, and he turned back around.

    The student section was better when it rewarded people for standing in line for tickets at 3 am on a Monday. We were the crazy bastards who could create a little home court advantage.

  10. beowolf 02/04/2008 at 12:45 PM #

    With respect to Sidney and the coaches directing the players to clap to the fans, watch ESPN Classic the next time they replay the UNC/NC State ACC semifinal game of 1983.

    Toward the end of the game, when it becomes obvious that NC State is going to win, Valvano turns around and acknowledges the fans (IIRC, he claps and points to them).

  11. Trip 02/04/2008 at 12:47 PM #

    Students are certainly willing to yell out stuff about the opposing team, the problem is communication. Say one group of people yells out “FLOP-ER” but another group is yelling out “HAND CHECK” and then you have a third group attempting “nnnnnnnnn–ceeeeeeeeeeeeeee–sttateeeeeeeee”… it becomes jumbled and incomprehensible.

    We all need to get on the same page, and please, PLEASE never ever do anything Duke does. That includes the lame shaking your hand thing… I never understood that one.

    I haven’t had the chance to attend any ACC games this year (First one will be VT on tuesday), but I remember when I went to the Carolina game last year or the year before there was a piece of paper passed around to everyone with specifics on every Carolina player. What to yell, what to do, ect. I think that year one of the things to do was whenever hansbro got the ball was to do the travel animation. I hope we’re still doing this, and I hope whoever passes out these sheets makes up GOOD ones.

    I’m all about yelling things about the opposing teams moms though.

  12. StateFans 02/04/2008 at 1:21 PM #

    ^ The Hansbrough travel thing is great. How about all of the students “chest bumping/slam dancing” whenever he obviously barrels over someone and gets away with a charge or a foul?

  13. Girlfriend in a Coma 02/04/2008 at 1:22 PM #

    The student section would be better if there were students actually in it.

  14. Greywolf 02/04/2008 at 1:23 PM #

    I like where you are coming from but “He’s a flopper (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)” the ball is gone before you get the cheer working. FLOP, FLOP, FLOP, FLOP, FLOP, FLOP,… or HAND CHECK, HAND CHECK, HAND CHECK,… makes the point with out the cuteness of (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)

    Back when I was going to games in Reynolds during the Everett Case ere, I don’t remember what the cheers were, except:

    Rip ’em up,
    Tear ’em up,
    Give ’em
    Hell
    STATE

    I still like that one and I believe Carter Finley would rock to that old timer.

    We didn’t have the Dance Team either. SOB ;-(
    What a wonderful addition to the quality of life for the male student. Don’t get me wrong, we had access to goodlooking girls. We could always go up to the NC State Cherry Farm at Hillsborough & St. Marys Street or out to Meredith College. Some of the State girls would looked all right too….. when they shaved.

  15. niceguy 02/04/2008 at 1:32 PM #

    i wonder who said ‘for the fans’ before coach said it?

    I don’t know if this has been answered, but you can see the guy who said this in the video he is standing in front of Sid. It is also the last guy Ben hugs on the video. I don’t know who it is.

  16. RAWFS 02/04/2008 at 1:33 PM #

    Forget props. Sustained chants are better (“hand check, hand check, hand check,” or “flop flop flop” over and over, for example) and the refs can’t help but have them embedded in their subconscious.

  17. choppack1 02/04/2008 at 1:41 PM #

    In the age of the intranet – it should be easier to organize these things. I’m sure that the university would frown on university time being used to mock another student athlete, but I’m sure there are other venues.

    I do think what we’ve been seeing is the sad legacy of NC State willfully being driven to “commuter school” status. For now, the RBC really is part of this if you think about it. A beautiful, state of the art “multi-purpose” off-campus facility that we share w/ a professional hockey team not affiliated w/ NC State. It’s not too hard to get out there – but it’s certainly not easy. When I was at school, I walked by Reynolds at least once a week – it was part of campus and campus life.

    I love those memories of campouts and thrill of walking into a coliseum from your dorm room or after a class on campus. I guess now you hop on a bus or catch a ride or drive to the fairgrounds, then walk a half mile to the game.

    For a practical solution, unifying leadership is required. However, in this day and age, the kind of folks who would be the best candidates could be muzzled by RBC or University officials.

  18. wolfpack1986 02/04/2008 at 1:48 PM #

    I think the suggestions for the Duke game are great. However we have got a game on Tuesday with Virginia Tech and one of their best players Deron Washington (?) has got a mowhawk and a televison loving mother that is always at every game her precious son is at. There has got to be some good material there. He seems like kind of a hot head too.

    How about some “practice” at our upcoming game. Like everone is saying all it takes is a little interst and creativity, the material is pout there.

  19. wolfpack1986 02/04/2008 at 1:49 PM #

    Please excuse the typos in the previous post ;-).

  20. PackGirl 02/04/2008 at 1:50 PM #

    Ben hugged Quentin Jackson at the end. Made him look like a midget.

  21. RAWFS 02/04/2008 at 1:51 PM #

    I agree Chop.

    The thing is that the best cheers are the ones that don’t have profanity or over the line personal attacks. State Student Wolfpack club should organize these things and get the whole SWPC to chant in unison enough for the rest of the crowd to start picking it up.

    As for the RBC folks, you have a very good point.

  22. Trip 02/04/2008 at 1:55 PM #

    I was going to mention something about Washington’s mom, Every VT game that I have watched they have cut the camera to her no less than 10 times. She’s not homely or anything, but she’s not attractive enough to be shown that much. I don’t know if talking about his mom would be a terrific idea as it might piss him off, and with the athletic ability he has, he could make us pay dearly if he just goes nuts. I’m all about saying something to him though to get under his skin.

  23. WallyB 02/04/2008 at 2:18 PM #

    Ah yes, BJD95. I recall that game against Duke. We sat behind the Duke bench & said things that would make our own mothers blush – and it worked just as well on the mothers (and fathers) of the Duke players. Wasn’t that the game where one of the Duke big men (I’m thinking his name was Greg something) was benched for cheating on a test. We gave him a slightly hard time too, I recall.

  24. WallyB 02/04/2008 at 2:22 PM #

    Greg Newton. That’s the guy. Suspended for cheating in 1995.

    Thanks wikipedia!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Newton

  25. FireAndIce2007 02/04/2008 at 2:30 PM #

    Of all the times I sat in the student section, only once was there a “cheat sheet” suggesting things to yell at the opposing team. (This was the home game against Wake Forest in 2006). And all of the suggestions were, frankly, stupid. The one that stuck in my mind was that one of the WF players said in the media guide or something that his favorite hobby was sleeping. So the sheet said we should sing “Rock-a-Bye Baby” when he shot free throws. Even if the player remembered the answer he gave the Sports Information Director, what are the odds that a)he would associate that answer with the confusing lullabye being sung at him and b)would be in any way thrown off by this. So, while the intent to be like the Duke section was there, the creativity was sorely lacking.

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