January 10, 2007 -
On the Islanders with George Vondracek
Brian Teter called it a "great step." Ronnie Arrow called it a "giant step."
Regardless of the term one wishes to attach to the crowd of 3,536 who witnessed Texas A&M-Corpus; Christi's debut in the Southland Conference men's basketball chase, it was "a" step toward igniting interest in the program.
It could have been a much bigger step. Especially when you consider that one could fork out all of one buck to enter the American Bank Center on Saturday to see the Islanders knock off McNeese State 74-62 in a game peppered with the constant tooting whistles of referees Bill Lopina, Troy Raymond and Jimmie Flores.
All of five months on the job as athletics director, Teter was hoping for a crowd in excess of 3,000. He got his wish, with the attendance roughly 2,000 more than A&M-Corpus; Christi had been averaging in six home ballgames. In no way did it touch the 8,431 who saw the Islanders' 2005 game against Oklahoma State. Or the announced crowd of 4,071 that rotated the turnstiles that same year against Chicago State, a contest in which free entry coupons were distributed around town.
"It felt a lot different. There were a lot of people there. We want more people to come out," said senior Cedric Smith, whose 14 points off the bench led A&M-Corpus; Christi against the Cowboys. "We were excited. That's the most people that have watched us play. We were very excited to see that."
That excitement about Islanders basketball apparently hasn't reached a fever pitch with the general public in these parts. After years of yearning, the Islanders finally are affiliated with a conference. On ESPN's Web site, prognosticator Joe Linardi projects A&M-Corpus; Christi to win the Southland and earn the 14th seed out of the South Region. Arrow, in his eighth season as coach, has his ballclub off to a 10-4 start and it has lost only three times in 35 games at the American Bank Center.
Teter switched the gametime from 7 p.m. to 3 p.m. to spur a better gate and there still was plenty of room in the 8,500-seat facility.
"I've had so many people tell me today seriously that other than the Oklahoma State game, this is the biggest crowd they've seen in years, and since they've been in the building," Teter said. "I want the expectations to be like they were today. And granted, 3,500, which will be one of the top attendance draws in the Southland, I think we can do better. I still think we can do better.
"There were some constituencies we didn't get to today. The students weren't here. This time of year there's still a lot of people traveling back and forth so I fully expect this should be a conference crowd," he said. "If we get them here they're going to be entertained. We've got a good product."
It wasn't a masterpiece performance from A&M-Corpus; Christi, which was outrebounded 39-33 and had to overcome a sluggish first half. And Arrow realizes it is a two-way street. The university offered a sweet deal on ducats considering it was the program's debut in the Southland. But the product, arguably a good one in light of successive 20-win campaigns, must remain attractive to load the seats.
"I certainly hope that the 3,500-plus people that came today saw things that they liked, and they'll not only bring themselves back but they'll bring their friends, or even their enemies," Arrow said. "Just come.
"I understand. I'm from Texas. I understand Texas being football. But I also understand that because of the Mavericks and the Rockets and the Spurs that interest in basketball is growing and that the Islander basketball program, especially since we're in a conference, will spur interest in Division I basketball," he said. "I certainly hope so."
So, too, does Teter.
"I'll say this to you. What I've heard for the five months I've been here is, hey, people shaking my hand and saying, 'Hey, it's great you're in the Southland.' So now, all of those people who've been saying that to me for five months, now it was a chance for them to back that up today and come out for this game, the first ever Southland game," Teter said. "And I'm pleased the way they came out and yet I know we can do better. So today was a great step but it's something I expect and I know we can do better."
Contact George Vondracek at 886-3731 or vondracekg@ caller.com
Article courtesy of the Caller-Times at www.caller.com
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