Pack the Pavilion!

Growing up, every young athlete dreams of playing on the big stage. The bright lights. The cameras. The screaming fans. We want all of that. We play out fictional scenarios repeatedly where we imaging hitting the game winning shot and having thousands of fans rush the court to celebrate. Not every athlete gets the opportunity to have one of their games televised, but this week, the Saints will. This Thursday at 9 pm on Root Sports Saint Martin’s University will play the University of Alaska Fairbanks with their second ever televised game.

Three years ago SMU played on TV against Western Oregon University and cruised to an 85-54 victory. SMU alum Blake Poole led the charge with a Great Northwest Athletic Conference record 24 rebounds, while also having 26 points. I was lucky enough to not only have been a part of that team that season, but I also was given the opportunity to play that night too. Without a doubt that was one of my favorite memories that I will take away from Saint Martin’s. As a team, we were fired up to get to play in front of the cameras, but what really made it special was the crowd that night. I personally believe that we have the best fans in the conference and on that night they were great. Cheering from the minute they walked into Marcus Pavilion, until the final horn sounded and they rushed the court.

Fast forward to the game this year on TV and you can already tell there is a buzz around campus. Maybe the excitement is because of the free t-shirts? Maybe it’s because of the cameras? Or it could possibly be because this will be the first home game the men’s team has played with students on campus since November? Any way you look at it, the opportunity will be monumental for SMU. “I think it’s a great deal. It’s good to be on TV. I like it, our players like it, our students are going to have a great time and everyone who comes to the game is going to enjoy the atmosphere,” stated SMU men’s head basketball coach Michael Ostlund. To a regular viewer who just turned on the channel, this might look like to teams playing. But to someone who knows SMU, they understand the more significant impact the game could have. “This game gives us the opportunity to showcase the university, our athletic program, our facility and specifically the men’s basketball program,” noted SMU athletic director Bob Grisham. “Having a game on TV at this level adds another layer of excitement and interest. It’s a big game for us as a team to try and get a win against someone who is higher than us in the standings and move us up (in the standings),” added Ostlund.

The excitement amongst the team is at an all-time high as well. “I’m really excited to play on TV because last time we had this opportunity I was still recovering from knee surgery. I know we’re all looking forward to a great game and going to try to make it two wins in a row and get another step closer to making the conference tournament,” said Saints senior post Matt Dodson. Senior Rei Jensen wasn’t attending SMU the last time the team was on TV but this time around, he will play in vital role in the outcome of the game. “I’m excited to play in front of the cameras. It is good exposure not only for the team but for the university as well.”

But it isn’t just the coaches and players who are fired up for this game; so are the students. “I think all the students are really excited and it gets them pumped to help show support to the other athletes who go to this school. Having the opportunity to have SMU on TV promotes our school a little bit more and will help get more fans to come not only to their game, but in the long run come support Saint Martin’s Athletics in general,” said SMU women’s soccer player Sasha Dini. Dini brings up a great point about the way this game serves to not only show who SMU is on the court, but off the court as well. SMU softball player Haley Hoffman also added, “This opportunity will allow the university to make great things happen in the future.”

With less than 36 hours until tip-off, the festivities have already commenced with a number of behind the scene actions that have already taken place. Tomorrow at this time, ROOT Sports will have already set up their cameras and the bleachers will be out awaiting the arrival of the Saints faithful. So with all this in mind, it brings up one final question. What time are you showing up to the game?