oxfordreb
11-01-2007, 11:29 PM
It's that time again gents. It's time to start looking forward to the familiar sights and sounds of basketball at the Tad Pad. Mmmm, it gives me chill bumps just thinking back to previous seasons. We've been there in the good, like Sanders crazy shot that beat LSU at the buzzer last year, and we've been there in the bad, like the three missed free throws by Sesay and the 3 pointer by Valpo that shocked us all. Ole Miss basketball has always been a big part of my life, almost as much as football.
It's hard to beat. Walking into the coliseum, the smell of freshly popped popcorn is what always hits me first. You walk around inside the hallway for a bit, checking out the images hanging on the walls from days gone by. You can hear the restlessness of the fans already inside the floor area, a nervous tension hanging in the air, like a rubberband that's ready to snap. It's that way because it's only 15 minutes till gametime, and everyone is anxious to get things underway.
Upon stepping into the floor area, the bouncing of the basketballs during pregame warm-ups rattles your insides, making the butterflies in your stomach flap their wings that much harder. The squeeking of hightops makes you realize how long it's been since you last saw the Rebs play. Almost 8 months, which is 8 months too long.
You high five your buddies as you try to squeeze into an already packed student section that is ready to explode. You can even smell a hint of last minute sips of bourbon that the guys took before coming inside, reminding you of how much you're gonna miss football season. That thought soon passes, b/c tipoff is coming up.
The lights go dark, the spotlight comes on, and the announcer starts naming the starters. He gets everyone fired up, b/c the home team loves the extra emphasis put on our Rebels. You look around the dome, awstruck by the amount of people that showed up so early in the season.
The lights pop back on, you start getting twitchy, anticipating the reaction of tipoff. It's finally time, the players meet on the floor, shake hands, and make a circle. D. Curtis meets his foe in the middle of the circle, the ref takes the ball, throws it in the air, and BOOM!.....the fun begins!
It is an experience that can be underappreciated but shouldn't be overlooked. Ole Miss basketball is a great program that really reaches to almost all Rebel fans in one fashion or another.
I'll be at the ex. game this friday against Delta States, to all that can, bring your canned goods and get in the game for free. Although this is an exhibition, let's show up and give our Rebs some support. :thumpsup:
It's hard to beat. Walking into the coliseum, the smell of freshly popped popcorn is what always hits me first. You walk around inside the hallway for a bit, checking out the images hanging on the walls from days gone by. You can hear the restlessness of the fans already inside the floor area, a nervous tension hanging in the air, like a rubberband that's ready to snap. It's that way because it's only 15 minutes till gametime, and everyone is anxious to get things underway.
Upon stepping into the floor area, the bouncing of the basketballs during pregame warm-ups rattles your insides, making the butterflies in your stomach flap their wings that much harder. The squeeking of hightops makes you realize how long it's been since you last saw the Rebs play. Almost 8 months, which is 8 months too long.
You high five your buddies as you try to squeeze into an already packed student section that is ready to explode. You can even smell a hint of last minute sips of bourbon that the guys took before coming inside, reminding you of how much you're gonna miss football season. That thought soon passes, b/c tipoff is coming up.
The lights go dark, the spotlight comes on, and the announcer starts naming the starters. He gets everyone fired up, b/c the home team loves the extra emphasis put on our Rebels. You look around the dome, awstruck by the amount of people that showed up so early in the season.
The lights pop back on, you start getting twitchy, anticipating the reaction of tipoff. It's finally time, the players meet on the floor, shake hands, and make a circle. D. Curtis meets his foe in the middle of the circle, the ref takes the ball, throws it in the air, and BOOM!.....the fun begins!
It is an experience that can be underappreciated but shouldn't be overlooked. Ole Miss basketball is a great program that really reaches to almost all Rebel fans in one fashion or another.
I'll be at the ex. game this friday against Delta States, to all that can, bring your canned goods and get in the game for free. Although this is an exhibition, let's show up and give our Rebs some support. :thumpsup: