Winning Basketball Helps Fill Area Gyms

"Our market is Northern Virginia," George Mason Athletic Director Tom O'Connor said. "We want to be Northern Virginia's team."

Georgetown, like other area schools, targets its alumni. But the Hoyas -- who play in what is considered by many to be the best conference in the country, the Big East -- also want to attract the regular sports fan. Georgetown has been more aggressive in its advertising, using signs on buses for the first time, and has offered different kinds of discounts to get fans into the building with the hope that they'll return.

"This is a basketball town. Our prices aren't that outrageous," Frank said. "We wanted to try to get the sports fan in the D.C. area that was sitting there thinking, 'Where do I go?' We have $15 tickets in the lower level that you can buy."

The Hoyas, in some ways, face the biggest challenge: Not only does Georgetown have a smaller undergraduate population (6,100) than George Washington or George Mason, but it is also the only area team that does not play on campus. Instead, the Hoyas play nearly all of their home games at MCI Center, a 20,000-seat NBA arena.

Georgetown has sold out MCI Center only twice since moving there in 1997, both times against top-ranked Duke (in 2004 and 2006). The Hoyas have never averaged enough fans to fill even the roughly 12,000 seats in the lower bowl. They are averaging 9,000 fans at MCI Center this season, which is nearly 1,100 more than at this point last year.

The upper deck of the arena was closed last season, a move designed to keep the fans together and create a louder environment closer to the court. Last week, they had to open the upper deck against Cincinnati because of the number of walk-up tickets sold. It will be open for today's game against No. 9 Pittsburgh, as well as for games against No. 11 West Virginia (Feb. 12) and Syracuse (Feb. 25).

Frank credits Hoya Blue, a student spirit organization, with helping to change the formerly sterile atmosphere inside MCI Center. More students are coming to the games, which makes for a more raucous atmosphere and a better experience for everyone at the game.

"Fans in general go off the student section," said Frank, who speaks almost daily with junior Kurt Muhlbauer, the president of Hoya Blue.

Students at Georgetown -- unlike those at George Mason and George Washington, who just have to flash their student IDs to gain entrance to a game -- have to buy tickets to games, and the school provides free buses from campus to the arena.

Muhlbauer, along with fellow Hoya Blue board members Stephen Medlock and Thomas Ryan, spearheaded a season ticket drive that began back in August, when they specifically went after newly arrived freshmen. They continued to sell tickets throughout the fall.

As a result, more than 1,000 student season tickets were sold before the season even began -- easily the highest total since the team moved to MCI Center. The student section, which is located behind each basket, is entirely sold out for today's game, just as it was for Duke and Cincinnati.

The win over Duke -- which set off a frenzied, floor-storming celebration by the students -- changed everything.

"I told the guys as we set up for the Duke game, 'If we win this one, it makes our job easier,' " Ryan said. "We won't have to do anything. But of course we will."

Hoya Blue still sends e-mails to the 1,030 students on its list to let them know about upcoming games. Coach John Thompson III e-mailed the students following the Duke game to thank them for their support, but also to remind them that their presence was needed the following week against Cincinnati. Frank is figuring out ways to convince young alumni to buy tickets for the St. John's game on Feb. 9, which starts at 9 p.m.

"Winning is the bottom line, and when you're winning, you have to capitalize off of it," Frank said. "Make it fun with the winning, and give people a reason to come back. Even if we lose, when we lose, I don't think it's going to kill the excitement."