Women's team shoots to pack McCann

The duration of the December 9 women's basketball contest between the Marist College Red Foxes and the then-16th-ranked visiting Oklahoma Sooners was a mere 45 minutes, an insignificant amount of time compared to the nearly week-long period of excitement and hype that engrossed the Marist campus and surrounding community before the thrilling game.

It is this outstanding reaction and buzz that the Marist College Athletics Department, coupled with students in Dr. Keith Strudler's Sports Public Relations class, hope to replicate once more on Friday, Feb. 5, when the Red Foxes host the Iona Gaels in the third annual Pack the House night, an NCAA initiative to increase attendance at women's basketball games. "The Oklahoma game this year was definitely one of the most exciting games we've had," senior Guard/Forward Lynzee Johnson said. "The atmosphere was loud and so fun to play in. Hopefully, Friday night we can create that [again]."

Aside from the large crowd of 2,828 that witnessed a near upset of the visiting Sooners earlier this season, the Marist women's basketball team has garnered a reputation of attracting huge crowds to the James J. McCann Center for its home games.

After becoming the only team in the nation to sell out their Pack the House event for two consecutive seasons, the Red Foxes are looking to bolster their reputation of having a large and dedicated fan base by selling out their Pack the House game for the third season in a row.

"It really is special, what we've been able to do here with the community's support," Associate AD Travis Tellitocci said. "It's a testament to what coach [Brian] Giorgis has done, and what the players have done over the past four or five years."

Pack the House, which is being sponsored by the NCAA for the third consecutive year, is a national effort in which athletic conferences and institutions compete for attendance at a selected women's basketball game.

One winner from each of the 31 NCAA Division 1 conferences will be selected, and the NCAA awards prizes and donates money to the nonprofit organization of each winning institution's choice.

"The [money going to] charity gives us more incentive to play better," senior forward Rachele Fitz said. "You want to win, because you get the victory and then you get this great donation from the NCAA."

Tip-off for the contest is at 7:30 p.m., but the events and activities planned by the Marist Athletics department begin at 5 p.m. with an invitation to all fans 14 years and younger to "Pack the Funhouse."

The McCann Auxiliary Gym will be converted into a funhouse available for use by fans before the game, fully equipped with an inflatable obstacle course and bounce house.

Instrumental in bringing a large group of young fans to the McCann Center during "Pack the House" events over the past two seasons has been the LaGrange Recreation Basketball League, who has brought over 500 fans to the McCann Center over the past two years.

This year, the organization has purchased approximately 400 tickets, and members of its 9/10-year-old division will play a shortened basketball game on the court at halftime.

"LaGrange basketball has been a huge help to us," said Frank Lombardy, Marist Assistant Athletic Director/External Affairs. "That's how it's snowballed, people had such a great time the first year [of the Pack the House promotion in 2008].

Although young fans are one of the groups that has been given marketing attention by the Marist Athletics Department for this event, the Marist College student body is still the biggest demographic that the planners for this event have been trying to reach.

The Sports Public Relations class taught by Dr. Keith Strudler, which is a popular upper-level communications course amongst Sports Communications students, has chosen to hold an 80's theme night for the Pack the House game this year.

During the week leading up to the event, the class is planning to hold 80's themed events including an 80's Movie night, an 80's food and game night, and an event teaching students the dance moves to Michael Jackson's famous "Thriller."

Members of the class have reached out via Facebook to try and reach as many students as possible. Over 540 students have joined a Facebook group entitled "Pack the House like it's 1985," and members of the Sports Public Relations class can send mass messages to all members of the group in order to inform them about upcoming events.

"Everything that [the Sports Public Relations Class] does, Keith [Strudler] and I overlook," Lombardy said. "It's part of a class, and we want to make sure its part of practical learning."

The McCann Center will likely be full of fans adorned in red clothing, not only in support for the Red Foxes, but also because Feb. 5 marks National Wear Red Day for Women, and the American Heart Association will be on hand to raise awareness for women with heart disease.

Fans from the local community are a group that the marketers for this event are trying to tap into.

Partnering with 92.1 Lite FM, the Marist Athletics department has arranged for radio personality Joe Daily to host a live remote broadcast at the McCann Center throughout the evening.

"Joe Daily has been a huge asset to us," Tellitocci said. "You need somebody in the community that people respect, that people listen to. Getting him to talk about [Pack the House] on the radio almost every morning is pretty invaluable."

With fans being bombarded with advertisements regarding the basketball game itself, "Pack the House initiative", the 80s themed events, the National Wear Red Day for Women, and the remote live broadcast by Joe Daily, questions have been raised as to whether or not so much discussion about the event could actually deter people from attending.