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Long-distance dedication Fans pack Assembly Hall to cheer on HoosiersPosted: Saturday March 30, 2002 10:34 PMUpdated: Sunday March 31, 2002 12:03 AM
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- They cheered every Indiana basket, booed every disputed call, agonized through the final minutes and rose at the end in a sea of red. Thousands of Indiana fans who couldn't be in Atlanta for the NCAA semifinal game Saturday night watched on a big-screen television mounted in the middle of the floor at Assembly Hall. As Indiana's five national championship banners fluttered high above the south end of the arena, about 5,000 fans -- some in costume, some with painted faces, many waving signs of support -- cheered as if their beloved Hoosiers were there, too. At the end, when they knew they would be returning Monday night to watch the championship game, they honored coach Mike Davis by chanting, "We love Mike! We love Mike!"
The 73-64 victory over Oklahoma marked Indiana's first Final Four appearance since 1992 in just the second season for Davis, who brought the Hoosiers back to the national prominence they once routinely enjoyed. "It's been a great season," shouted Mark Jindra, a freshman from Valparaiso. "IU, I think, kind of needed this season after what happened last year. It's a great season all around, and this just kind of tops it off." Screaming louder with each point as Indiana finally pulled away in the last 2 minutes, almost all the fans were on their feet, jumping, arms raised high toward the giant screen in front of them. "It's been fantastic," said Brady Gibney, a junior from Elkhart, clad in red shorts, cape and bandanna, a black mask over his eyes. "Big Ten champions, the Final Four. We want to win so bad, it's fantastic." Fans of all ages, not just students, began lining up at the south entrance of Assembly Hall as early as noon, more than six hours before tip-off. A huge billboard proclaiming "Indiana, good luck in the Final Four" was erected in front of the arena, and many fans signed their names and wrote messages. Inside was a festival, with a pep band and cheerleaders performing at every TV break. They cheered when injured guard Tom Coverdale started after all, groaned when Jared Jeffries picked up his second foul early in the game and went wild when the Hoosiers had big rallies in both halves. On Monday night, both sides of Assembly Hall will be opened for an expected larger crowd. The arena was turned into a giant theater at the suggestion of students themselves, said Sharon Brehm, the university's chancellor. "They said, `Hey, would it be possible to have a screen in Assembly Hall?' And the rest of us said, `Hey, great idea!' After that, things just came together," Brehm said. She said having the students in the arena wasn't necessarily designed to prevent postgame rowdiness. "What we wanted to have was a lot of fun, in a safe environment," Brehm said. "This provides that." And the students were having fun, all right. "We wanted to be the first ones here, and we were. For the glory of it. We wanted to prove we're the No. 1 fans," said Justin Stender, a freshman from South Bend.
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The Hoosiers say Jeff Newton couldn't have picked a better night to have a career game.
