Basketball season starts next week as the Cougars play in their annual Blue and White game Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Marriott Center.
As the season gets under way, BYU students return to the Marriott Center singing “Rise and Shout,” wearing white, chanting “right, left” as an opposing player fouls out and yelling, “Cecil,” after made BYU free throws.
[/media-credit]For those of you who missed Jimmermania last season and are new to BYU basketball, here are a few things you should know:
1. Seating in the student section is first come, first served. You are not assigned a seat like football games. If you want to get a good seat show up when the doors open two hours before tipoff.
2. Stand and yell the entire game. Our fight song is appropriately named, “Rise and Shout.” Last season BYU received national recognition for its boisterous crowd. At the “Jimmer’s All-Stars” game last month, former Washington Husky Isaiah Thomas said, “Man, this place is loud.” San Diego State coach Steve Fisher told him, “You have no idea.” The Aztecs know how loud this place can get. Let’s introduce the West Coast Conference to what the Mountain West became accustomed to.
3. Know what to cheer and when to cheer it. When an opposing player is shooting free throws, jump up and down, make bird calls, scream your heart out or sing at the top of your lungs. Do anything to distract the player from making that 15-footer. When a BYU player is shooting a free throw, don’t do as much as yawn. Let him focus and drain the shot. After he makes the shot, fan tradition is to say, “Cecil,” and point at our beloved school president across the court. But as the BYU player gets set to shoot the second free throw, once again — silence. The same goes for when BYU has the ball. Let the players communicate their plays and focus on the task at hand. When their opponents have the ball, don’t let them realize their coach is screaming at them to switch the play.
4. Be an educated fan. Know that after seven team fouls, the opposing team shoots 1-and-1 on free throws, and after 10 fouls, they shoot two. Five fouls by an individual player leads to his fouling out. Teams do not shoot free throws on offensive fouls. An assist is recorded when a player sets up a score by his pass. A fast break is when one or more players break away from everyone and have an easy shot at the basket before the defense can become set. A three-pointer is when a player makes a shot from behind the arc, which is about 20 feet from the basket. One last term any basketball fan should know is Jimmer. Enough said.
There is no way I can cover all of what a BYU basketball game has to offer in a small article such as this. If you feel you need more insight into this wonderful game, go to the Marriott Center on Wednesday, sit with a knowledgeable fan and ask questions as the Cougars face off in the annual Blue and White game. Be a part of the inaugural season in the WCC as we welcome Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and Portland the only way we know how — with noise.
