The last time I saw magic in person was January 30th, 2011. Being a huge college basketball fan, I got me tickets to the Duke-St. John’s game at Madison Square Garden for my birthday. I was ecstatic to watch the prestigious powerhouse Blue Devils and legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski take the floor. Ranked third at the time, Duke had a roster that consisted of future NBA players Kyle Singler, Ryan Kelley, Mason and Miles Plumlee and current Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving. St. John’s, an unranked team was hovering close to .500 on the year, but had a solid yet streaky group of players. As I took the train into the city, I thought there was no way Duke would be upset by St John’s, even playing on the biggest stage in country. However, I was sorely mistaken and I couldn’t have been happier.
I had previously gone to the Garden to watch Knicks games with friends and family, but after watching this game I knew that nothing could beat the atmosphere of a College Basketball game. The fans -- passionate , loud, and rowdy -- had packed the seats for St. John’s most important game of the season. Even though MSG wasn’t truly their home stadium -- most home games are played at Carnesecca Arena -- the stadium had a buzz and electrifying atmosphere that I had never seen at a Knicks game, or any other stadium before. As the players took the court, I was amazed at how tall the players were in person. Because I was only 5’9 at the time, players like the Plumlees seemed galaxies above me, towering like skyscrapers against the skyline of the crowd.
Our seats gave me a perfect view of what everything MSG had to offer. As I looked up, the scoreboard and the famous ceiling looked down at me, inspiring me to one day be on the big screen playing the sport that I love. Playing under that roof in front of thousands of people and inspiring others to do the same would be a dream come true. The court was shiny as ever and perfectly contrasted the vibrant red and blue sneakers that were on the court. Behind, the hustle of the Garden was up and about; there was a nervous buzz among the spectators: on the lines for food, going up the escalators, even in the bathrooms as the Red Storm faithful were praying for a once in a lifetime upset.
Before this game, I never truly believed in how powerful fan support is. Of course there have been upsets--George Mason making an epic Final Four run and Michigan Football being upset by division II Appalachian State--but a common factor for major sports upsets is the crowd. Through a team’s ups and downs, the crowd will always be there for them--a support system. The motto ‘’home field advantage’’ really hit me that day as the Red Storm surged out to an early lead. Every 5 seconds there would be a ‘’Duke sucks’’ chant or the Red Storm student section would go wild. The roaring voices of the Garden suppressed every Duke attempt to get back in the game. Before I knew it, the score at half time was 46-25: Red Storm!
The second half was equally entertaining; Duke won the second half but not by enough to make it close against the red-hot Red Storm, who pulled off a monster upset. The win gave them a forward momentum that vaulted them all the way into the NCAA tournament! While the Red Storm players didn’t get very far after their college careers, they are already winners in the sense that they stood up against opponents no matter how big the obstacle was. They also played a big part in inspiring me to continue watching, learning, and most importantly playing the game of basketball. This game taught me that anything can happen and to always believe in myself and my friends, no matter how big the challenge is.
Final Score: St. John’s’ Red Storm, 93. Duke Blue Devils, 78.
I had previously gone to the Garden to watch Knicks games with friends and family, but after watching this game I knew that nothing could beat the atmosphere of a College Basketball game. The fans -- passionate , loud, and rowdy -- had packed the seats for St. John’s most important game of the season. Even though MSG wasn’t truly their home stadium -- most home games are played at Carnesecca Arena -- the stadium had a buzz and electrifying atmosphere that I had never seen at a Knicks game, or any other stadium before. As the players took the court, I was amazed at how tall the players were in person. Because I was only 5’9 at the time, players like the Plumlees seemed galaxies above me, towering like skyscrapers against the skyline of the crowd.
Our seats gave me a perfect view of what everything MSG had to offer. As I looked up, the scoreboard and the famous ceiling looked down at me, inspiring me to one day be on the big screen playing the sport that I love. Playing under that roof in front of thousands of people and inspiring others to do the same would be a dream come true. The court was shiny as ever and perfectly contrasted the vibrant red and blue sneakers that were on the court. Behind, the hustle of the Garden was up and about; there was a nervous buzz among the spectators: on the lines for food, going up the escalators, even in the bathrooms as the Red Storm faithful were praying for a once in a lifetime upset.
Before this game, I never truly believed in how powerful fan support is. Of course there have been upsets--George Mason making an epic Final Four run and Michigan Football being upset by division II Appalachian State--but a common factor for major sports upsets is the crowd. Through a team’s ups and downs, the crowd will always be there for them--a support system. The motto ‘’home field advantage’’ really hit me that day as the Red Storm surged out to an early lead. Every 5 seconds there would be a ‘’Duke sucks’’ chant or the Red Storm student section would go wild. The roaring voices of the Garden suppressed every Duke attempt to get back in the game. Before I knew it, the score at half time was 46-25: Red Storm!
The second half was equally entertaining; Duke won the second half but not by enough to make it close against the red-hot Red Storm, who pulled off a monster upset. The win gave them a forward momentum that vaulted them all the way into the NCAA tournament! While the Red Storm players didn’t get very far after their college careers, they are already winners in the sense that they stood up against opponents no matter how big the obstacle was. They also played a big part in inspiring me to continue watching, learning, and most importantly playing the game of basketball. This game taught me that anything can happen and to always believe in myself and my friends, no matter how big the challenge is.
Final Score: St. John’s’ Red Storm, 93. Duke Blue Devils, 78.
