Postby sect.3purple » Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:10 pm
I am one of the long term loyal Aces fans who has experienced the greatness of the Aces basketball program - I wasn't around to see the team in the College Div. national success (can only imagine what that was like), but I remember well the NCAA tournament victory over Oregon State and the excitement this entire city felt. I sat in Crazy Man's section high in the bleachers at Roberts and cheered the Aced on. I have been on fan buses that traveled to Butler and walked out with others after my Aces beat the Bulldogs. I yelled myself hoarse at St. Louis in that Championship game that we fought our way back from being 18 points down at halftime...and I was devastated to see that circus shot drop through the net...and watch that UNI player - can't remember his name, but can still see him running across the court to celebrate with the Panther fans. i can still feel the despair of that day....the finality of that one shot. I was sick and everyone else there seemed to feel the same (and we still hadn't been turned down by the NIT). The worst part of that moment was watching our guys on the court....to see the reality of the moment hit them, ending their right-there opportunity to make it to the the Big Dance...that's how you feel when you are a fan - those are your guys, your family.
I always want to win. I want the guys to play well and to meet their own individual potential. I will be hoping for good play and a victory for every game the remainder of the season......But we are in a situation with this program that critical concerns and comments simply are all we fans have to fight with to attempt to save this once-proud program. I do not consider these comments to be "hate Marty" comments. I do not feel that. What I do "hate" is what is happening to our basketball program, and I find it hard to get excited now that another season is ending the same way. I am much more concerned about what the university is going to do to save the Aces basketball program than when/whom we play in March. I think that is the feeling from a lot of us. We love our Aces. We want them to win. But what we want most is much broader.....WE WANT TO SAVE A ND REBUILD THIS EVANSVILLE BASKETBALL PROGRAM!