By Marin Murray.
Following a generous donation from an anonymous donor, students will receive free admission into home district basketball games beginning on Friday, Dec. 15 at the girls’ game against Cooper at 6 p.m. The first 30 students will also receive a free Santa shirt.
“I think this is new,” head boys’ basketball coach Justin Reese said. “So, we’re super thankful that we have some parents who are willing to help us out and help the kids out and get them in for free. We’re very appreciative of it.”
The donation comes from a group of parents who support the teams’ goals to increase student attendance at home games and will cover the cost of student tickets for all home district games for both teams.
“I think it will definitely bring more students to our games,” senior Samara Padgitt said. “We don’t have a big crowd, usually, so hopefully this will bring some more crowd support and energy to our games.”
Other efforts to increase attendance and excitement surrounding home games include the “6th Man” Remind group that Reese runs and the Front Row, which is a student-run group that aims to promote spirit at sporting events. To take part in these groups, students can follow along with them on social media or ask Reese for the Remind code. The re-introduction of the pep band, which is a smaller version of the band that sits in the stands at games, will take place next Tuesday, Dec. 19, for the teams’ doubleheader against Lubbock Monterey.
“We’re hopeful that it helps everybody,” Reese said. “I think it will help the kids playing, the girls and the boys. We hope it will help the students in their experience and having fun.”
The boys’ team currently sits at 11-4 on the season, while the girls are 10-4 and are riding a five-game win streak heading into district play this week. The boys will begin district next week against Lubbock Monterey.
“We can play with big or small crowds,” Padgitt said. “The fan support kind of helps our energy on the court, so there’s definitely a difference between when we don’t have fans and when we do have fans.”
As more students come to games, the coaches and athletes believe that the environment surrounding the home games will become more exciting, which can play a large part in generating energy and momentum.
“We think it’s going to help attendance for sure,” Reese said. “There’s going to be a lot more students at games, and so we’re excited about it. And I think that when the word gets out, it will increase the excitement.”
The donation will allow for the teams to showcase their talents for a larger audience to see, as well as serve as an opportunity to boost school spirit across all grade levels and even the community.
“We want people to see us succeed,” senior Ariana Trevino said. “During home games everyone can see what we’ve been working on, like our craft.”
The environment of Eagle Gym will look different from now until the end of the basketball seasons. Now that they have been given the opportunity to do so, it is up to the students to help generate excitement and energy for each team.
“I think our kids enjoy playing at home,” Reese said. “I think the parents and fans enjoy home games. I think it’s just a fun atmosphere, and I think that Eagle Gym on Tuesday and Friday nights is just a special place to be. I think our kids believe that, so we’re excited about and thankful for all of the people who are helping us make the home games exciting.”
