Basketball at UVA

With all the chaos that comes with the start of a new semester, whether that be picking new classes, going through rush, or finishing up last minute internship applications, it is easy to forget one of the best parts of the spring semester: Basketball. Now, I know the season started in the first semester this year, but I was just too busy to go to a game (also I always forgot to reserve my ticket online). Like all other UVA games, basketball is also free for students. The more games you go to, the more points you get on your SHOTS account, which means earlier entry times and a closer seat to the court (which mean a closer seat to Joe Harris, a 4^th year shooting guard and one of the top players in the Atlantic Coast Conference). I was lucky enough to score tickets to the home game against Virginia Tech, a game I was able to watch from floor seats last year as UVA creamed Virginia Tech. And as I walked into John Paul Jones arena out of the crisp, cool Saturday in January, I remembered why I love basketball games. You can feel the excitement buzzing in the air. There’s a palpable anticipation as you walk through the crowds of students and families. After cramming into the bleachers, the lights dim and a chill runs through your arms. A video is shown on the jumbotron and pump-up music is blasted from all around the room and you can’t help but jump with the rest of the crowd, ready for your team to pour out of the locker room. The lights are flashing and the screams are building and slow-mos of each player flash across the screen to more and more shouts and yells from the crowd. The Hoo-crew (a student-run fan club) is going crazy in the bleachers down below with painted chests and crazy orange hair and you feel a part of something greater than yourself. Every basket is met with screams and shrieks; the elation never dies and you don’t even care that you’ve been standing up for an hour. As we beat Virginia Tech by an easy 20 points that game, I fell in love with the University all over again. This is my team, my school, my UVA.