I will readily admit I am not a huge fan of basketball.  I watch the occasional rivalry game on ESPN, I watch March Madness (who doesn’t?) but other than that I just can’t get into it.  I used to be a huge Knicks fan, until Isiah Thomas destroyed the game for me.  Ever since then, I’ve struggled to care about the game.

Until Tuesday.

Tuesday was, in short, a re-indoctrination of sorts for me.  I had planned on going to the basketball game against Providence for awhile, but I was surprised at how excited I was getting as game-time neared, and it wasn’t because of the free t-shirt heading my way.  Part of it might have been that I found myself looking for something to fill the void left by the now defunct football team (another column for another time).  But I think it was more that my school was hosting a big game, and there was a buzz about it on campus.  Before tip-off, I was feeling it all, the butterflies, the adrenaline, the optimism, everything.  And I was surprised at how into the game I got.  To be honest, it felt GREAT.

When Adako slammed home that dunk to make it 10-6, I went nuts.  When Providence went on that 11-0 run, I was screaming in frustration.  When Northeastern was down by 13, I was disheartened.  When they closed the gap to two, I was going crazy.  I had rediscovered my passion for what had, until tonight, been an afterthought for me.

I left Matthews Arena feeling strangely satisfied Tuesday night, despite the loss, and I think it was because I had finally been emotionally invested in an NU basketball game.  It felt good to get behind my school’s team.  I won’t guarantee that I will become the new “Matthews Maniac.”  I won’t say that I am going to travel to a road game. However, I will promise that I am going to attend as many basketball games as humanely possible - and you should make the same promise too.

Ben Horner is a staff announcer at WRBB.

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