Put down your foam fingers and "Topple the Turtles" shirts and listen up for just a minute.
I know we're all excited to see what kind of rabbits head coach Pete Gillen can pull out of his very large hat this season. But as Cavalier fans, we need to take a good, hard look at ourselves and make sure we live up to our dear coach's contention that we are the best fans in America.
I'm not saying that we don't have what it takes to put the Cameron Crazies to shame, but I do know a few key plays that could take the Virginia faithful to the top of their game.
1.) Every game is important.
OK, now there comes a time in every fan's life where it's more important to turn in problem sets or study for those three midterms than it is to watch the 'Hoos play backyard ball against the Nantucket Nectars or Team Oscar Meyer. Then again, those early games could be your only chance to get right behind the basket. Your mom might not be able to pick you out on ESPN, and Dickie V might not be there to shake your hand, but you'll rack up major fan points by coming out to support the team. This is also the perfect time to work on your snappy cheers and taunts -- if the team's still working on their game plan, you should be too.
Plan a road trip or two. This is actually a long-standing U.Va. tradition that fell by the wayside in the 70s once men no longer had to venture down the highways to JMU or Mary Washington to find the womenfolk. The womenfolk are still here -- and in fine form -- but there are few memories as valuable as the college road trip. So take the girls along, and head for any of our many enemies within driving distance. Being the small orange oasis in a Carolina blue arena can really pull a group together, especially once Virginia starts to win on the road. Once you've experienced outright hostility because of the V-Sabers on your cap, you can call yourself a true Wahoo.
Where attendance becomes vitally important is the middle of the regular season. Come back from Winter Break a few days early, and watch Virginia in the thick of its ACC schedule. Be ashamed if the only games you saw last season were Duke and UNC, because your friends were camping out and hey, who doesn't want to watch television in a tent in the freezing cold? That's college! But "fair-weather" fans should wake up and smell the floor polish: Just because Clemson can't use championship banners as Kleenex doesn't mean they won't put up a good fight. Be there for Florida State. Be there for UNC, no matter how much of an off year they're having. Be there, and prove that we can fill every one of the student seats they're planning for us in the new arena.
2.) Rushing the court is only acceptable after really big wins.
And no, beating UNC when they're 6-16 does NOT qualify as a big win. Stay in your seats, sing the Good Ol' Song and get the heck out of the building. The last things we need is to look like we don't know how to win. Any decent baller will tell you that winning is as much about attitude as it is about game -- why do you think the team's sporting And1 gear -- so we as fans should act like we're used to those middle-of-the-road wins.
This is not to say that we shouldn't get rowdy when the situation calls for it. Beating Duke 87-84 in our second close win in two years is a big win, and any interested Wahoo should be on the floor, fighting for a piece of Gillen's sweat-soaked shirt. Just use the gesture sparingly, please. The U-Hall maintenance people will thank you.
3.) Know your basketball.
This might seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how many people in the first 10 rows couldn't tell you who won the national championship last year. (Maryland, remember?) Pick up The Cavalier Daily. Watch one of the 600 Sportscenter repeats each morning. Even five minutes on the Internet can get you enough information on the opposing team that you can heckle with intelligence. If I have to sit through another season of "Little Stevie" whenever the Terps come to town, I may watch the game from my tent in 'Hooville. Be creative, people.
4.) We represent the University. Conduct yourself with the appropriate respect.
I'm not here to lecture, but some of last season's chants were downright embarrassing. Teasing Juan Dixon about his deceased parents? Poor form. Poor form that disgusted commentators and made us look like poor sports. Making fun of a guy's game is one thing, railing him about his bad luck is another. Leave the key-jingling to the Hokies, the name-calling to the Pep Band and the obscene gestures to Lil' Hoo. Mr. Jefferson would expect no less.
Every time Gillen gets his hands on a microphone and his feet on the scorer's table, he tells us we're the best fans in America. It's time we gave Gillen what he asked for, so that someday, you can bounce your granddaughter on your knee and tell her how you too were part of the original Cavalier Crazies.
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