Fans, family and Rice spirit follows Owls to Reed Arena ahead of first-round game

An omelet station and homemade protein shakes greeted the Owls this morning as they headed into their pregame session ahead of the day's game against Marquette. And as the players got down to brass tacks in a quiet hotel conference room, the Rice dance and cheer teams piled off their buses and filed into the lobby while the Marching Owl Band (MOB) brought up the rear; the rest of the Rice Fight spirit had arrived in College Station.

In lieu of the Hawaiian shirts they typically sport for basketball games, the MOB was in their formal attire: three-piece suits, colorful ties and matching fedoras. "We thought it was such a big game that we decided to go with the full uniform for the signature game of the year," said McMurtry College senior Braulio Garcia, the drum minor and token violinist in the band.

No one in the MOB, he said, had ever played at an NCAA tournament game. The excitement in the lobby before heading out was palpable. "This is quite the experience," Garcia said. "It's definitely cool to be part of such a big game."

In order to bring the biggest sound possible to Reed Arena, Garcia said they had another important order of businesses in addition to their natty dress: "We asked everyone what's the most banging song you know," he said.

After a bracing band send-off, the players were back on the bus and grooving to an impromptu dance party, kicked off by Outkast and the Jonas Brothers. And just 20 short minutes later, they had arrived at the arena.

In the stands, Rice fans were already settling in, including a contingent of students who'd taken advantage of one of the buses up to College Station. Although McMurtry College was hosting a viewing party in the commons this afternoon, five more Murts skipped classes for the day to come and support the Owls in person.

"I think the women's basketball team has done a great job this year and they deserve a lot of support because it's really rare that Rice makes an NCAA tournament," said senior Andrew Grottkau, who was missing a LING 200 class. "Being two hours away from campus is something that's special and doesn't happen all the time. We're lucky to get that and I think it's worth missing class for."

Fellow senior Davis Nelson, sitting behind him, agreed. "I also feel like we definitely want to show our support to the athletes themselves," he said. "Being here in person definitely means a lot more than seeing it on screen."
Showing that support in person is equally important for the players' parents. Nicole Iademarco has been playing basketball since third grade and, according to her folks, they've never missed a game. That's meant a lot of frequent flyer miles and road trips logged over the years, but today's game was only a short drive from their home in The Woodlands.

"We're so proud," said Nick Iademarco. "This has been a fantastic year. It's great to see the girls just working well together and playing great basketball."

As a senior, Nicole's basketball career is nearly at an end. "It's been a long road," said Amy Iademarco, reflecting on the last 14 years spent watching their daughter play. "I don't know what we'll do with all of our free time, but we'll probably still be at all of the Rice games."

Soon, the court fell quiet and the crowd rose for the national anthem. The game was on.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results