By Chris Umpierre
Daily Bruin Staff
Everyone is fair game for the wrath of the Stanford student
section.
In a game against rival Cal two weeks ago, the student section
greeted the Cal cheerleaders to Maples Pavilion by singing
“Who let the dogs out?”
That is just the start of the havoc the Stanford student section
““ better known as the “Sixth Man Club” ““
has created for visiting teams in recent years. The rowdy crowd
makes the 7,391 seat Maples Pavilion the second toughest place to
play in college basketball behind Duke’s Cameron Indoor
Stadium.
With the help of the Sixth Man, No. 1 Stanford (19-0, 7-0
Pac-10) has crushed the eight teams that have played at Maples this
season by an average of 33 points. The Cardinal has lost just nine
home games in the last six years.
“It gets really personal in Maples,” said UCLA guard
Earl Watson. “They’ll talk about your parents.
They’ll talk about your sister. If you don’t have a
sister they’ll give you one.”
Three years ago when UCLA center Jelani McCoy played in Maples
after testing positive for marijuana, the Sixth Man brought huge
marijuana cigarette props to the game and signs that said,
“How high is Jelani?”
Last year, USC head coach Henry Bibby, who is not on good terms
with his son Mike, was welcomed to Maples with the chant,
“Your son hates you!”
The Sixth Man, about 1,500 students dressed in red, sit
courtside along one sideline. After buying season tickets, which
each cost $55, they get in according to how many games they have
been to in the past.
Students slide their ID card at every game. Each game is worth
10 points. To get into the big games one needs a certain number of
points.
Every game is sold out ““ Stanford has hosted 44
consecutive sell-out crowds ““ and the students stand the
entire game.
Those who are lucky to get into the game come prepared. The
students prepare for each game like it’s a final exam. They
do their homework.
The Sixth Man usually designates a student to do some research
on the opposing team the night before the game. Then they make
copies of their research and hand it out to the section during the
game.
Sixth Man member Mike Dudas said he researched some good
material for the recent Oregon game.
“One thing the homework produced was the fact that about
eight of Oregon’s players are sociology majors, so I printed
out the class schedule for the (Oregon) sociology department and
had a pretty good time with that before the game,” he
said.
“They know everything about the player, his background,
and family information,” UCLA guard Ryan Bailey said.
“They’ll let you know about it once you hit the floor.
Even during shoot-around, they are in our face telling us
everything.
“You’re like “˜Man, how did you know
that?'”
Bailey, who has been a target of opposing fans throughout his
college career because of the success his brother Toby had at UCLA,
appreciates the pride the Sixth Man has in its school.
“It’s funny most of the time,” he said.
“Sometimes they hit a nerve and you get a little agitated.
You got to love fans like that, though. They are into the game and
behind their players.”
Sixth Man member and Stanford junior Ronnie Castro remembers one
particular rowdy home game two seasons ago. Stanford was playing
Arizona in a heated game that would decide who would win the Pac-10
conference.
“The Sixth Man was going absolutely insane that
game,” he said. “It was the loudest I’ve ever
heard us get.
“Late in the game, we were all jumping up and down when an
Arizona player was shooting free throws. And it was funny because
the player just picked up the ball, gave it to the referee and
said, “˜I can’t shoot, the basket is
moving.'”
Castro said the referees were going to call an unprecedented
technical on the Sixth Man. Stanford coach Mike Montgomery had to
get on the microphone to calm the students down.
In last year’s trip to Maples, then-UCLA forward JaRon
Rush was ridiculed because of his suspension for taking money from
a summer league coach in high school.
Come game time, the Sixth Man waved dollar bills at Rush.
Watson said he sometimes returns the student’s trash
talk.
“I think they mess with me because sometimes I give them
something back in return,” he said. “It could be a
gesture, it could be something else. Hey, it’s freedom of
speech.”
You can bet that on Saturday the Sixth Man will have a chant
ready for UCLA head coach Steve Lavin regarding the rumors that
former Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino will replace him in
Westwood.
“I can assure you that for Saturday’s game, the
“˜Pitino’ chant will be in place, but I don’t
really want to speculate further than that,” Dudas said.
“I’m sure it’ll be pretty crazy
though.”