By Vanessa Notman
The State News
Opponents gain control of the ball and MSU women's basketball fans step in. It's the power of home court.
A teenage girl rises to her feet, her mouth wide open. A nursing student pounds on the railing before him, his game face on. An alumna raises a sign above her head, her eyes follow the ball. They stomp their feet. They roar. They do their best to break the opponents and encourage the Spartans.
They expect a win.
Last year, the MSU women's basketball team made its first appearance in the NCAA championship game. They may not have come home with a trophy, but the team members collected more fans and higher expectations.
Already, the women's team is on track to beat last year's average attendance record. To date, this season's average attendance is 6,694 fans compared to last year's total of 6,143. The men's team averages 14,760 fans this season.
In just Big Ten contests, the women average 8,155 in attendance this season. Two games have already had more than 10,000 fans.
Jill Mason, director of marketing and promotions for the athletics department, said season-ticket holders for women's basketball is just fewer than 2,000. This means that on average more than 4,000 fans purchase individual tickets for any particular game.
Judy and Ron Mateer of Lansing attended the Jan. 29 game against Indiana and said it was their fourth this season.
"We enjoy watching basketball," Ron Mateer said. "It's a lot easier to get tickets for the women's then the men's. Plus, they're good — both the seats and the players."
Lansing resident Lori Certo attended her first game when the Spartans played the Hoosiers.
"For the price, the entertainment is really good," Certo said. "It's East Lansing's best-kept secret."
MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie hopes her team's home games won't stay a secret for long. She even has her eye set on a sell out.
"We were close last year, we haven't been too close this year, but I definitely hope so," she said.
Breslin Center's maximum capacity is 14,759 people. But even with Spartans fans pouring in, the average crowd would have to more than double in order to achieve McCallie's dream of a sell out.
In sports, consistency counts. This is where loyalty factors in.
It's the fans who haven't missed a game that could help McCallie's dream become a reality.
Meet Camilla, Steve and Katie.
CAMILLA SIMON
She's been to Kansas. She's been to Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota. And when she was in the Virgin Islands during Thanksgiving weekend, it wasn't to lay on the beach. Camilla Simon and her dad, Larry, traveled to these destinations not for the scenery, but to watch basketball.
It was last year when the Simons, of East Lansing, decided to take their support to the next level. They not only attend all the women's home games, but go to as many of the away games as possible.
The 13-year-old eighth grader said she has been a fan of MSU women's basketball for as long as she can remember, but it was during the 2001-2002 season when her real passion set in.
"I've been going to the games before there was the huge crowds and the huge hype," she said. "I definitely think they've acquired more fans, and that's great. But you can't forget the people who have always supported them."
Camilla has had the opportunity to build relationships with some of the players and has kept in touch with sophomore forward Alisa Wulff through e-mails.
"I truly consider her an older sister I've never had," Camilla said. "All of the players are as nice as can be. They come out and sign autographs. No matter how far they go, they always know where they came from."
Wearing her homemade T-shirt "I (heart) Alisa Wulff," Camilla springs to her feet, arms out-stretched over her head, each time a basket is made.
While enjoying her last year at MacDonald Middle School, Camilla said she keeps busy by practicing her jump shot in order to try out for the freshmen team at East Lansing High School next year.
STEVE WASKIEWICZ
A former Navy officer, Steve Waskiewicz received his first bacholer's degree in advertising. After realizing the field wasn't for him, he started the nursing program at MSU. The direction change kept him close to his true passion — MSU women's basketball.
The 29-year-old hasn't missed a home game this season. Waskiewicz prefers to sit in the first row of the second tier at Breslin. Leaning over the railing, shouting, fists up, he stands out from the crowd.
Although his schedule as a nursing senior is hectic, Waskiewicz makes time to relish the talent of senior guard Lindsay Bowen.
"She is so versatile. She passes so well and is a very mature player," he said. "She's an open player. She is not at all selfish with the ball. She simply leads the team."
Waskiewicz's vote for favorite player might go to Bowen, but he said it is impossible to deny the teamwork of the Green and White.
"The trio of Liz (Shimek), Lindsay and Victoria (Lucas-Perry) — that trio is just amazing," he said. "They are a deadly combination."
With his hands constantly cupped to his mouth, Waskiewicz perpetually shouts his advice and support down to the Spartans. Whether they are behind or ahead, there is a dependable flow of energy exerting from him at all times.
Although also a fan of the MSU men's basketball team, Waskiewicz finds the women's games a more pleasant environment.
"I'm more of a die-hard fan of the women's then the men's," he said. "They're both great, of course, but the women's games are more enjoyable for me. It's a more intimate atmosphere."
KATIE LAYMAN
Katie Layman had no idea her classmate was a local celebrity.
While learning the ins and outs of a proper golf swing last year, Layman was clueless that her fellow practicing putter was Lindsay Bowen, a senior guard for the MSU women's basketball team. After befriending her classmate, Layman, who graduated from MSU in December with a degree in chemistry, took her support from the green to the court.
A member of SenterCourt, the official student spirit section, for MSU women's basketball since last year, Layman said the fan club is a great way to be engaged with the MSU community.
Layman now lives and works in East Lansing. Her proximity to Breslin Center ensures her a front row spot amid other SenterCourt members.
"After last year, women's basketball really stepped up a huge notch," the 23-year-old said. "I had never really been into any of the sports here at MSU, and I decided this would be a great thing to get involved in."
Layman is a pro in the dance moves that accompany the band's energetic tunes as well as an active player in the timeout entertainment of the "shoe shuffle."
While wearing the same green "By Choice, Not Chance" T-shirt as the rest of Senter Court members, Layman stands out holding massive homemade signs over her head. The small, but dedicated, section is at center court.
Layman said the vigor between the fans and the players is the best part of the games.
"The energy that you experience with the team playing and the fans cheering is amazing," she said. "How the two come together is just pure, raw emotion. It's such a great, competitive environment where everyone pulls together."
