Quote:'Noles fans overrun with basketball fever
By Jack Corcoran
TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Posted on Tue, Feb. 03, 2004

Nobody is going to confuse the Civic Center with Cameron Indoor Stadium just yet.

But after years of playing in front of sparse crowds, Florida State is rediscovering what it's like to have a home-court advantage. Attendance is on the rise for the Seminoles, who are 12-1 at home heading into tonight's clash with No. 15 Georgia Tech.

"It's great having that fan support," Michael Joiner said. "I believe it's given us that extra push that we need sometimes in crunch time."

The Civic Center was electric in FSU's last two ACC home games. A near-capacity crowd of 11,562 was on hand for the Seminoles' remarkable 24-point comeback victory over then-No. 7 North Carolina on Jan.22. Three days later, 10,476 fans watched as FSU overcame an eight-point deficit in the final eight minutes to take down then-No.10 Wake Forest. Jubilant students led the charge onto the floor after both upsets.

FSU has averaged 9,567 in attendance through its first four ACC games. Overall, FSU's average attendance stands at 6,793.

With four league games remaining, FSU has a strong shot at averaging more than 7,000 in attendance for the first time in seven years. FSU's home finale Feb.29 against top-ranked Duke is already sold out.

"It's all about winning," Tim Pickett said. "People just want to see you winning. That's the main thing. We're just trying to turn the program around. People see we're getting serious about basketball and not just focusing on football."

The Seminoles, attempting to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years, have benefited from the revitalized interest. They went undefeated at home against nonconference opponents for the first time since 1996-97 and they've won three of their first four conference games at the Civic Center.

"In your dry spots, where maybe you haven't had a bucket in the last three or four possessions, they start cheering for you," Nate Johnson said. "It gives you the motivation to work harder. And when you need a defensive stop, you hear the crowd behind you."

FSU's attendance started to pick up in Leonard Hamilton's debut last season. But the Seminoles still ranked last in the conference in average attendance at 6,384.

Hamilton created optimism with his track record for turning around programs at Oklahoma State and Miami. And then he scored big victories on the recruiting trail, snagging Von Wafer and Diego Romero, before coaching his first game in Tallahassee.

"There are so many basketball fans in town," Hamilton said. "I feel that we've been playing well enough to whet their appetite a little bit."

FSU set a school record by averaging 9,191 in attendance in 1992-93. The Seminoles haven't topped the 7,000 mark since averaging 7,055 in 1996-97.

The turnstiles slowed considerably in Steve Robinson's five seasons, bottoming out at 5,012 per game in 2000-01. Losing took its toll on the fan base. The Seminoles finished under .500 in Robinson's final four seasons.

The students have jumped back on the bandwagon. Their floor-level risers have been packed for the conference games.

"I believe everybody that comes to college wants to play in front of a packed house," Joiner said. "Some of us that have been here, we know that when there hasn't been the crowd over there you still have had to play. You still have to try to be your best. But it helps to have the crowd. It does distract the road team if they're not tough mentally."

Georgia Tech probably won't have to deal with as many fans at the Civic Center as North Carolina and Wake Forest. The Yellow Jackets, who were picked to finish seventh in the league in the preseason, were not included in FSU's six-game conference package. The game is much more attractive now. They haven't visited Tallahassee ranked in The Associated Press poll since Feb. 28, 1996.