Imagine playing basketball inside a jet engine.
Daydream, for a moment, that you were out on the blacktop shooting some hoops while a construction worker used a jackhammer three feet away. Think about playing basketball in the front row at a concert, right in front of the 50-foot speakers.
Now stop dreaming. That’s what it’s like to play basketball at Oregon’s McArthur Court.
“It’s a great crowd at Mac Court,” freshman forward Luke Jackson said. “It gives us an extra boost.”
Since Ernie Kent took over as the Oregon men’s basketball coach in 1997, he has tried to resurrect one of the great traditions since his days as a Duck player in the ’70s: a loud, boisterous crowd that gives Oregon an automatic advantage over any opponent.
Oregon has done that and is 40-15 at home over the past four seasons since Kent’s return. That streak has included many memorable games, most recently a 79-67 victory over then-No. 7 Arizona last Thursday.
“This crowd was great,” Arizona coach Lute Olson said after that game. “It’s always great.”
As a result of wins like last Thursday’s, The Pit has built a reputation as a fortress of basketball. In a preseason poll in Sports Illustrated, Mac Court was rated the toughest place to play in the conference and the 12th-toughest home floor in the country.
What makes The Pit so formidable? For one, it has a capacity of 9,087, and all those supporters are close to the court as a result. Second, the building is more than 70 years old, and the floors and walls are primarily wood, making the acoustics as good as a symphony hall.
Third, and most important, is the presence of the students on the floor, the loud and proud Pit Crew.
Anna Weinman, a student and coordinator of the Pit Crew, leads a handful of dedicated fans in organizing the insanity.
“We want the Pit Crew to be synonymous with Oregon basketball,” Weinman said.
The Pit Crew emulates great student groups such as Duke’s “Cameron Crazies” and Stanford’s “6th Man Club.”
Weinman said the Oregon faithfuls need to get away from their reputation as nasty, mean fans.
“We’re trying to keep it positive,” Weinman said.
Positive, such as when the fans chanted “Dad was better” at Arizona’s Luke Walton last Thursday, referring to his hall-of-fame father, Bill? Or positive, such as when they chanted that swear word that means “hogwash” after a bad call Sunday against Arizona State?
Weinman just rolls her eyes at those sort of things.
“The Pit Crew is excited and enthusiastic, not bashing,” she said.
Weinman and her cohorts are trying to expand the Pit Crew’s reach. In the near future, Pit Crew members could get early entrance or priority seating at Mac Court. For now, they hold barbecues and raffles at games, along with handing out T-shirts.
Kent has touted the Pit Crew as an integral part of his team since he’s been at Oregon. Now, he says, his team needs the Pit Crew more than ever.
“The Pit Crew this weekend needs to be as fired up as they’ve ever been,” Kent said. “We’re going to need that energy. We need both of these games to be as loud and as raucous as they can make this place here this weekend.
“We need the Pit Crew to be extra fired up, so Joey Harrington needs to really look at his wig selection and come out fired up this weekend.”
Harrington, Oregon football’s starting quarterback, and the rest of the Pit Crew will need to reach jet engine status once again this weekend if the Ducks want to beat No. 2 Stanford and California.
If you would like to sign up for the Pit Crew’s e-mail list, send a message to [email protected].