n While Sunday’s game against the University at Albany gave little reason to support Boston University men’s basketball, blaming the lack of fan support on a lack of offense is completely misplaced (“For BU hoops, better offense would draw a bigger crowd,” Mar. 6, p. 8). Instead, it seems the abysmally apathetic attitude and the lack of any true school spirit from BU students are more to blame in continually undermining the potential of this past season’s men’s basketball team.

While the Terriers remained notorious for their defense-heavy play (ranked first defensively in America East), the 2006-’07 season demonstrated BU’s capabilities of executing a fresh and stellar offense. Any student who attended even a handful of the regular season home games would have found something exciting to support this past weekend.

This was a team that nearly beat the first-seeded University of Vermont Catamounts in its last regular season home game. This was a team with a rookie who posted 30 points against Binghamton University in the regular season and another freshman who took the title of America East Rookie of the Year. A second-half comeback against Binghamton on Saturday seems like an equally good indication of a team with serious offensive capabilities. And while the Terriers’ regular-season record seems anything but stellar on paper, so many of their contests were decided by the narrowest of margins — something the presence of an energetic crowd could have definitely affected.

Certainly, the basketball team cannot be blamed for our embarrassing attendance this weekend (or even throughout the regular season); our dispassionate fan base failed to take advantage of what could have been a wonderful end to a surprising season.

Albany coach Will Brown said it best: “The Terriers have a chance to be special.” There is no doubt that this young squad will emerge as a formidable force in the future (especially offensively). For now, it is imperative to look to the successes of this season as a sign of the great things to come. Hopefully, next season will bring with it not only a special and powerful team, but also a large, dedicated and vocal group of fans to aid them in their quest to one day return to The Dance.

Stephanie Halligan

CAS ’09