The RoundHouse | 12/2/2020 8:41:00 PM

 

 
Kim Mudd started attending Shocker games in 1984, when she married Gene, a fan dating to the glory days of coach Ralph Miller. Blake Peniston comes from a family of long-time fans and remembers the excitement mounting while in grade school on game day. He worked as a team manager in the Final Four season of 2013.
 
Terry Atwater grew up in the neighborhood, walking past the cemetery to cross 21^stStreet and find a friendly face at the door to let him and his buddies enter. He played for the Shockers in 1982-83 and roomed with Xavier McDaniel. 
 
Sally Phillips is a recent season ticket-holder, always coming with her mother in their seats next to three family members.
 
Those are typical fan stories, built on the routines of years of support and the connections with the school, the team and the people.
 
This season is different and fans are dealing with both a sense of loss and the pleasure of the return of basketball.
 
Wichita State basketball started on Wednesday at Koch Arena with no fans allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Sedgwick County restrictions. At least during December, the fans will find new routines and new ways to experience home games. They will miss the roar of the crowd, the memories of Stallworth, Carr, Baker, Early and Shamet sparked by the building and the community spirit.
 
The Shockers defeated Oral Roberts 85-80 with guard Tyson Etienne scoring 26 points and newcomer Alterique Gilbert adding 18. Wichita State had eight on its available roster and prepared for the opener with days of 4-on-4 practice.
 
"It was great, just to be back on the court again with everything going on," Gilbert said. 
 
In normal times, the Shockers might have ridden a wave of noise during their second-half rally. In normal times, fans from around the city and state plan their day around a trip to their special basketball place.
 
The anticipation builds during the day, the drive to campus and the walk to the arena lead to the buzz of joining thousands of others in their Shocker gear. Find your seat. Check in with the friends and get ready to stand and clap.
 
"We're going to watch on television, but we're sad that we can't be in the arena," said Kim Mudd. "We'll miss checking on people when you go. 'How was the wedding, how are the grandchildren?' We are family."
 
Gene Mudd, who first purchased his season tickets in 1961, died recently. Kim Mudd said they had their tickets for this season – men and women. Gene, she said, thrived on the atmosphere and seeing friends and family.
 
"He missed people," she said. "It's Shocker nation. It's Shocker family. We're just all out there together to make the guys better."
 
For Shocker fans, Wednesday's game became a TV and radio affair. 
 
"It's going to be a totally different experience watching all the home games on TV," Peniston said. "My dad has eight tickets, so we would sit with six family and friends. That's how we keep in touch and that will be a weird thing."
 
Atwater said he often texts or calls McDaniel during Shocker games on TV. They played in front of packed houses in the 1983 and Atwater is a regular at games since.
 
"I do think it's going to be challenging for the young men to get used to it," Atwater said. "You feed off the crowd. The fan interaction is essential to basketball. It's also going to be challenging for the fans, who are used to packing those seats."
 
Sally Phillips and Deena Phillips are among those who pack those seats and believe it is their duty to help the Shockers. They listen to Mike Kennedy and Dave Dahl discuss the game on the radio during their drive to campus. They arrive early enough to buy a roster and watch warmups so they get a feel for who is shooting well, who is working on their skills and who is in a good mood. They like to snack on Twizzlers. 
 
"I like that we really impact the teams, especially the other team when we want to drown out their communication or lift up the players," Sally Phillips said. "I just know I'm really going to miss being in person and having the team hear our approval when they dominate the other team."
 
Etienne said he told his teammates that they should appreciate the opportunity to play, given the circumstances. While the Shockers missed their support system of 10,000-plus, he said, they stuck together. Winning the first game for interim coach Isaac Brown – and with a short-handed roster of eight - added to the good feeling.
 
"It's a blessing that we're even out here," he said. "We're low-manned right now. We don't have all of our guns. We fight."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.