The Sandspur

Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Greg Golden

The Rollins Tars were ranked second in a preseason poll of basketball teams in the Division II Sunshine State Conference. In a similar poll of the nation's Division I NCAA teams, the Florida Gators were deemed to be 19th. The two met on Thursday, November 6th, in what would be the Tars' first preseason exhibition game, and the Gators' last. Tipoff was at 7 pm, just after four busloads of Rollins students arrived to cheer on their Tars.

Despite the challenge of playing a nationally-ranked team, the fervent anticipation was palpable among the traveling Tars fans as day turned to night outside the bus' windows. "It's an exciting moment for Rollins sports," said junior Luca Maselli. He had previously attended Rollins' most recent game against a Division I opponent, an overtime loss in 2006 to the then UCF Golden Knights.

The Tars' recent forays against Division I schools have been one-sided, losing both of their competitions against UCF since 2005. Before Thursday, the Tars were 0-17 all-time against the Gators, with the most recent meeting happening 50 years ago. And as the second-half buzzer sounded, the game's 83-52 final score was within a free-throw and a basket of the Gators' and Tars' last matchup, the 1958 contest that ended in an 84-54 Gator victory.

Besides the tighter competition in the aforementioned UCF game, there was another difference between that game two years ago and the one against the Gators last Thursday. "We were allowed to go nuts, jump up and down; it was intense," Maselli said. The situation at UF was much different, where many students were told to calm down, lest they be ejected from the arena. Security guards frequented the stands to discourage loud cheering, and often checked Rollins students' tickets to make sure that they paid to enter.

Though the outcome was not favorable for the Tars' faithful, most enjoyed a good time nonetheless. "It was a good way to bring students together," said sophomore Laylah Copertino. "I especially liked our participation," she said, referring to the painted faces, dyed hair, chants of "Lets go Rollins!" and the collection of yellow shirts that were provided by the First Mates. Attendance at the Stephen O'Connor Center was sparse, save for the Gators' courtside student section and the three consecutive sections in the third tier of the opposite side, in the shadow of two national championship banners.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools