Most recent Issue
Prime Magazine Current Issue
subscribe button
Prime Magazine Back Issues
Shop the Prime Store
Be Featured In Prime
Facebook

After Dark


Carthage hoops inexpensive, exciting

Image 1 2 3



Published:

Story by Andrew Horschak

Carthage College President F. Gregory Campbell is easy to spot during men’s basketball games at Tarble Arena.

Seated a few rows behind the Carthage bench and usually decked out in his red blazer with wife Barbara at his side, Campbell can be heard throughout the contest either urging on the home team or giving the officials an earful — if the situation warrants it, of course.

“Let’s go, Red Men! ... Fight! Fight! Fight! .... Tough! Tough! Tough! ... Have fun, Red Men!”

“There are a few times that I’ve wondered whether I was going to have a little more trouble with my heart than I’ve already had when I was there,” Campbell said with a chuckle, making light of his double bypass surgery in July of 2008. “That’s the only drawback as far as I’m concerned for going to our games.”

As Carthage’s No. 1 fan can attest, nothing beats basketball at the non-scholarship NCAA Division III level.

“To me, it’s college basketball at its best,” Campbell said. “That’s because of the way in which the teams play as teams and fight to do as well as they can. They throw themselves into the game. These are college kids who are playing because they love the game. They’re willing to slide across the floor for a loose ball, which you won’t see in the pros very often.

“The result is a heck of a lot of fun- the whole atmosphere- what’s on the court and what’s in the stands.”

Under coach Bosko Djurickovic, the Red Men have compiled a sparkling record of 146-47 a .757 percentage on their home floor in the last 15 seasons.

That home record is 32-11 since the gleaming $13.5 million Tarble Arena opened on Jan. 5, 2009.

With all of the bells and whistles that one might expect at a scholarship institution, small-school college basketball has morphed into big-time entertainment thanks to the state-of-the-art facility.

When you consider that tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for senior citizens and students, a short trek to cheer on the Red Men is an inexpensive, fun thing to do on a cold night during the winter months.

A top crowd of 2,410- a shade under the arena’s capacity- filled the seats to watch Carthage battle Illinois Wesleyan in the championship game of the CCIW Tournament on Feb. 27, 2010. At certain points during Carthage’s wild 70-67 victory, the noise level rivaled that of a much bigger crowd.

Even lukewarm basketball fans will find themselves entertained.

The player introductions, which incorporate the use of the video display board and a superb sound and lighting system, are top notch.

The parquet floor, which has been compared to the floor of the old Boston Garden, is one of the best around.

A large Daktronics scoreboard visible to all in the arena on the north wall keeps track of individual points and fouls. Two other smaller scoreboards are positioned in each of the opposite corners.

The pep band, under the direction of Matthew Saucedo and Derek Galvicius, brings added energy to the game.

“Unless there’s a PA announcement during a timeout,” Campbell said, “they’re going to strike up the music within five seconds of the whistle at every timeout.”

Noting the positioning of the band directly across from the visitors bench, Campbell shrewdly noted, “We want our guests to feel welcome. The idea is we want to have a homecourt advantage and the band contributes to it.”

Throw into the mix excitable college students, some who will occasionally show up wearing body paint and other outlandish garb, cheerleaders, halftime entertainment featuring games, contests and a performance by Carthage’s dance team, the Red Hots, and you have yourself a sporting “event.”

“We’ve done a few things that I think make it fun,” said Carthage athletic director Bob Bonn, who was instrumental in the Tarble Arena project from the initial stages. “We have a beautiful arena. The pep band is very good. There are a lot of good things here.”