Reitz is alive with the sound of the Dog Pound

In case you didn't notice, basketball is back at Loyola.

First-year coach Jimmy Patsos has breathed life into the pronounced dead basketball scene at Loyola. Though the team isn't dominating, it is winning games and has even put together a nice little victory streak. Though a lot of credit should be given to Patsos and the hard work that the players have been doing, there is a group of people that is usually overlooked and has been integral to the resurgence of the team. They are the rowdy members of the Dog Pound, most notably the die-hard seniors that can be seen and heard at every single home game.

They are the ones that have stood by the team through thick (last Saturday's pounding of Iona) and thin (last year's one-win season). These gentlemen are too many to all be named, but together they are the Sixth Man, without whom the Greyhounds wouldn't be the same.

In years past, the crowds at the men's basketball games have been similar to those in the beginning of Teen Wolf. The few people that were there usually were close friends of the players, family members, etc. This year, with each game the student section in Reitz Arena has been filling up.

"The crowd has done a complete 180," said senior Dan Healy. "This year, the Dog Pound is wall to wall, barking louder than ever. The players and coaches have thanked us a bunch of times."

Healy might be the most visible of these senior leaders, due to the height advantage he has over his fellow students in this crowd. But he has used this to his benefit, constantly turning around from his front row seat and calling out the younger students to make some noise. He chose to lead the crowd against Iona with a red whiffle ball bat, which has a mysterious symbolic meaning to Healy.

The seniors have enjoyed bringing back old chants from their high school days, standard calls to pump up the crowd, and have also created some calls especially for this year's Greyhounds, such as the Jim Chivers "Jolly Green Giant" chant, and the Charlie Bell call, set to the song "Ring My Bell."

Patsos has capitalized on doing something with these enthusiastic upperclassmen that coaches in the past have failed to do -- embracing them.

Senior James Sullivan Gottermeyer said, "Patsos has turned to us to pump them up like we are part of the game, and he always acknowledges us the days after the games to say 'Thank you.' It helps us feel important and to want to keep leading cheers and making other students get into it."

Before and after the home win against Iona, Patsos acknowledged the crowd, showing his approval each time. The former Maryland assistant has become a sort of icon in his first year at the school, with many female students sporting the "Patsos Girls" T-shirts, and a sign was seen at the last home game proclaiming, "Patsos for Pope." His energy and passion is infectious. These seniors have carried over what he brings to the court into the stands. Once again, it is fun to go to basketball games.

With transfers Andre Collins and Hassan Fofana on campus, the Hounds look to be turning things around, and the growing attendance has been a big part of that. For once, there is chatter about the team on game days and going to see the men play is becoming more than just something to do on campus. It's becoming the thing to do.

These seniors have helped to create an atmosphere inside Reitz Arena that is enjoyable for the students and that the players can feed off of. The problem is, only one home game remains, and come next season, it will be hard to match the spirit and leadership these seniors have brought to the table, but it is a task that must be carried out.

Senior cheerleader Mark Pawloski advises younger students to keep the momentum going in the future, regardless whether or not the victory total keeps rising. "Regardless if the team is winning or not, the games are fun if you want them to be," he said. "Luckily for the underclassmen, it looks like a quality squad is on the way. Remember, you don't need a good team to heckle the opponent."

On Thursday night, the Greyhounds play their final home game of the season and the last home game for the senior players, not to mention these senior fanatics. Senior supporter Chris Vedete calls on everyone in the college community to come out to support the team.

"I think everyone should come out to the game because it is a chance for the Loyola students to come together to support not only our team, but our school," he said. "We are all part of the Loyola community, and we need to show our support."

Gottermeyer added, "The students should take pride in what they take part in. They go to school at Loyola College, and we should try to achieve excellence in every aspect. School spirit is a big part of that."

Healy thinks anyone not going to the games is failing to see something great. "If you don't want to see one of the best things [spirit] that Loyola has to offer," Healy said, "then you'll miss an important part of the college experience."

The bottom line is this: on Thursday, go to the game. Tape "The OC." Do your homework after the game. Whatever else you have planned, cancel it. There were more people at the last home game then there had been in Reitz in 15 years. Let's fill up the gym even more. Go to show your support for Patsos and all the hard work the team has done to improve this season.

If that's not enough, do it for these die-hard seniors, who have been stirring up enthusiasm all year -- and for some of them -- for all four years they have been at Loyola. If you haven't been to a game yet, now is the time to jump on the bandwagon. For underclassmen, it is a chance for these seniors to pass the torch of something they should be proud of accomplishing before they left Loyola: They brought back basketball.