Friday, May 18, 2012

Covering Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Falls City and surrounding areas since 1868

1/18 EDITORIAL

Winning WOU Wolves deserve your support

January 17, 2012

Winning WOU Wolves

deserve your support

Polk County residents have developed a solid reputation over the years for supporting their local sports teams.

Large home crowds for Dallas boys basketball games and Dragon wrestling matches this season are proof. And Central High always seems to bring a large throng every year to the Class 4A boys and girls state basketball tournament at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.

But there's one team that apparently is flying under the radar this winter and has proven worthy of more local support than it is garnering to date: the Western Oregon men's basketball squad.

The Wolves, under the direction of first-year head coach Brady Bergeson, are tied atop the NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with a 6-1 league mark. WOU has put together an impressive overall record of 13-3.

Western is playing an exciting, team-first brand of basketball that has keyed the program's best start to a season since the 1981-82 campaign.

Despite this success on the hardwood, WOU hasn't drawn the interest of local hoops fans. The Wolves, who have only played six of their first 16 games at home, are averaging a mere 346 fans per game. Granted, three of those contests were during the break between fall and winter terms and there were virtually no WOU students around town. Still, the small crowd sizes and low student body support are unexplainable for a team enjoying this level of success.

And you can't blame the cost of a ticket as an excuse, as these games are certainly affordable. General admission tickets are just $6 for adults and $4 for children and students -- less than the cost of a movie or most value meals at many local fast-food restaurants.

Check out what may be the best entertainment bargain in Polk County this week, when the Western men play two home games against GNAC rivals. The Wolves host one of the league's top teams in Alaska Anchorage Thursday at 7 p.m., then welcome Alaska Fairbanks to Monmouth Saturday at 2 p.m. Both games are on campus in the New P.E. Building, located near the corner of Stadium Drive and Church Street across from McArthur Stadium.

We'll see you there.