This letter is for all of you who don’t care, have never cared, or stopped caring about Villanova sports over the last couple of years. Basketball is supposed to be one of the most important things on this campus, but yet most students I would bet can’t even name the team’s starting five. For those of you who don’t go to games, or don’t pay attention while you are at the games, we have a pretty good team this year. Besides the heartbreaker to UConn over the weekend, we have a legitimate chance at making the NCAA Tournament. That’s right, the four letter tournament. However, we as fans need to step up. Are we not supposed to be proud of who we are? Or should we sit like the alumni and say nothing. Yeah, some chants and cheers break out from the students once and a while, but on the whole we have really weak fans. I am sorry to say that, but we do. And there is no good reason for it. I have a friend at Penn who asked me to go to the Penn-St. Joe’s games last weekend. It was, despite being St. Joe’s and Penn, refreshing to see two student sections that actually CARED about their team. Both sections had signs and chants and watching the two groups go at each other was even better than watching the game, which was pretty bad. The Wildcats have a chance to be a special team. We are currently second in the Big East East Division, and with no team other than UConn to really beat in the division, we could make a run at the Tournament title, providing we can upset Pitt, and make the NCAA’s. This week will be a big one for the Wildcats. With what should be a pushover game vs. West Virginia on Saturday, the ‘Cats can gear up for the Hawks from down the road on Monday. I know we crushed them last year, but this they are a totally different team this year, if you haven’t noticed. They most likely, as painful as it is to say, will be playing in March, and we need to beat them to prove how good we are. Look, I am sorry to be so honest, but we need students to be more supportive. We need them to be louder at the games. If you go to games, don’t just go to be seen in some new clothes, go to support your fellow students. This could be a great year for Villanova hoops, and it will be that much better if we all join in the fun.

Joe Hathaway ’03