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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

My Spike Lee Experience

Last night I got to experience WVU's thrilling victory over Kansas courtside! My wife and I are season ticket holders, but we are normally on the second level. The crappy weather stopped a lot of people from going so a friend of a friend offered us the great tickets.

A few takeaways...


  • I was expecting more trash talking.  The refs do a really good job of stepping in when the situation looks to be getting out of control.  
  • College basketball coaches are never happy. Bob Huggins and Bill Self looked pissed the entire game and scream at the refs constantly. That was enjoyable to hear that dialogue. 
  • Kansas has a crazy amount of athletes, but their young guards struggled with our press in the first half. 
  • The refs interact a good bit with the fans if you ask them legitimate questions. 
  • I need to win the lottery and get seats courtside.


Here are some pictures my wife took.



















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18 comments:

  1. BrianFebruary 17, 2015 at 10:33 AM

    Nice! I've often toyed with the idea of going all in for one night and getting courtside seats to a T-Wolves game, definitely if I win the lottery. Looks like it was a ton of fun. I don't really know much about the rankings this year- was the WVU win considered an upset? Either way, congrats on the win!

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    1. BobWalkthePlankFebruary 17, 2015 at 10:44 AM

      Kansas was # 8 and we were # 21. Probably more of an upset in the sense we came into that game losing 3 of our last 4. We are in the midst of a brutal stretch playing 8 ranked teams in 9 games.

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  2. The Lost CollectorFebruary 17, 2015 at 10:47 AM

    Very cool. Courtside is a good experience. It's nuts how giant and athletic the players acually are.

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    1. BobWalkthePlankFebruary 17, 2015 at 11:04 AM

      It was a good experience. I've sat lower level several times, but to be on equal flooring as the players was something else. Makes you appreciate the physicality.

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  3. Kevin PapoyFebruary 17, 2015 at 11:12 AM

    Sounds like a blast ! Colleges in France don't have official competitions like you do, so we're stuck with the pros. The good thing though is that we have leagues, which means that you aren't guaranteed to stay with the best. Each year, several teams (2 or 3, depending) go down or up. It's as if triple A teams could be MLB teams if they were first of their league, and the worst MLB team from a year goes down to triple A (I know it doesn't make sense because those are farm systems, but you get the drift)

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    1. BobWalkthePlankFebruary 17, 2015 at 1:41 PM

      College sports is a big deal....especially in West Virginia. Having no professional sports and being the only "big" college program in the state creates a fun atmosphere. Attendance at our games rival many NFL/NBA games.

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  4. Billy KingsleyFebruary 17, 2015 at 11:30 AM

    Great shots! My favorite is the 8th shot down- it really shows how big the arena is.

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    1. BobWalkthePlankFebruary 17, 2015 at 1:43 PM

      The Coliseum holds about 16k. Non conference games rarely sell out because of the holidays, but the place is rocking during the conference season.

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  5. YankeejetsfanFebruary 17, 2015 at 1:33 PM

    Very cool Matt. I have been close to court side a few times at Knicks games, usually a section behind and tickets are usually from various bosses.

    I love being close to the action. Getting to hear the sounds of the game like you've never heard, seeing the sights up close. It's such a fantastic experience. It's a shame that the die hard fan is priced out of those seats here in NY. It's the corporate seats.

    I have always dreamed of owning season tickets for my favorite teams. Field level for the Yankees, behind first base. Down by the 50 yard line with the Jets. Ice level with the Islanders and as close t the court for the Knicks. If I ever win the lottery I may get to hobnob with Spike. That would be pretty sweet.

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    1. BobWalkthePlankFebruary 17, 2015 at 1:48 PM

      I've been pretty lucky with WVU sports. I usually luck into some nice seats at least once a year. As far as the Pittsburgh teams go it is a little harder. You can find good Pirate tickets for a good price in April and May. Steelers and Penguins are rough....plus really expensive.

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  6. Tony L.February 17, 2015 at 4:38 PM

    When I was at Vanderbilt, I was in the band. We had seats courtside for every game except, on occasion, NCAA Tournament Games.

    I got very spoiled.

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  7. Brad's BlogFebruary 17, 2015 at 6:43 PM

    Awesome game! Looks like a blast. I never sat courtside for Basketball. Sat against the glass for a minor league hockey game which was fun and been 3 rows up from the dugout at a Phillies game. I'd love to sit courtside for the Sixers.. who knows they're really bad could be cheap!

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    1. BobWalkthePlankFebruary 17, 2015 at 7:06 PM

      It was really fun. Extra bonus picking up the win! I need to try and get some homeplate seats for a game at PNC this year.

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  8. Big ToneFebruary 17, 2015 at 6:45 PM

    Nice!I've been to a Raptors game and the players looked like freaking Nephilim giants ,lol!I haven't been into college ball since Duncan played for Wake Forest,Van Horn played for Utah and Big Country Reeves In Oklahoma State.I really liked that Utah team.I might have to start watching again.In fact I have no choice as cable Is non existent at the moment and all I get on the weekends are college sports.

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    1. BobWalkthePlankFebruary 17, 2015 at 7:07 PM

      You need to become a WVU fan. I'll make it my goal to convert you.

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    2. Big ToneFebruary 17, 2015 at 8:00 PM

      I'll make It a point to "TRY" and keep up with them ;)

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    3. BobWalkthePlankFebruary 17, 2015 at 9:50 PM

      Honorary WVU grad!

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