NAU holds pep rally for departing men’s team
Jason Harris - March 12th, 2008The sun shone, the fight song blared through the speakers and gold and blue covered the Skydome parking lot on March 9 in honor of the NAU men’s basketball team’s Big Sky third consecutive conference tournament bid.
Nearly 100 friends, family, and fired-up fans gathered for the up-close and personal opportunity to say goodbye to the team.
“I was a great chance to get close to the players,” said NAU senior Nathaniel Meddings. “I was able to shake their hands, congratulate them and say good luck.”
Cheerleaders lined the pep rally pathway as the warm-up-wearing Lumberjacks mingled with fans before boarding the bus bound for Portland. Top seed Portland State will host the six-team tournament.
“It is too bad they aren’t playing in Flagstaff,” said NAU senior Pat Fleming. “I still wanted to show my support and let the team know we are all rooting for them.”
After receiving a first-round bye, the second-seeded Lumberjacks will face No. 3 Weber State in the semifinals. Weber State defeated No. 6 Montana State 65-49 in their quarterfinal game on Saturday.
The Jacks are 13-15 all-time in the tournament and have won the conference title twice (1998, 2000) to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The conference championship will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
“The chance to watch our team on national TV is exciting,” Fleming said. “Just getting to that point is an accomplishment.”
NAU appeared in the conference championship the last two times, losing to Montana in 2006 and Weber State in 2007. The Lumberjacks are 2-5 all-time in championship game history.
“If NAU wins the Big Sky, I’m definitely gonna follow the team,” said junior Steven Thorvardson. “I’ve wanted them to be a part of March Madness since I enrolled here.”