Welcome to View From the ‘Myd, a new series meant to help those who couldn’t make the game feel at home, and to point out funny stuff that those in attendance may have missed.
There’s no denying that the one-point loss to Fullerton (why, why did it have to be Fullerton?) is one of the toughest defeats that the Pyramid has seen in its 15 years of existence, but there’s also no denying that it happened in front of one of the best crowds ever to pack the ‘Myd, too. It was a near-sellout with over 4,200 fans, thanks to a huge turnout from Long Beach State students who recently came back from winter break, the success of Greek Spirit Night (the Greeks packed the “end zone” section to the brim), and the arrival of a busload of Fullerton fans. More on the crowd later, but for a moment just bask in this:
Here’s a photo of President Alexander in front of the Greeks, cheering on the job they did shouting down the Fullerton fans at halftime:
But that wasn’t the only place Dr. Alexander was spotted. In one of the funniest, weirdest giveaways we can remember, students were given hand-held masks with his face printed on them:
As a result, the Prez was popping up all over the place. Spot the president:
There were many men of great stature in the Pyramid, since former 49er coach and NBA legend Tex Winter was in attendance—didn’t get a chance personally to see how many of his nine championship rings he was wearing. Tex was recognized during a timeout with 11:29 left in the first half:
Not sure why it wasn’t a halftime ceremony, but that space was certainly packed with plenty of deserving honorees, as the Long Beach State track, softball, baseball, women’s volleyball, women’s soccer, and women’s tennis teams were on the hard wood to wave and hoist trophies, before two youth basketball teams scrimmaged.
A quick shoutout to “Dangerous” Dave Sanfilippo, the director of Disabled Student Services who’s been with the university for over 30 years. If you were at the game, you know him as this guy:
Although I admit he scared the bejeesus out of me, his intensity as a leader of cheers was unmatched, and he did a great job keeping the huge crowd fired up. Of course, with as many fans as there were, that was an easier task than it usually is—what a way to watch a college basketball game. When the refs got booed, they really got booed, and when the fans cheered, you could actually feel it. The Greek-filled endzone looked ready to crack in the final minutes of the game as the student body bounced as one.
On a final, down note, we’re printing this here because 49er fans may have missed it—after the game, Fullerton’s Chris Rhymes came over to shush the student section, before stomping on the halfcourt “The Beach” logo several times. Josh Akognon, whose 31 points won the game for the Titans, flapped his jersey at the student section as he was being carried off the court. After the game, we talked to former ASI president Shefali Mistry, who was in attendance. “Anyone but Fullerton,” she said. “I feel sick.”
So don’t tell us there aren’t any Long Beach State rivalries—do tell us you’ll be hitting the road to attend the 49ers’ game at Fullerton on February 18th.