Trust me, no one plays in HT for the money.. That's a known fact...
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Trust me, no one plays in HT for the money.. That's a known fact...
Ain't that the truth. Just to clear everything up...Originally Posted by bulldawg03
This is if anything hasn't changed on the last few years....it may have, I'm not sure. Someone can correct me if this has changed since '02-'03.
There are 2 Hoop Troop bands (is this still right?). Depending on how much money the band dept. has, some players get paid $100 to be in the band (depending on how long they've done it, talent level, seniority, stuff like that). For many of the people in the band, they don't get paid. Depending on what instrument you play, you may never get to go on post-season trips, because there are too many people on that particular instrument. I guess the gist of all this is that Hoop Troop is freakin' fun. People do it because it gives the members a chance to support their school, support the teams, hang out with friends, yell at refs, get away from the stresses of school, and to be part of something that people appreciate.
The one thing I think is really unfortunate is that the HT REALLY turns it on for post-season games.....another level not seen at normal, regular season games. So a lot of people don't really get to see the Hoop Troop at its best. There a number of reasons for that that are hard. During regular season games, students usually have to study for tests, etc., and it's hard to completely put everything into a game. The atmosphere of postseason is just electric, so it's easier to just flip the intensity switch. And believe it or not, there are things the Hoop Troop can say and do at postseason games, that they can't get away with in Ruston. Trust me, some of the older fans and donors complain about things that the band does that aren't even remotely vulgar/insulting.
I can still remember the feeling off walking off the court in Tulsa to a standing ovation from other school's fans. It was really surprising and shocking. And kids coming up to us for autographs after the games. And I'm thinking, "We're just a bunch of hung-over college kids. What's the big deal?" The simple answer is, people just appreciated a bunch of kids who cared about their team to go all out and entertain an entire arena.
To conclude this rambling (geez this is long), I think Tech is finally getting some good fan support. Both of our teams are doing well, and if any of the students can make post-season tourneys, please do. It would be exciting for the fans and teams. I hope the administration can start doing somethings to help students attend these events. Students are the people that bring the most excitement to games (I watched the Gonzaga men's game last night, and the student section was insane) Maybe we can have that one day.
I have gone to most of our conference tournaments for quite a few years. I admit to a bias but no school has anyone better than the Hoop Troop. Fans of other teams consistently comment to me (because of my TECH clothes) how impressed they are with the Hoop Troop. Keep up the good work. I will see you in Reno and I hope to see you several games at the NCAA men's basketball tournament in March.
This thread began with a request for ideas. I began to wonder how do you “get into the head” of an opponent without being rude, crude, or socially unacceptable? How do you get the entire crowd in on it so that it becomes a tradition?
One of the many things the Hoop Troop does during the game is the song “Happy Trails” following the fifth foul. I think much of the crowd sings along. How about picking a song to sing in unison on select free throw attempts by opponents?
A band member or leader could hold up a sign telling the fans when and what to sing. You could select a different song for each player that the crowd would know. Suggestions would be Beatles songs - I Want to Hold Your Hand, Yellow Submarine, She Loves You, etc; Children's songs - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Alphabet Song, Wheels on the Bus, Old McDonald, Happy Birthday; Jesus Loves Me; Itsy Bitsy Spider. The list of well known songs goes on & on. We could even sing You are My Sunshine and/or America the Beautiful to the coach when he/she is arguing. Do whatever it takes to get into the opponent's head.
If you sang occasionally it would surprise the player and he/she just might miss a crucial free throw. If you did it often, he/she might wonder what song would be sung for him/her and forget to concentrate on the free throw. Either way it could provide the fans a good experience and may just be that extra edge that is needed to win the game.
GO HOOP TROOP!! GO DAWGS!! Beat the Wolf Pack (two words)!!
What ya'll guys said is true, they haven't changed anything about the $$$$$$$.
If we can find a song that relates to that person on the other team then yes that can be possible but, It has to be funny too!!!! I want to start getting on the floor and stretching again, in the past few games a few of us have stood on court side and ragged on the oppisate team as they do there warm ups. We aquired some mega-phones(they look like the cheerleaders, but there not theres) and we use those in the games aswell.
I went to Missula Montana in the spring of 2004 and the other band was so impressed with the HT that they drove to our hotel picked us up in there cars and drove us over to one of there houses where they were all hanging out, then after the night ended they drove us all back. We were at a bar and the owner of the bar was so impressed with the HT that she bought us all drinks. The funny part was we haven't even played at a game yet so she must have heard of us from previous years.
I love what the Hoop Troop does, but how do ya'll ride a "plain"???? :icon_wink
They had to travel over many plains to get to Missoula, Montana, even if they went in a plane.:icon_wink argh argh
Louisiana Tech University
Flagship of the University of Louisiana System
I love the singing ideas. That would be cool. Let's see what J-Rob says about it. I'd start it myself from the stands, but I can't even seem to get a decent cheer started.
I definitely think the first time we sang "You are my sunshine" to an opposing player while he/she was shooting FTs that it would cause significant distraction. We might even get a write-up in SI for that one. Anybody can scream, whoop, and wave things, but who sings to the shooter?
BTW--Did anybody notice at the Techster game Saturday when they had the MISS IT! graphics going when our own Tasha Williams was shooting? I thought it was funny... "MORANS"
Your right about the money situation Bjude, sad news for this years WAC tourney due to the ever dreaded budget cuts only 16 members out of the possible 30 will be in Reno. All brass of course, (who needs woodwinds :-p ).
Hey now! :icon_razz
I was one of the few woodwinds who did get to travel when I was there. That game in Richmond still hurts.
Thanks for the support for the singing idea. I think that the goal of singing is distraction of the other team. We need to try something unique that will surprise and bewilder our opponents. This would have to be something they don't normally see or hear.
Singing goofy songs is clearly unique and I think the songs would distract the opponent more than our screaming and whooping does. The songs do not have to be picked to match the shooter to be effective - the random goofiness of the songs would be the distraction.
Imagine going to the free throw line, being given the ball by the referee, and hearing the fans start singing "We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine". How could the shooter concentrate? The next time a shooter goes to the line he hears "A B C D E F G H I J K....." He may start thinking about the alphabet and fail to concentrate on the free throw. One or two missed free throws that would have normally been made could make a huge difference for our DAWGS.
Another idea I had is to do songs which require motion - like the Hokey Pokey. I also thought about using chants like "U G L Y you ain't got no alibi, you ugly, you ugly". I think some of our fans would find this to be too crude though.
I saw something else interesting at a tournament game one time (probably during our time in the Sun Belt). The pep band of one team waited until about 1:05 left in the game and pointed to their watches and hollered "Hey, PA man, how much time is left". Of course, the PA announcer said "One minute to go" and the pep band responded "thank you, Mister". There was no distraction factor for the opponent but I thought it was corny and interesting.
I like that idea bout the P.A. anoucer. That's funny.....I'll some of the guys and see what they can do about the singing during free-throws.
Oh yea, and i know i can't spell or use correct grammer.
2 song suggestions (for playing not singing)
Atomic Dog - George Clinton
Hey Bulldog - The Beatles
arkansasbob and I have been lobbying for these for years, our neighbor in cottingham kept telling us he would suggest them but I never got to hear either one.
Isn't the point to do songs that alot of people know?? I don't know either of those songs..
Good Stuff..............I think HoDo has some good ideas
I hate to regress to my college years (do I really?), but the main point is for the Hoop Troop to get ignunt (ignorant). I-G-N-U-N-T !!! Act like your mom's not watching! Do things you normally wouldn't do in public. F--- It !!!
You guys are the Hoop Troop! Do whatcha wanna!
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