Shoe-squeaks pierced the silence of the empty Pauley Pavilion, and the single row of courtside fans squeaked almost as loudly. The ball bounced up and down, across the court, but the heads of five-or-so onlookers – seated far up – didn’t do much bouncing.
Then the UCLA managers scored the first basket, and they all scooted up in their seats.
This initial excitement only grew on Friday night when the managers of UCLA and USC basketball, in the hopes of resurrecting a tradition, played their first game against each other since the ’90s.
“You know, we’re here every day helping out these guys (the men’s basketball team), watching them play and stuff, so it’s fun for them to watch us sometime,” said equipment manager Dan FitzPatrick.
According to head manager Andrew Tassinari, the UCLA managers last played a basketball game against USC’s managers in 1996, a game that they lost. Inspired by the UCLA victory in this year’s football managers’ game, as well as the popular Duke-UNC manager rivalry, Tassinari aimed to make Friday’s game just as exciting.
Still, the game did make for a bit of comedy.
“I thought it was funny how a lot of these guys are having fun in college and haven’t played basketball in four years since high school and they’re all out of shape; they’re all huffin’ and puffin’. They’re not used to running up and down the floor like our (basketball) players are,” manager Justin Gudger said.
The Bruins swept the Trojans off the court 58-35, doubling their crosstown rival’s score for much of the game. The score was a pleasant surprise, considering both teams didn’t know what to expect.
“Most of the time when you’re playing a basketball team you scout them for hours. Coach (Ben) Howland scouts every team for days. So we had no idea what we were going into when we came in, and as it is we don’t get to play together that much as a team,” Tassinari said. “So being able to bring in every manager and play together worked out well.”
Considering the success of the competition, the managers plan on making games like this one a recurring practice. By incorporating a trophy into the mix – a golden towel embroidered with the score of each year’s game – the managers plan on keeping the spirit of the rivalry alive.
“Towels are kind of a universal symbol of managers, of basketball. When we’re at practice we’re always carrying a ball and a towel at all times,” FitzPatrick said.
FitzPatrick hopes that the managers’ game will gain more publicity as time goes on, but the lack of a crowd in this first game doesn’t bother him, nor does it bother Gudger.
“Basically we just came out with the win,” Gudger said. “We came out here to have fun, and we spell fun ‘W-I-N.'”