[Editor's Note: Editor in Chief David Studinski spent nearly every home men's basketball game this season in The Nest. What follows is one profile of the handful of dedicated fans who flock to The Nest each game.]
Standing in the front row of The Nest, Ball State University's basketball student section, Steve Harding, Christian Long and Phil Ortman have the clout you'd expect from experienced upperclassmen.
From initiating a "Ball-U" chant to the "Left, right, left" taunting of a fouled-out opponent, the trio lead fans in a display of spirit that characterizes what is labeled as "The No. 1 student section in the Mid-American Conference."
Long is generally found donning a pair of oversized goggles, to his side stands Ortman, fashioning plastic gold-colored bling over his Nest T-shirt. Towering over the group is Harding, who usually sports a folded red bandanna around his head with a rally tally over his shoulder or tucked in his shorts.
Odd but festive attire is the dress code for this elite section of The Nest. And though their actions seem typical for a group of long-time fans, "long-time" is a relative statement. Harding, Long and Ortman aren't upperclassmen; they're actually in the midst of their freshman year at Ball State.
The rowdy trio, alongside other friends, know each other from living on the third floor of Clevenger Hall in LaFollette Complex. The group is not alone in their unwavering support of the men's basketball program, but they are certainly a minority among Ball State's student body as a whole. It's rare to see a full student section at any Ball State University men's basketball game.
"It's hard to get people to come; they always think they have better things to do," Long, a telecommunications major and former high school basketball player, said, "especially on Thursdays."
Still, a select group of fans are as audible as they are visible throughout each and every home game at Worthen Arena. For these freshmen, all three of whom competed in organized high school athletics, it's about fueling the team and enjoying the sport.
"Ball State's not at the top of the NCAA," Harding, a sport administration major who ran and swam for his West Lafayette high school, said. "You see the bigger colleges when they're on TV - they're painting up. We thought it'd be fun to bring that to the middle level."
The students' seats are saved not by "reserved" signs or ropes, instead respect from fellow fans and a commitment to arrive for each game well before tip-off preserve the students' place in The Nest.
"We tell people we leave an hour and 10 minutes before the game," Harding said. "They ask, 'Why waste your time going?' ... It's just a fun atmosphere."
Ortman, who played football for Knightstown High School, describes this year as a rebuilding year for The Nest.
"I've seen earlier pictures of The Nest where everybody was crazy - it was packed," he said. "I'd really like to see The Nest at a full crowd."
A student section thrives on that energy, the friends said, and relies on it not to be just a body of idle students.
"It's not high school, where it's a social event more than a sporting event," Long said. "It's one thing to go, but it pisses me off when [students] just go and sit down. Why even go if you're not going to bother to be a part of it?"
The freshmen said they'll continue to support the team throughout their collegiate tenure, regardless of other students' support or the team's record.
"You don't have to win to have fun," Ortman said, "... at least if you're a fan."
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