The few, the proud … the Northwestern women’s basketball superfans.
No, not the few – the very few. While the Tennessee Lady Vols draw 14,900 per game, the highest in the nation, the Wildcats average fewer than 700 faithful attendees.
Every Sunday afternoon and Thursday night during the basketball season, Dick Boyer is one of those 700.
“I came out of Iowa, and it’s a hotbed of women’s basketball,” said Boyer, who lives in Glenview and has been coming to NU women’s games for the past seven years. “I enjoy good basketball, and women play good basketball.”
Maybe if the Cats play better basketball and win six national titles – like Tennessee – thousands of fans would flock to Welsh-Ryan Arena. But even with NU’s 0-12 conference record this season and five straight losing campaigns, Boyer and a group of die-hard supporters never miss a game.
These fans are the proud – the very proud. And although no one will confuse the Cats’ supporters for the ‘Cameron Crazies,’ NU has its own fanatics with a few of their own unique rituals.
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When George Lucchetti went to his first NU women’s basketball game, none of the current Cats was born. NU coach June Olkowski was still in high school. And women’s basketball wasn’t even a NCAA-sanctioned sport.
“I first came in 1976 because I thought the concept of women playing basketball was ridiculous,” said Lucchetti, who wanted to witness a program in just its second year at NU.
But soon he got hooked. A few years later, he bought a season ticket.
Since 1985, Lucchetti has attended every home game – all 253 of them. And he has spent some time after the games getting to know the players and coaches.
“The girls are very nice, the program is well-run, and the university cares about the girls,” said Lucchetti, Weinberg ’72. “It’s a great atmosphere, and I really like getting to know the players and coaches. There’s something here you can’t (capture) on paper.”
Lucchetti compensates for all the empty seats with a little noise he calls “the Rooster.”
The loud, high-pitched whistle often pierces the arena when an opponent steps up to the free-throw line, although Lucchetti picks his spots to use the distraction device. Lucchetti even keeps Rooster statistics. He can rattle off success rates – opponents’ missed free throws – for games when he called upon the Rooster.
But all of his cheering comes at a cost. Lucchetti, the store manager for Budget Rental Cars in Schaumburg, loses his voice after most contests. And he usually doesn’t get it back until the following afternoon.
“George is very nice and is real positive,” said sophomore forward Michelle Zylstra, one of Lucchetti’s favorite players (he nicknamed her Shelly). “He is really knowledgeable about our team and a lot of our opponents.”
A human media guide, Lucchetti can recite almost all NU records – even marks as obscure as the Cats’ home record when two or more of the officials are male.
And Lucchetti, who has never missed a Big Ten tournament, isn’t the only die-hard who can remember when NU made the NCAA tournament in 1991.
Mark Carlson has attended women’s games for the past 10 seasons, and he had season tickets the past seven. As a member of the women’s basketball booster club, the “Supreme Court,” he attends all of coach Olkowski’s pregame chalk talks.
“You really get to know all the members of the booster club,” Olkowski said. “They are very interested in the kids, and they are good for our basketball program.”
Carlson has worked for a nonprofit organization in Palatine called Little Sisters of the Poor for 19 years, so he knows something about providing support. He sits behind the west basket every game and offers encouragement after each loss.
“Most of the girls come from small towns, and they are easy to get to know,” Carlson said. “The books come first for the girls, and I know whatever the team’s record is, they are going to be winners in the long run.”
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Alan and Lillian Gerstner have been supporting the team for the past six years. Lillian graduated from NU’s School of Speech in 1973, and Alan owns a travel agency in Wilmette.
“A friend of mine said I should come to the women’s game,” Alan said. “I met him there one game and I was hooked. I bought season tickets and I have been buying season tickets ever since.”
The Gerstners, who sit behind the Cats’ bench, have made friends with freshman center Sarah Kwasinski’s grandparents. When the the Kwasinskis are out of town, they e-mail the Gerstners to find out how the team is playing.
“This is my escape,” Alan said. “I’m busy all week with my job, and when I come here I can escape and really get into the game.”
On the other side of the arena, Marilyn and Alex Meloy have been fixtures in the stands for the past six years.
“We come to the men’s games, too, but this is more personal because you can watch the girls develop as players,” said Alex, Kellogg ’80.
Added Marilyn: “Students should come to the games and support their team.”
Not very many NU students make it out for the women’s game, but that doesn’t stop the superfans.
No matter how many games the Cats lose or how many other fans are in the stands, the Rooster will continue to crow.
