NC State basketball to limit number of fans to start the season. How many can attend?
N.C. State men’s and women’s basketball seasons start Wednesday at Reynolds Coliseum.
The “Old Barn” usually gives quite the home court advantage to the Wolfpack, but it’ll be an almost empty house to start the season.
Fred Demarest, N.C. State senior AD for communications, told The News & Observer via text message Monday that only 25 fans will be allowed inside Reynolds for both teams to start the season.
Those 25 fans will be players’ guests. Visiting teams won’t get a ticket allotment.
The women’s team opens the season at 2 p.m. against North Florida. The men play at 8 p.m. versus Charleston Southern.
Reynolds is the home arena for the Wolfpack women. N.C. State’s men’s team typically plays about one or two games a year in front of a packed crowd at Reynolds, which seats 5,500 fans. Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts spoke to the media on Monday and acknowledged how strange things will be on Wednesday without lots of fans.
“It’s different, it’s awkward, it’s strange,” Keatts said.
Reynolds and coronavirus protocols
Last week Keatts said he did a walk through in Reynolds to see the new setup. The players’ seats will be separated in the bench area, similar to how the NBA and WNBA bench area looked during their bubbles. The coaches will wear masks on the sidelines and players will wear masks when they are not on the floor.
The bottom section of bleachers will also be pushed back, so the limited fans in attendance will be spaced out in the upper deck.
The setup at Reynolds is unique in that the fans are closer to the court, which sometimes makes for a rumpus home crowd. Most players thrive off that energy. But some don’t.
“To be completely honest with you, I would rather play with no fans,” senior forward D.J. Funderburk said. “I think it really shows who can play the game under any type of situation.”
Funderburk compared playing in an empty arena to a scrimmage in practice, or pre-COVID secret scrimmages between college basketball teams.
“You really see who can ball,” Funderburk said. “It’s quiet in there, there’s no way to get nervous by the crowd, there’s no way to play up to the crowd. I just feel like it eliminates other distractions and other worries.”
Funderburk’s main concern, home or away, is stadiums pumping music into arenas after every basket.
“I’d rather just play,” Funderburk said. “Just hear my teammates and hear the other team call out their calls and see who comes out on top.”
Funderburk admitted players feed off of the energy from fans after a big play, but he’s not one who needs it to get himself going.
“I can play without it and still have the same impact on the game,” Funderburk said.
Wolfpack bringing their own energy
Devon Daniels, a redshirt senior guard, is just glad to be playing.
“For a while it wasn’t even sure that we were going to have a season,” Daniels said. “This is a complete blessing. The fans bring a lot of support to us and I know they are going to be watching.”
Keatts has talked to his team about bringing their own energy when they play this season.
“We’re one of the teams that has a great fan base, probably one of the best in the country,” Keatts said. “Whether we are playing in Reynolds or PNC (Arena), so we thrive off of getting a steal and a dunk or a three-point shot and getting that eruption from a group. That energy that you normally will get, that’s not going to happen. We have to create our own excitement.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 11:58 AM.
