Cougar Fans...It's Time

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a HUGE BYU Basketball fan. This is quite apparent from my facebook page, as about 85% of my updates in the winter have something to do with it. But this may surprise some of you. You might think that I am a bigger BYU Football fan than Basketball fan. While I do quite enjoy cheering on my Cougars during the football season, there is a special place in my heart for the basketball team. As a fan, I think the experience is just better. You can sit right up close to the action without having to pay hundreds of dollars. Close enough that you can see the players' emotion on their faces, hear them yell words of encouragement to each other or give each other a high five. There are only 13 or so guys on a team. You feel like you get to know each one as you watch them play - both offense and defense. You cheer when they score. You groan when they come up short. You celebrate when they win. And you feel their disappointment and determination when they lose. I don't know - there's just something about this game that I love more than any other.

And while I've always been a fan over the years, to me this team has something special about it. These guys are a team. You can see it in the way they interact with each other. The way they support and encourage each other. And in how they perform on the court. They just click. And as a fan, it is so fun to watch! I love watching these boys perform. It makes me happy. It's fun. And it gives me something to look forward to each week during these long Utah winter months...

So! I thought I would share a little bit of our love for the 2009-2010 BYU Men's Basketball Team...

Yes, we do wear our cougar hats to the basketball games...

And we wait in long lines to get good seats...

And we make signs...

And we go cheer on our team against their biggest rival...

My team was chosen by Nike as one of the four teams across the country to wear pink shoes and pink trim on their jerseys as part of the "Coaches v. Cancer" event. This is particularly poignant for our team, as head coach Dave Rose was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last summer, but made it through and is now a cancer survivor.

The picture is blurry, but check out those shoes! That is one bright shade of pink...but our boys made it look good!

I took a video of the awesome intro they did for this big game. While my video shows it more head one, this one is much better quality. The video is awesome. And the music in the first half of the intro is J.T. Fredette, our star player Jimmer's older brother...

While all of the games this season have been a blast to watch, the BYU-Utah game is always just a little bit more exciting. And this game was no exception. Here are the highlights...

Hopefully you took a bit of time to watch it (if you didn't see the game). Can you believe what Henderson did to Jackson Emery!?! Oh man, did that get the crowd riled up. Jackson is one of my favorite players on the team (oh who am I kidding...they are all my favorite) and I am quite protective over my players. That may sound ridiculous, but that's how I see it. You do not mess with my boys. Some of you may be thinking "If she's that protective over the players on a team that just play on the college team, what will she be like with her own kids??" I will be the exact same way. I will be at those games, cheering my heart out. But if someone touches my kid, someone better be there to hold me back...

And by the way, I am pretty determined to have at least one of my kids play on this team. Jonathan and my genetics should combine for just the right build and speed. When we do have kids, especially boys, basketballs, shorts, jerseys, shoes, etc. will be welcome. :)

Oh, and in case you wanted to see that flagrant foul by Utah on Jackson from a variety of angles, go here.

After the game we usually hang around a bit and go talk to my friend Jessica, who works event staff for the Marriott Center and is stationed at the tunnel by the visiting team's bench and the press conference room. Last night, Jimmer came out of the tunnel after his interview, passed right by us. We yelled his name and waved, and he said hi to us. It was a good night, haha.

Here are Jimmer and Jackson being interviewed after the game.

And here is Jimmer's actual interview. Man, this kid is good. He is the most underrated player in college basketball. In one game this year, he scored 49 points. And then he got mono. A lot of people thought our team would have a hard time winning games without him. But not true. Many players stepped up and made plays, and we won all of our games without Jimmer. So even though he is amazing, the rest of our team is incredible as well. But at the same time, Jimmer is a leader, and he leads this team so well. Last night, he scored 36 points. He's been compared to Danny Ainge...but I think he might be better. He's breaking Danny's records (Ex: The most any BYU basketball player had ever scored in a game against Utah was 35 points scored by Danny Ainge in the 80s. Jimmer beat that record last night with his 36). This kid can do it all. And he's only a junior.

Watch his interview last night and tell me you don't like him. I dare you.

There are still quite a few games left before March Madness begins. We are at the top of the Mountain West Conference, and should be outright champions this year. Although we've been champions for the last 3 years, we have had to share it with other teams at times. But I know we can do it this year. And at this rate, we should get a fantastic seed in the NCAA tournament, and hopefully make it farther than we've been in a long time.

Hopefully you got a sense of some of the excitement that we get to experience every week! Can't wait to see how the rest of the season turns out. Whatever the result, I'll be cheering on my team all the way.

Go Cougars!