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Mabee Center Maniacs head for
Mid-Con
By Dan Russell
After successfully igniting the Mabee Center arena for 13 straight
home games, the  Mabee
Center Maniacs will soon have the opportunity to test out their
talents in the post season. These are not Oral Roberts University
athletes-these are fans!
"Our goal was to make the ORU Mabee Center a place that fans want
to come back to," said senior Kyle Stewart, an ORU basketball player
and founding member of the Mabee Center Maniacs. "Just look at the
fan turnout before and after the Maniacs existed," junior Chris
Dingess said. "Tons of people want to go to the games now just because
it's the cool thing to do."
How they accomplished this can best be described as a grass roots
movement. They officially came together for the first time this
school year and built the group on their own.
No scholarships, no advisors, not even free t-shirts-just 27 maniacs
with a passion for college basketball and a desire to see the ORU
men's basketball program "back in the national spotlight," said
junior Joey Odom, founder of the Mabee Center Maniacs.
"For 13 home games, the ORU men's basketball team was depending
on us to bring the thunder," Odom said. And they apparently did
a pretty good job.
"The Maniacs have had a major impact on creating the home-court
advantage for our basketball teams and to show appreciation, the
Athletic Department, The Golden Eagle Club and University administration
are working with the Maniacs to help them attend the Mid-Con Championship
in Fort Wayne," Athletic Director Mike Carter said.
So after a Mid-Con season that experienced the thrill of a solid
6-1 home record, the Golden Eagle men's basketball team will have
an opportunity to do what few sports teams have ever done: feed
off of the crowd in someone else's arena.
"It just makes it more fun for the players," Stewart said. "In high
school, you have this fantasy view of what college ball is like…and
it makes it more worth it when you get to be a part of what you've
dreamed about."
But where does this all lead? Tradition, according to Odom. The
Maniacs want to watch their grandchildren become a part of what
they have begun this year.
Beyond Maniac tradition they would like to see an ORU basketball
fan tradition like that of Duke University. And students are responding.
"I think the students are becoming proud of their University," senior
JohnMark Thomas said. "The spirit is contagious. That's basically
what it boils down to. Once people start seeing things happen, they're
going to want to become a part of it."
If Thomas is correct, then the ORU student body had better prepare
themselves for infection, because as far as the Mabee Center Maniacs
are concerned, tradition has begun.
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