A team effort

Some games they wear wigs and for another it was tie-dyed shirts, but the one constant from the student section at University of Hawaii men’s basketball games has been strength in numbers.

On average, 322 students per game have taken advantage of their student athletic fee admission to attend Rainbow Warriors home games this season, up more than 70 percent from last year, UH officials said.

Under terms of the three-year-old agreement by which the athletic department collects a $50-per-semester fee from students, about $1.6 million annually, 515 seats are supposed to be set aside for Stan Sheriff Center events. But twice already this season demand has exceeded that allowance and UH has opened additional seating.

John McNamara, associate athletic director, said 574 students attended the Feb. 7 Long Beach State game and 654 turned out for the Nov. 16 game with Illinois.

"Hopefully, we can continue to build on this," said Regine Raras-Estrella, a member of the Manoa Maniacs student group that helps coordinate participation.

"I’m (encouraged) because I think it is the beginning of a nice movement," said Ben Jay, UH athletic director.

Richard Mizusawa, president of the Associated Students of UH, said, "The feedback (from students) is that it has been a good (experience)."

McNamara said, "It has been a team effort with the students, the basketball program, everybody. This is certainly the result we had in mind when we began meeting back in July."

Jamie Smith of the basketball office has become a de facto coordinator, developing themes for each game, including "’60s Hippie Night" for the Long Beach State game.

Overall, UH said four of five sports have shown a rise in average student attendance over the previous academic year, UH said.

Only football, which went from an average of 1,047 in 2011 to 953 in 2012, saw a decrease.

But Jay said he is talking to students about ways to improve the numbers.

"I told them I would support them in every way that I could," Jay said.

Mizusawa said he was encouraged that Jay has been willing to consider student concerns and input.

But Jay said, "along with that, I will say to them that you have to show up. I mean, this goes both ways."

Jay said they have approached him about improving the location of student seats at Aloha Stadium, where the athletic department is pledged to provide 5,000 seats per game for students.

"I want to take a look at the rhyme and reason why students are where they are sitting," Jay said.

Unlike in basketball, where the majority of the students sit in section F behind a basket, football seats have been a source of disagreement.

While students receive some sideline seats, in previous years, student government officials have complained about end zone seating, especially upper section seats from which they say they cannot see the scoreboard.

Jay said, "They feel their current situation is part of the reason more (students) don’t show up."