The t-shirts have been out there for a couple months, but at last, the Crimson Guard appears to be an official student section at Assembly Hall. No one's tickets have changed, but an effort has been made to finally unite the students.
The Crimson Guard, which is not affiliated with IU athletics, has a Web site (see above hyperlink) and a twitter account promoting the new student "movement."
Click on the site and you will find "Gameday Info" about the Hoosiers' Thursday night opponent, Purdue, including everything from the Purdue roster and rivalry history to some dirt on some Boilermakers and the "Laws of true Hoosiers."
The leaders of this new student section encourages fans to arrive tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. and has the following to say about the outlook of the student fan base:
We have a vision for the Crimson Guard Student section. We believe that the student section must become a student organization with leadership like many other universities have already accomplished. From there unity can be created. Road trips to away games can be planned. White outs and stripe outs can be organized. Students can be urged to show up on time and students can learn what is expected of them.
The Crimson Guard is also discouraging students from rushing the court, saying: "We're Indiana. We've been there before. So act like it. Don't rush the floor."
I'm personally giving some props to whoever is behind this, as this seems to be exactly what IU needs considering the circumstances. Let's face it, there won't be students behind both baskets as long as Assembly Hall is still erect. But this seems like a pretty good idea from my viewpoint.
The other reporters, a photographer and I were at Illinois last weekend and saw students lined up outside the other Assembly Hall (in 20-degree weather, no less) two hours before tip to partake in the Orange Krush student section.
With assigned seating, it's understandable why IU students would be less inclined to get to the game super early, but its always a nice for home teams to have students who make their presence known early.
Further, IU fans are loud and can rowdy, but there has been a lack of creativity from what I've seen the last four years. Easy targets like Stanley "This is how I chill" Pringle have come and gone unheckled at Assembly Hall. But in a tasteful manner, the organizers of the Crimson Guard are looking to change this.
I'm interested to see how much this catches on, as this seems like a fine idea for the IU student fans.
