April 22, 2024
Friar Fanatics
The most valuable sixth player for Providence College men’s basketball isn’t anyone who comes off the bench. It’s the Friar fans who pack Amica Mutual Pavilion every game day. The vibrant and boisterous student section is a potent weapon. In the three seasons since resuming play before fans following the pandemic, the Friars have lost only 7 times at home while winning 45 games.
School buses carry students from campus to the AMP hours before gametime. The Friar Fanatics, a student group that establishes themes for each game, is on board, along with the Pep Band, Dance Team, and Cheerleaders — the official spirit squad. Since 2019, the sight of students on their feet singing Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” is common to anyone attending a home game or watching on television. It’s part of a long tradition of fandom that includes the Phantom Friar, the Blues Brothers, and the students who in 1971 dribbled a basketball to Madison Square Garden for the NIT.
Providence College sold out of men’s basketball season tickets for the 2023-2024 season six months before the first game. Those who wished to be added to the wait list paid a $100 fee. Demand for the 1,500 student season tickets was so high that students were required to enter a lottery for the first time this season. (After the Friars won the BIG EAST regular season title in 2022, student season tickets sold out in three weeks.) Students who purchased season tickets were required to claim game tickets during a five-day window before each game. Unclaimed tickets were made available for purchase by students 48 hours before game time.
The excitement generated by the new head basketball coaches, Kim English and Erin Batth, also spread to women’s basketball. Students attended games in Mullaney Gym for free, but to encourage other fans to buy season tickets, PC Athletics offered each buyer a name plate on a reserved seat. The number of season tickets holders went from 60 to more than 300. On average, attendance at women’s games doubled from 2022-2023 and tripled compared to 2021-2022.
Your gift to The Fund for Providence College supports student clubs like the Friar Fanatics and other student experiences at PC. Join us in supporting these traditions.
