Men’s Basketball: Cajuns still growing on sports bar crowd

Zane Hill, Daily Advertiser, March 16, 2014

If Lafayette residents watched the University of Louisiana at Lafayette men’s basketball team grab its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2005, they likely did it from the comfort of their own homes.

The few sports bars open Sunday were not exactly flooded with Ragin’ Cajun fans waiting to see the 23-11 team take down the Georgia State University Panthers in a thrilling 82-81 overtime victory.

Sgt. Julian Romero and Sgt. Bradley Baudoin caught the game at Pete’s restaurant during their lunch break from Louisiana National Guard 256th Brigade drills. Aside from another handful of fans in Ragin’ Cajun shirts and hats, the rest of the crowd was mostly families enjoying a Sunday lunch.

“Everyone’s probably still recovering from Patty in the Park last night,” Baudoin quipped.

Romero normally drives the team bus on away game trips and would have been in New Orleans to watch the Sun Belt Tournament, but his commitment to the Na tional Guard came first. He said the team is “family oriented” and he enjoyed watching them grow together all season.

“They’re a really good group of guys,” he said of the team. “They work really hard.”

At Corner Bar, Frank Brown, Allan Angers, Phyllis Miller and Simonette Roberts, all rocking Ragin’ Cajun gear, first enjoyed their team’s position in the Sun Belt Tournament and later the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s huge they made it this far,” Brown said. “I can’t remember the last time we won 20 games. To beat Western Kentucky (Saturday) was unbelievable.”

Everyone agreed Lafayette had decidedly been a football town lately and said the (lack of) crowds out watching the game attested to that.

“If this were a football game or baseball game, this place would be full,” Roberts said.

That said, the recent success of several of the school’s teams could help lift popularity for other sports, the group agreed.

“It’s real good to have success in all of the sports,” Angers said. “I guess there hasn’t been as much excitement (for men’s basketball). It’s helping now that we’ve got some excitement in women’s basketball, too.

“I think what’s happening is, success in one sport is drawing interest to another,” he added.

The logic was simple for Roberts.

“Winning always creates better fans,” he said.

All interviewed agreed on one positive detail emerging from the lack of crowds at their respective establishments: They could enjoy the games in relative quiet