Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

Photo by Colleen Peterson

Superfan

By John Adams

As Virginia Wesleyan’s men’s basketball team progressed deeper and deeper into the Division III National Tournament, and more and more fans packed the Jane P. Batten Student Center, no one was a louder or boisterous as sophomore Leon Oliver.

For those who regularly attend the games, Oliver is just as reliable a presence as superstar Brandon Adair or head coach Dave Macedo. He chants, heckles, shouts, yells, taunts and screams for the Marlins. When VWC trailed SUNY-Farmingdale late in the first round of the tournament, and most of the crowd was seated and silent, Oliver marched back and forth in front of the Wesleyan student section demanding more noise.

“It’s very important for the fans to be involved in the game and be the sixth man for your team,” said Oliver. “Night in and night out these guys are giving 100 percent for you and your school out on the floor, and the least you can do is give them that support back in the stands.”

Oliver has been following Marlins basketball even before he attended the school.

“I was at Emory and Henry and started following VWC men’s basketball,” said Oliver. “When I left, I decided on Wesleyan because I liked the school and I was excited about the basketball team here.”

Oliver knows that for any team to be successful, it must have a strong and vocal fan base behind them.

“An enthusiastic fan base can give a team that added spark and can rattle opposing teams,” said Oliver. “Our basketball team is awesome, and when other schools look at their schedule and know they have to come here to play us, I want them to fear the team we put on the floor and to fear the environment they are going into.”

During the Sectional Semi-final against Lincoln University, Oliver was among a group of students who were criticized for mocking Lincoln standout Kyle Myrick, who spent 23 months in prison on an assault charge. During warm-ups, several signs were destroyed by Wesleyan officials. However, another sign emerged from the student section as Lincoln took the court for the game. When Lincoln head coach Garfield Yuille entered the stands to scold the fans, Oliver argued with him until Yuille could be removed from the crowd.

“He was saying we were racist,” said Oliver. “That is not true. The fact he was in prison was published and is therefore public domain.”

He has no problem with taking the low blow.

“I like to consider myself `Maryland-esque’,” he joked

Like his methods or not, Oliver became the mouthpiece of the student section, during a time when fan support could not have been more critical.

“Home court advantage is a huge psychological advantage, and playing on the road in front of a raucous crowd can rattle some players,” said Oliver. “I think the fan support was very important during our march to the championship. When the guys got down Coach Macedo would call a time out and regroup. The crowd would get behind them and they’d come out and make a run to close things out.” <