Dozens of Elon fans came to Asheville to cheer on the men’s and women’s basketball teams as they advanced to the SoCon tournament semifinals.
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The games had not started but the Elon fans who gathered at Scully’s in downtown Asheville, N.C., Saturday afternoon were already chanting.
“We are going to win,” said Wes Elingburg, chair of the Elon University Board of Trustees who together with wife, Cathy, made the trip to support the men’s basketball team as they took on the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “It’s going to be a tough game tonight but I do think we’re going to prevail.”
He was not disappointed.
The Phoenix defeated the Spartans 68-61 in a close match at the U.S. Cellular Center while the women’s team defeated Samford 70-60 at Kimmel Arena in nearby UNC-Asheville campus.
Like the Elingburgs, dozens of Elon students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends made the trip to cheer on both teams as they make their way to the Southern Conference Tournament finals.
The Elon section at the men’s game could not have been complete without President Emeritus J. Earl Danieley who, in true fashion, waved his towel as fans chanted his name during the second half.
Sitting nearby was Nancy Zarin, an adjunct instructor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, who said she didn’t follow sports before she came to Elon in 2009. But after getting guard Sebastian Koch and forward Autumn Carter in her classes, she has become a consummate Phoenix fan.
“We didn’t miss a single (home) game for the men” this season, she said with a smile. She couldn’t stay for the weekend but hopes to watch from home the Phoenix in the championship game Monday night.
While that may be getting a bit ahead, most fans feel this could be the year when the Phoenix get a chance to compete in the NCAA tournament.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Wes Elingburg said. “I really think we are on the verge of doing something special.”
Amy Hendrickson ’69, who considers herself to be one of the top 10 Elon fans, has followed the basketball program at Elon for years. She said the program is definitely moving in the right direction.
“It’s been a dream season,” she said. “Every game, I’ve seen the players get closer and play more like a team.”
So what advice does she give the team this weekend?
“If you want it, go get it.”