New student run organization forms with a focus on increasing student involvement in the Brick

A new student-led organization is committed to amping up the atmosphere in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse for basketball games. Some feedback from members that stood out during their meeting included getting more fans in the Brick, increasing fan interaction and just making basketball games more fun overall.

“The biggest thing with the meetings is gaining feedback from students. All the students there have been to 50 percent or more basketball games so a lot of it is gaining feedback from them because they spent a lot of time over the season in the Brick and how we can get more students to that 50 percent mark,” said Jackson Dudak, director of marketing and game operations at MSU. 

The club, which was created to help improve the student experience at basketball games, has only met a few times as we near the end of the current semester, but plans to pick up steam come August. Its goal is to increase student attendance at men’s and women’s basketball games to create better experiences for students, Dudak said.

The club is putting student opinions at the top of the list because according to Dudak, getting feedback from people in the stands will be the most beneficial when increasing the overall student attendance experience in the Brick. 

“Over the last couple of years our basketball teams have gotten really good and with this impressively quick increase in basketball ability and how the teams are performing on the court, we just want our fans to be right along with it. We want our students to be there, not only supporting the game, but enjoying the success we’re having on the court,” Dudak said. 

With a goal of getting student attendance to go up, the club discussed many different ways about how to get fans in the doors such as a rewards system, free gear, giveaways and more fan involvement at games. 

Seeing Danny Sprinkle and RaeQuan Battle leave is a sad sight for many Bobcat fans, but Dudak thinks that the consistent improvement over the last couple of years for both basketball teams will hopefully keep more fans coming in the doors next year. 

“It’s sad to see them go, but I think we’ve adapted well and we’re going to continue the success the basketball team has had,” Dudak said. “I just want as many students to be involved as possible and take our school to the next level.”

Looking ahead, Dudak has big plans for the club and foresees a time where his involvement can be limited and the students can take charge in making the overall experience in the Brick even better. 

If you want more information about the club, send an email to jackson.dudak@msubobcats.com.