Loyal Wichita State fans headed to Cleveland for Sweet 16

When Quicken Loans Arena opened to the public Wednesday morning, several fans wearing Kentucky blue filed in to watch practice.

The Shelton family from Jasper, Ind., found a spot on the front row to cheer their Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

A few dozen Clevelanders – devotees of LeBron James and his Cavaliers – showed up to watch some college ball.

And then there was Dave Szamborski.

Easy to spot in his black-and-yellow sweatshirt, “Wichita State” emblazoned on the front, the 1975 WSU graduate who lives in Cleveland said he couldn’t wait to cheer on the Shockers.

“It’s so great to see this team play,” Szamborski said.

“Luckily they’ve been playing so well, I’ve been able to catch them on TV more this year. … But I’m really excited; I’m so happy that they’re here.

“It’s a great program, a disciplined team. Wichita State – they’ve got panache.”

This city on the shores of Lake Erie was cold and rainy Wednesday. But the team from Wichita already felt the warmth of hundreds of fans from Ohio and elsewhere making their way to watch its matchup Thursday with Notre Dame in the Sweet 16.

“I think we got the best fans of any college, period,” said freshman Shaq Morris.

“I’m very proud that everybody from every which way is coming out to support us. I love that feeling.”

Morris said a friend in Louisiana told him about seeing a bus full of Shocker fans. “And I was like, wow, that’s amazing, you know? We’re everywhere.”

Courtney Marshall, president and CEO of the WSU Alumni Association, said a charter flight to Cleveland for 143 people had sold out within 12 hours of the Shockers’ victory over the University of Kansas on Sunday.

The group could have filled another plane, Marshall said, but none was available.

“People were excited to support the team, wherever they went,” she said.

Travel packages through the Alumni Association that included the flight, lodging and transportation to the arena cost $1,269 per person for double occupancy, Marshall said. The flight is set to leave Wichita at 8 a.m. Thursday.

Should the team advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis, she said, the group would be able to book more charter flights for fans.

“For the Sweet 16, there’s a huge demand for charter jets for teams and fans,” Marshall said. “There just aren’t enough to go around.”

Hundreds more fans were expected to fly commercially or make the 16-hour drive to Cleveland for the game. Most were set to arrive late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Junior Evan Wessel, a graduate of Heights High School in Wichita, said he appreciates fans who make the trip, including 10 members of his family who were en route to Cleveland.

“We always have a great fan base,” Wessel said. “… It’s always nice hearing the crowd cheer for you, and looking up and seeing those fans. It’s awesome support.”

Most of the WSU contingent was still traveling Wednesday, so Shocker fans were sparse during the open practice session.

Nevertheless, each of the four teams playing in the region – WSU, Notre Dame, West Virginia and Kentucky – were introduced with their school’s fight song and polite cheers as they took the floor for practice.

Kentucky, the undefeated No. 1 seed, took the floor last and drew the biggest crowd. More than 300 people wearing blue and white, some holding signs, greeted the team as if they were thoroughbreds among ponies.

During WSU’s practice, Coach Gregg Marshall smiled at fans, signed autographs and greeted friends and members of the media.

Television announcers for the Cleveland games will be the same team that described the action at the Shockers’ second- and third-round games in Omaha – Marv Albert, Chris Webber, Len Elmore and Lewis Johnson.

One of the few Shocker fans in the crowd at Wednesday’s practice was a graduate of a rival Missouri Valley school.

Loren Eisner, a retired insurance salesman from Macedonia, Ohio, graduated from Bradley University. But on Wednesday he bought a bright yellow Sweet 16 shirt from the arena gift shop, put it on, and spent the practice session shooting cellphone pictures of the Shocker team.

“It’s kind of like how you say bad things about your brothers and sisters, but then you come to their defense whenever there’s an issue,” Eisner said. “That’s how this is. … I’d love to see the Shockers do well.”

Marshall said he appreciates the Shockers’ fan base and looks forward to seeing them again in Cleveland.

“They travel well. They love the Shockers,” Marshall said. “They wrap up all their enthusiasm for football and basketball season all into one to follow the round ball, so it’s really unbelievable.

“They really make a lot of noise, and they’re having a lot of fun.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2015 at 3:34 PM.