NORFOLK, Va. – R.J. Blakney and his Old Dominion men's basketball teammates were amidst pre-game warmups when he stopped to take a look around with wonderment in his eyes.
The team walked into Chartway Arena with a six-game losing streak and a 4-13 record. Head coach Jeff Jones is out for the year for health reasons in a season in which everything seemed to be going wrong.
And yet, as Blakney took jump shots, he watched a crowd of 6,158 march into the arena and cheer loudly as the Monarchs broke that losing streak with a 91-66 blowout victory over Marshall.
"I was shocked," said the transfer from Dayton. "I mean, I'd heard we had great fans. But it's crazy how much the fans are still supporting us. I could not believe it when I saw all of those fans coming into the arena.
"We feel nothing but love from our fans."
He's right. Win or lose, ODU's fan base is among the best in mid-major basketball and by far the best in the Sun Belt Conference.
ODU averages 5,831 fans per game, and although that's not quite as robust as usual, it's 875 more fans per game than the average of 4,966 at James Madison, second to ODU in Sun Belt attendance.
No. 3 Southern Miss (4,263) and No. 4 Marshall (4,250) round out the top four, and curiously, all four teams joined the Sun Belt at the same time in 2022-23.
ODU is accustomed to being at the top. The Monarchs have led either Conference USA or the Sun Belt in attendance in eight of the last 10 seasons. Prior to that, the Monarchs battled VCU for attendance supremacy in the CAA.
Another large crowd is expected Saturday night when the Monarchs host Georgia Southern at 7 for the annual alumni game. The ODU women host Georgia State at 1 p.m. Fans are asked to wear Hudson blue to both games.
Interim coach Kieran Donohue said the support this season has been incredible.
"There's such a different feeling here than there is when we go to some places on the road," Donohoe said.
"Our players appreciate it, our staff appreciates it. We're lucky, right? This is a unique situation at this level of college basketball to have such amazing fans."
Dr. Wood Selig, ODU's director of athletics, said the Monarchs don't just have an enthusiastic fan base. They have an empathetic fan base.
"It's been a year of struggle and maybe our fans appreciate what these guys are dealing with and going through and want to show them they still support them," he said. "In a sense, they're saying, 'we recognize what you're dealing with and we're behind you.'"
So, what makes ODU's fan base so special? I talked to a ton of fans and ODU officials and came up with three primary reasons.
1. ODU's tradition as the hometown team in Hampton Roads.
The Monarch fan base began to build in the 1960s under head coach Sonny Allen, who won a Division II championship in 1975. Since 1969, the Monarchs have won 24 conference or postseason tournaments of some kind.
ODU has gone to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 12 times and upset Notre Dame, West Virginia and Villanova in the Big Dance. And ODU has played 17 times in the NIT or other postseason tournaments, including two visits to Madison Square Garden for the NIT semifinals.
ODU has had winning records 16 of the last 19 seasons and before this season, averaged 20 victories per year in its 10 seasons in Conference USA and the Sun Belt.
Selig notes that "ODU has its tentacles in every part of the community" and by that he means tens of thousands of ODU alumni live in the area. But many fans who didn't go to ODU purchase season tickets.
"In Hampton Roads, we are the hometown team," he said of a region of 1.7 million fans.
And the Monarchs have been for decades.
2. Chartway Arena is big reason ODU is the hometown team
The 8,500-seat facility opened in 2002 but looks like it could have opened a few years ago. The arena has been expertly maintained by OVG360 (also known as the Oak View Group) and long-time Chartway General Manager Mike Fryling.
The scoreboard and sound system were replaced a few years ago as were the 50 flatscreen TVs located around the facility.
Chartway has 18 luxury suites, and all of them are sold out, 862 club seats and every seat in the place is cushioned with chairback seating.
It's really a miniature version of an NBA arena. There isn't a sports facility in the region that has the luxury amenities of Chartway Arena.
It's the best arena in the Sun Belt – and that includes JMU's Atlantic Union Bank Center, which opened two years ago and is close, but not equal, to ODU's facility.
Parking is convenient, with parking decks on both sides of the arena and restaurants in Monarch Way just steps away. The concessions are first-rate and not as expensive as you'll find at other sports venues in the area.
Pollstar recently ranked Chartway Arena as the No. 2 best arena in the world for university arenas and No. 8 in the world for all arenas that seat 10,000 or less. It's a phenomenal place to take your family for a night out.
3. ODU's promotions and game atmosphere help make it a great place for families.
Do you love the kids who go out on the court and dance with the cheerleaders when Ice Cream and Cake is played over loudspeakers? I do.
The music is appealing, the dance team and cheerleaders are skilled and the events during long TV timeouts interesting.
ODU's external relations department, as we call it, blankets the internet and email with notices advertising upcoming games, ticket discounts and promotions. They also engage people in the community, especially young kids.
For instance, ODU's Stars of Honor program, in which ODU honors elementary school children for their outstanding academic achievement, has brought thousands of kids and their families to Chartway. The student gets five tickets for family.
More than 1,000 were at the Marshall game, and that included 300 additional family members who purchased tickets.
Joe Rafanelli, senior associate athletic director for revenue generation and external operations, came to ODU from Rutgers last year and I can't begin to describe how hard he and his team work promoting Monarch sports, and creating a great atmosphere.
Alyshia Allison (director of marketing) reports to Joe and directs a staff of three – Ron Chen (director of social media), Lauren Wilkowske and Ryan Parncutt (marketing and fan engagement coordinators).
Carolyn Crutchfield (full disclosure, she is my boss) is in overall charge of our external operations as we call this group. She is the executive senior associate AD for sport administration and external affairs, as well as being the senior women administrator.
We're also fortunate to have Justin Ross as director of ticket sales. The guy spends most of his days with a phone glued to his ear and he seeks out groups who might want to book 20 or 30 tickets for an ODU game.
So far, he's sold 4,000 basketball tickets to groups and he also has sold thousands of tickets for football and women's basketball. He previously worked with the Washington Commanders and Baltimore Orioles and Ravens. He reaches out to businesses, philanthropic groups and the military and offers discounts and perks if you purchase a certain amount of tickets.
Come to a basketball game with a group and you might get to stand on the court during the national anthem, give the team high fives as the Monarchs take the court or hit the court with the cheerleaders and dance team as they dance to Ice Cream and Cake.
You don't have to be with a group to enjoy most of ODU's promotions.
Come out on Saturday, Feb. 10 and take part in the MAC Smack Down. ODU will host Central Michigan as part of a Sun Belt series of game with the Mid-American Conference and prior to the 2 p.m. game, you can sample mac and cheese from the Dirty Buffalo, Recovery Sports Grill, Fishin Pig and Aramark, ODU's own food provider.
Yes, ODU feeds the media for free before every game, but that afternoon, instead, I plan to be in the lobby, eating mac and cheese.
"Our promotions people have done a really good job," Selig said. "They're very creative and they work hard. The atmosphere throughout the game is second to none.
"As a fan, you also know you're going to see top quality basketball. We haven't had the success that we have wanted but you're still going to see some really good athletes.
"It's easy to park, we have great food. It's just a great place to enjoy a game no matter what your age."
And ODU's basketball players are very appreciative.
"The fan support means so much to our student athletes and coaching staff," Selig said. "It's been a tough season and they're frustrated. But the support they've received, it hasn't gone unnoticed or unappreciated."
Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Click here to see Game promotions for men's basketball.
Click here to see group experiences for men's basketball.
Are you looking for a good place to take a group, contact Justin Ross at 757-683-3360.