Opinion, Sports

Home court advantage

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[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here were a few moments in Saturday’s showdown between New Rochelle and Mount Vernon that should have absolutely brought the roof down. Most of them came when the Knights’ 6-foot-9 big man Greg Calixte got the ball in the low post, then rose above the Huguenots’ defense to throw down a thunderous, rim-rocking jam.

These were the types of plays that—in an ordinary game between the two bitter rivals—would have whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

Last weekend, however, the two teams squared off at New Rochelle High School in a closed gym in front of a decidedly muted crowd, and that’s a real shame.

New Rochelle’s basketball team huddles up before their Jan. 21 game against Mount Vernon. Although meetings between the two teams usually lead to packed gyms, postgame violence three weeks ago led the Huguenots to close the gym and turn fans away. Photo/Mike Smith
New Rochelle’s basketball team huddles up before their Jan. 21 game against Mount Vernon. Although meetings between the two teams usually lead to packed gyms, postgame violence three weeks ago led the Huguenots to close the gym and turn fans away. Photo/Mike Smith

When the two schools squared off three weeks ago at Mount Vernon, violence erupted after the junior varsity game and a Huguenot player was punched on his way back to the buses. After some deliberation between the two schools, the Huguenots took steps to ensure the safety of the players in the two teams’ second meeting, moving the game from Friday to Saturday and barring spectators aside from family members, team personnel and members of the media.

The move, of course, was the right one. When it comes to student safety, it’s always best to err on the side of caution.

It’s just unfortunate that the actions of a few knuckleheads made the actions taken by the schools necessary at all.

Policing the actions of fans is a tricky thing. After postgame violence marred a Harrison/Rye football game a few years ago, the two teams began playing their games at 11 a.m., in order to curb pregame tailgating. In 2014, the Tappan Zee athletic director kicked his own student section out of the County Center after they launched into a chorus of vulgar chants directed at the Dutchmen’s opponent.

In terms of Section I basketball, New Rochelle versus Mount Vernon is undoubtedly the pinnacle of the winter season. Even if the games aren’t always close—and this one wasn’t, as Mount Vernon stormed out to a 71-46 win—the atmosphere can’t be replicated. I’ve seen loads of games between the two powers, including Mount Vernon wins, New Rochelle upsets, and the biggest of all, the Huguenots’ buzzer-beater victory at the Westchester County Center in 2013, and each time I walk away from those games wondering if any other high school sporting event could possibly match the level of intensity from both fans and players.

On Saturday, the crowd, while subdued, was still larger than many other schools draw, but, even so, there was no real electricity in the gym.

Ultimately, the actions of a few misguided fans robbed players from both schools of the opportunity to take the court in a one-of-a-kind environment, and that’s unfortunate.

I’m all for fans getting loud, getting rowdy, and turning their home court into a place where visitors don’t want to play. But at the end of the day, even a showdown with your bitterest rivals is still just a game. If fans can keep that in mind, we’ll all be better off.