And then this ...

Jeanette Scire came into the press room before the game Saturday afternoon and said she had seen a man outside holding a sign saying he needed tickets. Scott Fowler said on press row he had seen a father with his redheaded toddler daughter standing outside, and both of them, the man and his little girl, were holding up two fingers, looking for a way in. Tripp Cherry said after the game that he had seen the same things.

For a game against Samford.

On Jan. 3.

Over Christmas break.

With no students on campus.

Not a seat to be had.

Jeanette’s been at Davidson for a while, almost 20 years, and so she remembers on game days in the early ‘90s going around town with Susan Mercer and trying to give people tickets.

Here.

Just take them.

Just please come.

Sometimes these days, like yesterday, when I sit there and I look around at 5,223 at Belk, crammed in, all those people making all that noise all the way up to the roof, I think of something good fan Danny Smith told me last summer when we talked for the book. I don’t have my notes with me, so I hope I’m remembering this right, but he said he brought his family to Belk in December 1995 to watch Davidson play N.C. State. It was their first game ever.

They enjoyed it so much they decided to buy season tickets, Danny said, so he came back to campus the following week and found Lee Sargent, the ticket man at the time, and asked about maybe getting some seats.

Lee took Danny into the arena.

He walked toward center court.

He took a right and started to walk down the steps, and he kept walking, and he didn’t stop until he was standing in the front row.

Lee looked at Danny.

“How about these?”

That was 13 years ago.