First Basketball Game

[Cajunsmike]

Someone asked me what is the first Cajuns Basketball Game I ever attended. My first one was on December 11 of 1971. It was the finals of the Basketball Bayou Classic. We were actually still the USL Bulldogs at the time. Story of that game is shown below from the Sports Illustrated archives. The article gives you a sense of how special basketball was here at that time. Hooked me for life. Of course you were lucky to see 20 college games a year on TV in those days so going to the games was an event.

https://vault.si.com/vault/1971/12/2...-cajun-country

Anyone else remember their first game ? If so, what do you recall about it?

[fanof71]

My dad was a student, so he would take my brother and me, maybe 5th or 6th grade, not sure. Dean Church team vs Northwestern state...Fan ever since...

[JMV JustMyView]

Someone asked me what is the first Cajuns Basketball Game I ever attended. My first one was on December 11 of 1971. It was the finals of the Basketball Bayou Classic. We were actually still the USL Bulldogs at the time. Story of that game is shown below from the Sports Illustrated archives. The article gives you a sense of how special basketball was here at that time. Hooked me for life. Of course you were lucky to see 20 college games a year on TV in those days so going to the games was an event.

https://vault.si.com/vault/1971/12/2...-cajun-country

Anyone else remember their first game ? If so, what do you recall about it?

Wow you have seen some players in the last 50 years. What would your favorite players starting lineup look like?

[RaginDave]

1988-89 La Tech vs Cajuns. Tech had Anthony Dade and P.J Brown. Cajuns got crushed by them, but we featured a pretty talented team as well with:

Sydney Grider, Kevin Brooks, Aaron Mitchell, Eric Mouton and Marcus Stokes. Didn't have much depth, that would come a few years later.

[covcaj]

Someone asked me what is the first Cajuns Basketball Game I ever attended. My first one was on December 11 of 1971. It was the finals of the Basketball Bayou Classic. We were actually still the USL Bulldogs at the time. Story of that game is shown below from the Sports Illustrated archives. The article gives you a sense of how special basketball was here at that time. Hooked me for life. Of course you were lucky to see 20 college games a year on TV in those days so going to the games was an event.

https://vault.si.com/vault/1971/12/2...-cajun-country

Anyone else remember their first game ? If so, what do you recall about it?

I was in graduate school for that tournament. To say that Blackman was rocking would be an understatement, Thanks for the memory.

[Square Head]

My first game was my third year at USL in 1963. Amazed how fast and big the players were. Don’t remember much about the game. In 1983 started attending about 10 games a year. Sat behind the football players, they were a rowdy bunch.

[CajunAlan]

My first game was on Jan 9, 1984 at Blackham Coliseum beating Marquette 68-58
The whole coliseum was rocking and deafening.

[60swerethebest]

Lamar. December 1963. Missed first game of year as it was Wed before Thanksgiving day. Oh, we lost to Lamar. This was before Blackham was enlarged. Far from full crowd but loud and fun. Walked from Roy Hall on campus. Did I mention we lost.

[Million$Mullet]

Couldn’t tell you when my exact first game was although it was a running joke with my parents that I was in my moms belly for many games in blackham. My earliest memories of Cajun basketball are the Sydney Grider, Aaron Mitchell, Kevin Brooks teams. Became a ball boy sometime around then. Good times

[zephyr]

Earl the "Pearl" Watkins was one of my favorites.

[Cajunsmike]

Wow you have seen some players in the last 50 years. What would your favorite players starting lineup look like?

Lamar, Ebron, Saunders from the 70's team were guys that people today cannot envision how good they were. I would add Toney of course and Elfrid. All of those guys played pro ball and Elfrid is now in his 7th season of pro ball. If you think that is too many guards, move Dan Gay in place of Elfrid. Dan played pro ball in top European leagues well into his 40's. Both Toney and Lamar were versatile enough players to play either the point guard spot or at the 2. Couple of other favorite players were Graylin Warner and Byron Starks. A guy that may surprise you on my favorites is Bryant Mbamalu. He was a nobody when he arrived and became a leader of an NCAA team simply through work. More recently, I would have Frank Bartley on my list. Was an afterthought at BYU and became Louisiana player of the year here. Now he is one of the top European players and won player of the year in Spain last season. Yes, I have seen some great players through the years.

[JayWalker]

I wasn't around for the Lamar days. My first game was probably the first or second year after the program was reinstated. I remember Ted Lyles and Calvin Crews. Went to more games during the Toney years and even more with Graylin and Dion, et. al. My biggest recollections were games vs. Lamar and Tech and, of course, the run to New York in the NIT. That might be the loudest I've ever heard Blackham. I started doing the TV broadcasts the following year.

[Cajunsmike]

I wasn't around for the Lamar days. My first game was probably the first or second year after the program was reinstated. I remember Ted Lyles and Calvin Crews. Went to more games during the Toney years and even more with Graylin and Dion, et. al. My biggest recollections were games vs. Lamar and Tech and, of course, the run to New York in the NIT. That might be the loudest I've ever heard Blackham. I started doing the TV broadcasts the following year.

1984 NIT second round game against Weber State was sold out and extremely loud as Jay indicated. Game went into OT and was a sweet win as we had lost a close controversial game at Weber earlier.

[fanof71]

Lamar, Ebron, Saunders from the 70's team were guys that people today cannot envision how good they were. I would add Toney of course and Elfrid. All of those guys played pro ball and Elfrid is now in his 7th season of pro ball. If you think that is too many guards, move Dan Gay in place of Elfrid. Dan played pro ball in top European leagues well into his 40's. Both Toney and Lamar were versatile enough players to play either the point guard spot or at the 2. Couple of other favorite players were Graylin Warner and Byron Starks. A guy that may surprise you on my favorites is Bryant Mbamalu. He was a nobody when he arrived and became a leader of an NCAA team simply through work. More recently, I would have Frank Bartley on my list. Was an afterthought at BYU and became Louisiana player of the year here. Now he is one of the top European players and won player of the year in Spain last season. Yes, I have seen some great players through the years.

Agree with all of these, almost think about a 2-deep team. Michael Allen needs to be mentioned too, he was an assassin...

[CajunEXPRESS]

I wasn't around for the Lamar days. My first game was probably the first or second year after the program was reinstated. I remember Ted Lyles and Calvin Crews. Went to more games during the Toney years and even more with Graylin and Dion, et. al. My biggest recollections were games vs. Lamar and Tech and, of course, the run to New York in the NIT. That might be the loudest I've ever heard Blackham. I started doing the TV broadcasts the following year.

My first game was between semesters. Lamar sophomore year. I was looking for something to do, and my friend suggested I go to a game.