Prior to a pivotal West Coast Conference clash with San Francisco, Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nolan Hickman admitted just how different the atmosphere of the McCarthey Athletic Center would be with students back in The Kennel for the first game in over 45 days. The last game the students were in attendance was Dec. 11 against Mississippi Valley State before Gonzaga’s winter break.
“We’ve actually had a really good crowd without students. [The fans] get rowdy the same way some of the students do,” Hickman said. “But you know, of course I’m not gonna put that past the students, the students got it. The students inside The Kennel, they will always have my heart.”
Hickman, who has played 39 games at the McCarthey Athletic Center in his career, has shown his passion for The Kennel Club’s enthusiasm and energy as an honorary member of the student section during pregame warm-ups. While his teammates run through layup lines and get stretched out, Hickman loosens up before a game just like some of his classmates do — by leading the 1,200 members of the student section in the routine performed during “The Hum”/”Zombie Nation.” Like many other pregame rituals across college sports, Gonzaga’s features plenty of jumping up and down, arm waving and a profound school chant that’s meant as a warning cry to the visiting team to let them know what’s in store.