Howard

I feel I need to update a previous post on Howard University basketball.

My first game at Howard, there weren't any ticket takers at the door. There weren't any tickets. Anyone could walk right in, no questions asked. Apparently this was simply for a low-interest game and a rare home game early in the season (Howard had a total of two non-conference home games). Since then, there have definitely been ticket takers. I've had more trouble getting into Howard games than anything else, because no one is ever quite sure what to do with me as a media member.

This isn't really a knock on Howard or its staff. Mostly, I enjoy going to the games at Howard. But as a low-budget, non-winning team in D.C., they don't get much media coverage. Most of the time, I'm it, as the AP representative. And since they don't often have to deal with media and media passes, the people working the door usually have no idea how to deal with me. I actually had more trouble getting into a Howard game without a pass than I did getting into a Capitals game when the AP forget to let the Capitals know I was coming.

I was impressed by the fan support at Howard last night. Even though the Bison had lost 11 of 12, the stands were mostly full (spurred on, I'm sure, by the fact the game was televised on ESPNU). And, as usual at a historically-black school, the band was awesome.