BY CHLOE TELLER
Photo Credit: @stonehillbball on instagram
When Shamir Johnson was a young boy watching his godfather play Division 1 basketball for the UConn Huskies, he hoped that one day he could be just like him. Now, years later, as a successful fifth year on the Stonehill’s Men’s Basketball team, he was given the opportunity to play on the same arena floor as his godfather.
“Being from Connecticut, it’s exciting knowing that I’m going to be able to play Division 1 basketball at the XL Center in front of my friends and family. This is something I will tell my kids about. It’s surreal knowing the legacy behind this arena and it’s a dream come true getting this national exposure,” Johnson, who is from Waterbury, Connecticut, said.
However, with the XL Center comes higher costs for tickets to watch the team play. At Merkert Gymnasium on the Stonehill campus, students watch their favorite players compete free of charge, while going rates for the UConn game were $500 or higher.
While playing at the XL Center is a dream come true for the players, it is a financial nightmare for some Stonehill students who either can’t afford tickets or don’t want to pay the high prices.
“It is absurd to charge $500 for tickets. There are students and families who want to go to the games and with increasing the price to such a high amount, it is not fair. I understand with the D1 match up that it will be more expensive, but $500 is too much,” said Freddie Feliciano, a senior at Stonehill.
Andrew Sims, a fifth year on the basketball team, understands that concern.
"Although it is a dream come true playing in front of a large arena of people, I wish the tickets were much cheaper. I want my family and friends to be able to come watch me play and not have to drop all that money. Nobody wants to pay that much to see Stonehill play,” said Sims.
According to fifth year basketball player, Isaiah Brunett, a regular game at Merkert Gymnasium can almost feel like a highschool game, so he was hoping for the XL Center to have a big turn out.
“I grew up watching Duke and Kentucky, and saw them play in front of thousands of fans. A regular game at Merk can have as many as 200 fans, so it doesn’t feel like a real college basketball game. I think that playing at the XL Center will bring a different feel because of the different atmosphere. I wish the arena could be filled, but I know the higher the ticket prices the less people will go,” Burnett said.
On the other hand, some said there are some beneficial impacts the high ticket prices are having on some of the players. According to basketball transfer student, Thatcher Stone, the team could actually improve from this.
“Transferring from a mid-major Division 1 team, I have already had the experience of playing in the big time games. I am very excited to play in front of that many people and against the highest level of competition again. The games are always really high energy and fun to play in. I think that’s a pretty cool experience to know someone is willing to pay that much to watch our game. If someone is willing to pay that price, then why not sell it for that price? I think it’s good for us as a team when people pay to come watch us play because the more money our team makes the more ability we have to help improve the team,” Stone said.
And according to fifth year basketball player Joshua Mack, it’s surreal to hear that people love to spend their money on watching you play.
“When people spend money to come watch me play it makes me feel good knowing that they take time out of their day to watch what I do on a daily basis. As a kid growing up, I’d always dream about playing in big arenas and now that I have the opportunity, it makes all the work I’ve put in seem worth it,” Mack said.
According to players, the team is thankful and excited to be able to undergo this opportunity. They said they are ready to put their best foot forward, knowing they have fans coming and supporting them at a high cost.
“Personally I think it is going to be a surreal moment playing in the XL Center. Playing at the highest level of college basketball is something I have wanted to do since I was young. And having the opportunity to do it on November 7th is going to be very exciting,” said basketball sophomore, Nate McGill.
One student said he isn’t too excited about the Stonehill-UConn game.
“Honestly, that’s outrageous, just to see my team get smacked by UConn, I have to pay half my paycheck,” said senior Jake Cobb.
(Reporter Mary Gettens contributed to this article.)