Billiken Faithful Flock to Humphrey’s
It was halftime and though fans looked serious, they weren’t worried.
“Rough start,” said Blake Boyd.
“But, we’ve been here all year. I think Coach Schertz will give a nice half-time speech and bring us back into it. And I think we can come back like we did previously this year against this team."
For the Billikens, who came into the tournament with the No.1 seed and a double bye, it was the first game of the Atlantic10 Conference Tournament against George Washington and the Billikens were fighting their way back from a deficit.
Gesturing to the screen with a nod of confidence, Boyd said “We’re a second half team.”
New to town, Boyd quickly became a Billiken fan when he joined his significant other in St. Louis.
“My fiancé is a pediatric dentist training at SLU’s Center for Advanced Dental Education (CADE). She’s amazing.
“A guy in my building has season tickets to SLU, and he brings me along,” Boyd said. “And I love SLU basketball because our college basketball teams in Louisiana are terrible. So I love the Billikens and I love the college basketball atmosphere. It's the only team in the city.
“I just I love it.”
Decked out in Billiken gear at the front of Humphrey’s, Audra Smith, Ph.D., spoke animatedly with her neighbors without taking her eyes off the game.
“We're not making those rebounds that we need to,” Smith said. “But I feel like after the half, hopefully we'll get back together and it'll be something like playing.”
“I'm a huge fan. I went to SLU and my husband, Roland Gray, is a third all-time leading scorer here. And so, you know, we've been long lifelong Billiken fans. We're season ticket holders. We usually stop by Humphrey's either before or after the game.
“This season reminds me of back when Coach Grawer was coach here and my husband was playing. There was so much excitement. They were at Kiel Auditorium, so they never got to play at Chaifetz Arena. But it reminds me of that excitement and knowing that our boys are just out there fighting and want to do the best that they can. So yeah, it's been an exciting season. I can't wait to see what happens.”
Into the second half, and fans were cheering each time the Billikens scored, chipping away at GW’s lead. The lunch crowd at Humphrey's filled in as the game went on and seemed to will the game to go the Billikens’ way.
Cierra Mills, Humphrey’s manager, barely stopped moving. Home games had been even busier, she noted. They’d brought a packed house all season.
“Oh my gosh. It's been absolutely insane in the best way possible. It's crazy. Three hours before the game to maybe two hours after the game. It's fantastic.
“I think Billiken fans are just ride or die, regardless,” said Mills. “And I have noticed there are more younger people this year. During games, if you can come in and you can get in, I totally would. The atmosphere is something I have never seen before and I come from a college town.
“The school spirit at SLU is kind of unmatched.”
SLU alumni Joshua Simpson had his eyes glued to the screen.
“Well, we're down to the very last seconds,” said Simpson. “Hopefully we can pull this out right now. The team came back so much in the second half and we're proud of them either way, but we just need to grab the ball and finish this out strong.”
Moments later, Simpson broke into cheers.
“As an alumni, I’m just proud of the team and how they've done so far.”
Smith echoed that sentiment as she left her post at the front to mingle and celebrate with fans.
“It is amazing,” Smith said. “I'm so proud of our boys. The way that they came back. The way that they played together. It's fantastic. And let's go Billikens!”
The Billikens beat George Washington 88-81. The team will face Georgia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 19.