There were a lot of positives that coach Dwaine Osborne saw for the Charleston men's basketball team as it moved into its new home at the Wehrle Athletic Arena at the start of January.
Some came just from a convenience standpoint - things like having their own locker room, not having to track equipment from campus out to the Charleston Catholic Athletic Facility to practice. But there was one benefit of moving back into the newly renovated arena that stood out above all, and the impact has been pretty easy to see as the Golden Eagles have played their first four games there.
Playing their home games on campus again has provided UC (11-9, 5-9 Mountain East Conference) with a home-court advantage it had been missing for quite some time.
"I don't think we've had this type of a home environment since we closed the [Eddie King Gym]," Osborne said. "We'd play at Charleston Catholic or the Civic Center and we just couldn't get that type of atmosphere, and that's why we love that we've gotten to be here on campus again."
The impact that a crowd full of loud fans was clear over the weekend as Charleston came through with a dramatic rally - fighting back from a 16-point second-half deficit to pull off an upset over No. 9 Wheeling Jesuit. The packed house at the arena was loud, providing the Golden Eagles with a big spark when they needed it and making life difficult for Wheeling Jesuit down the stretch.
After tying Charleston with a minute to play, the Cardinals struggled the rest of the way - missing a pair of free throws and all three shots they took from the field. UC ended the game on an 8-0 run to notch the upset and its first win of the season over a ranked opponent.
"In the last 10 or 12 minutes of that game, it was just a phenomenal environment to get to experience," Osborne said. "They gave our guys energy, they fed off that big time. It was a huge factor and that's the way it should be - a team plays hard and gives them the reason to be excited and then they return that by providing that type of energy. It would have been difficult to win without them."
Once the game was over, fans rushed onto the floor to celebrate the victory with the team - capping a game that senior guard Elliott Cole, who scored 39 points in the win, said illustrates the reason that college basketball is so great.
"It was beautiful. It's something we're really appreciative of when we come out and see that they've filled the place up," Cole said. "We try to put on a show and win the game. That's how basketball's supposed to be - they're as much a part of these wins as we are."
It was the second win in four games since the Wehrle Athletic Arena opened up, with one loss being an overtime defeat to West Virginia Wesleyan and another to No. 3 West Liberty. But for Charleston it was a victory that can get the team's momentum rolling the way it needs to in order for them to try to get back moving in the right direction.
"It's been awesome to have all these fans here every game," senior forward Justin Coleman said. "It's a different feeling, you can even see it when we're walking around on campus because everyone says they're excited to get to come out to the game.
"It's a great atmosphere here. It's always an advantage for you and gives you that boost to come up with the big play."