For years, local resident Don Robitaille, 85, has been coming to games in Alumni Gymnasium and leading the crowd in a cheer.
A student who once led the cheer graduated, Robitaille explains during a break in Tuesday night鈥檚 women鈥檚 game, so he stepped in.
Robitaille went straight to the Navy after high school, and while he didn鈥檛 attend 乐播传媒 he feels a hometown connection. 鈥淚鈥檓 just a big fan of 乐播传媒,鈥� says Robitaille, who retired from the soda vending-machine repair business more than 20 years ago. 鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 a way to do my part for the game.鈥�
Head coach Alison Montgomery talks to the team during a timeout on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.
Referee Jeff Coffin talks with a fellow official during halftime at the women's game vs. the University of Maine at Farmington.
乐播传媒 defeated visiting UMF, 71-42, as captain Ali Coppola '17 of Tarrytown, N.Y. set the 乐播传媒 record for career rebounds.
Don Robitaille of Lewiston leads a cheer for 乐播传媒 during the game on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.
On the court, Jim Coffin has been a college basketball referee for 10 years, and has always enjoyed working in Alumni Gym.
The court surface, he says, has more bounce than most. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 get our feet hurting as much.鈥�
Coffin mentioned another, literal, atmospheric point. 鈥淭hey used to have the heat cranked right up here, and you used to have a huge home court advantage, because everyone would be getting tired in the second half, including the referees.鈥�
It鈥檚 true 鈥撯�� Alumni Gym is no longer a sauna. Recently installed heating controls mean a more level temperature and, perhaps, a more level playing field. But the close quarters, history, and energy of Alumni still pose a challenge to visiting teams.
Oh, about the game. The women had a resounding 71-42 victory over visiting University of Maine at Farmington, as captain Allie Coppola 鈥�17 of Tarrytown, N.Y., set a record for career rebounds. She wasted no time, collecting seven of her 16 rebounds in the first quarter to solidify her place in 乐播传媒 history.
