David BrodyDivision III athletes, in general, but those at Washington University in particular, are seldom revered by their fellow students – at least not on the basis of their athletic prowess alone. Crowds at sporting events are generally sparse; even in the most popular sports, a gathering of a few hundred is considered well above average.
That trend of tepid support and sub-par attendance numbers will likely not be the case for the remainder of the men’s basketball season. For at least a short while, Mort Zuckerman’s U.S. News & World Report rankings are taking a backseat to another poll involving Wash. U., albeit a slightly more obscure one: the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. If the rowdy and vocal nature of the student crowd on hand at last Friday evening’s victory is any indication of things to come, the now 10th-ranked Wash. U. men’s hoop squad will remain a topic of undergraduate chatter for weeks to come.
As with any successful squad, this year’s men’s basketball team has a number of fan favorites. But for at least one male hoopster, it didn’t take a 14-1 start to develop a group of dedicated fans. In fact, sophomore guard Phil Syvertsen has been a hit with Bears fans since the first day he donned a Wash.U. uniform. While the rise of Syvertsen’s fan base is likely a byproduct of the team’s on-the-court success, the core of his supporters originated the moment they discovered that the suburban Chicago product was on the roster.
Syvertsen estimates that his informal fan club consists of 10 to 15 friends, most of whom he met on his freshman floor. But from the site and sound of it, almost anyone who watches Wash. U. basketball would say Syvertsen is understating the actual total of ‘Phil fanatics.’
When Syvertsen arrived on the Danforth Campus, he made a conscious effort to immerse himself in the fabric of the Wash. U. culture, choosing not to limit himself solely to athletics. While many athletes choose to live with fellow rookies during their first season of collegiate athletics, Syvertsen deliberately opted to live with someone he wouldn’t be spending time with on the hardwood. For his freshman roommate on Umrath Hall’s third floor, Zachary Freedman, a self proclaimed “huge basketball fan,” supporting his friend on the court was never even a question.
“People are starting to come to games now since they’re doing so well,” said Freedman of the team. “We’ve been going since the beginning.”
Syvertsen conjectured that his fan support probably has a lot to do with his off-the-court style and his decision to explore multiple social options: “In general, I’m pretty easy going. I know people don’t come here to watch basketball games and not everyone at this school is super interested in basketball. I realize there’s a lot of other things going on at this school. I try to be involved.”
Syvertsen, 20, is enrolled in the competitive School of Architecture and says that those affiliated with the architecture program have been some of his most dedicated devotees at home games. Syvertsen’s father, a Georgetown graduate, is an architect in the Chicago area. His mother is a French teacher.
Each time the reserve shooting guard checks into a game at the Field House, a group of Syvertsen loyalists, the majority of whom lived in Umrath as well, instantaneously rise to their feet, often leading the boyish-faced guard to crack what has become his signature grin. The passion for their freshman floor-mate may be a tad ironic: the group is presumably self-aware that many of its “We want Phil” chants will go unanswered by Coach Mark Edwards. Nonetheless, the fans hold up a shoddily constructed sign at each stoppage in play that bares the acronym of the famed sports TV station “ESPN” down the sides, with the words “Edwards, Sub Phil-in Now” etched across the construction paper in inelegant and hardly legible handwriting.
Syvertsen is the first to admit that he is a role player. He is not a dominant offensive big man like junior Troy Ruths and he doesn’t lead the conference in assists like fellow sophomore and suitemate Sean Wallis. His stats are modest; he averages just over a basket a game in just under 10 minutes of action.
But on a squad where the chemistry among teammates is palpable, Syvertsen fits in perfectly. A hardnosed defender who brings an unrelenting amount of hustle off the bench, his game is that of the consummate team player and he suspects that might be the reason he is appreciated by Bears fans.
“The Wash. U. basketball fan is a pretty smart fan,” said Syvertsen. “I might not be filling the stat sheet the way Troy Ruths or some of the other players might be doing, but I think the fans might appreciate the details of the game that I focus on when I’m out there.”
His former Umrath roommate agreed: “He does a lot more than the traditional stat book would suggest,” said Freedman, who joked that “While most players have traditional stats like points and rebounds, he does a lot more; like a missed basket that caroms off another player. It’s a ‘miss-assist.'”
Syvertsen is not unused to fan support. The Evanston, Ill. native is a graduate of Loyola Academy, a private school in the Chicago area and a perennial powerhouse in the world of Illinois high school basketball. While at the large Jesuit high school, Syvertsen was a three-year varsity standout for the Ramblers who routinely drew huge crowds.
The fans at Loyola may not always have attended the games to see the lanky three-point threat Syvertsen, however. Both of Michael Jordan’s sons currently attend the school and Syvertsen was on the same team with #23’s oldest boy, Jeffrey.
“Definitely with Michael Jordon in the stands, I wasn’t focused,” Syvertsen joked. “My senior year, Jeffrey Jordan was a sophomore playing varsity and Michael Jordan probably only missed three or four games all year.”
Coming from a dominant high school allowed Syvertsen the opportunity to play in front of numerous college coaches, many of whom were looking at current Notre Dame star Colin Falls. Syvertsen briefly mulled the option of walking-on to the roster of Division I Colgate University in upstate New York, but ultimately opted for the closer confines of Wash. U. He was also recruited by the University of Chicago, a conference rival.
But for Syvertsen, it’s never been about crowds or exposure. Although he is greatly appreciative of the individual support he routinely receives and although he described the larger crowds this season as “awesome,” the comedic second-year scrapper is quick to note that he didn’t come to Wash. U. for a big-time basketball experience, nor did he play high school ball because of the recognition it granted him.
“I played [in high school] because I have a lot fun playing basketball and I still play because I have a lot of fun.”