Purdue Boilermakers

Matt Kiefer said he doesn’t worry how many fans decide to show up at Mackey Arena.
He said it doesn’t bother him that people aren’t coming out to support the Purdue Boilermakers, a program he has devoted four years of his life to.
He said all he can do is play basketball and as that product gets increasingly better, fans will get increasingly more interested.
It hasn’t happened yet.
Through three games, Purdue’s home attendance has not been good. The Boilers (3-4) are averaging 10,094 fans in 14,123-capacity Mackey, but the single-game tallies seem generous: the upper level at Mackey has been sparsely populated thus far.
The season record-low for attendance average in Mackey’s 38-year history was 10,552 in 2002-03. Last season when Purdue finished 7-21, an average of only 11,681 fans turned out for home games. That’s the second-worst average at the arena.
In the last four seasons, including this season, Purdue is 46-50 and has advanced to only one NCAA Tournament.
“We haven’t had some good seasons the last couple years, so that’s probably the reason why,” said Kiefer, a senior forward. “The true fans are in the stands, and we appreciate all the ones that have come.”
Garnering more support – and victories – will be tough this season.
The Boilermakers have started four freshmen at times and lost their best player when Carl Landry decided to redshirt and miss the rest of the season.
The best shot at gaining momentum will begin tonight against New Orleans, a member of the Sun Belt Conference. Purdue has four more games until Big Ten play begins Jan. 4, and three of those would seem winnable. New Orleans, IPFW and Tennessee-Martin have combined for an 8-13 record. The toughest test will be a road game Dec. 30 at No. 5 Memphis (7-1).
Six Big Ten programs are ranked in the latest Associated Press poll, and Michigan was only four points shy of being in the Top 25. So expecting a boost in season ticket sales for 2006-07 may be a stretch.
Those numbers already took a hit this season. Purdue had 10,726 season-ticket holders in 2004-05 in Gene Keady’s 25th and final season as head coach, but that number dropped to 9,489 this season, athletic tickets manager George Ade said.
“Our job as a coaching staff is to get a very good product on the floor and get them to perform,” coach Matt Painter said. “(Fans are) going to get excited about us winning, so we’ve got to win. We’ve got to do our part first before we get upset.”
Ade, among others, hoped lifting the ban on bringing concessions to the stands at Mackey would encourage fans to come to games. Perhaps the change will take time to produce results. Al Chiscon, 72, is a retired biology professor who has been attending Purdue men’s basketball games for more than 30 years, said he likes the change.
“When you can eat at your seat, you don’t miss the game,” Chiscon said. “If you have to stand and watch on a TV monitor, you could have stayed home, where it is more comfortable.”