What is the most intriguing reason for Marquette women's basketball fans to attend Saturday's match-up against Wisconsin?
A) The Badgers are a talented inner-state rival that went 23-13 and advanced to the WNIT Championship Game last season.,”Consider the following question an early bit of preparation for the fall semester final exams that are approaching with all the subtlety of a jackhammer:
What is the most intriguing reason for Marquette women's basketball fans to attend Saturday's match-up against Wisconsin?
A) The Badgers are a talented inner-state rival that went 23-13 and advanced to the WNIT Championship Game last season.
B) Due to the Big East Volleyball Tournament being hosted at the Al McGuire Center this weekend, the women's basketball team will square off against Wisconsin at the Bradley Center.
C) The more people that show up to this game, the more of a chance exists that head women's basketball coach Terri
Mitchell will give away a chunk of her next paycheck.
If you're stumped, stick to the old rule of thumb – when in doubt, always choose "C."
Mitchell recently pledged to donate $1 for every fan in attendance over 4,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee, an idea that should be lauded for both its ingenuity and its fortitude.
Yeah, the highest attendance for a home contest the women's basketball program ever has had was 4,000 against Connecticut at the Al McGuire Center last February.
And sure, the last time Mitchell's team played at the Bradley Center – January 19, 2003 against then-Conference USA foe Alabama-Birmingham – the game drew only 803 fans.
But since then, the program entered the Big East conference, advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament twice and touted Mitchell as the reigning Big East Coach of the Year.
There are plenty of reasons to stroll down to the Bradley Center Saturday to watch this game. Now, it's up to you.
Think of the numbers. If 5,000 fans show up, that's $1,000 out of Mitchell's bank account that will go toward improving the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
If 10,000 patrons pass through the gates, Mitchell forks over $6,000. As any tuition-paying Marquette student will understand, $6,000 is a lot of money.
The best part is that it's not your money. This is your chance to give back to society at the expense of someone else's pocketbook. No word on whether Mitchell will sign off on any community service forms after the game.
In all seriousness, Big Brothers Big Sisters is a cause worth supporting. The organization promotes one-on-one mentoring relationships, and in 2006, the Milwaukee chapter served nearly 2,000 children ages 6-17.
Saturday's pledge "is connected to a cause we believe in," Mitchell said yesterday. "We see ourselves as mentors of youth."
Reasons not to give back to the community always are easy to formulate. I don't have enough time. I have too much homework. I already have another job. I'm too exhausted. I have to study. The list of excuses goes on and on.
Oftentimes, though, we take breaks from our numerous responsibilities for sanity-keeping purposes. In this case, you can give back while kicking back at the same time.
Mitchell said one of the things she loves about playing in the Al McGuire Center is that her team can feel the strength of the community in its intimate setting. "We're hoping so many Marquette fans come out (to the Bradley Center) that it feels like home," she said.
Unlike your upcoming final exams, the answer to the question at the beginning of this column doesn't really matter.
Just pick one of the choices, and then show up on Saturday.
“