As Vermont’s Marqus Blakely stepped to the line on Feb. 24 in a sold-out and hostile Pritchard Gymnasium–Stony Brook’s new home-court advantage–every finger in the student section was pointed at one man.
But it wasn’t Blakely they were pointing at. It was Chris Creamer, a 21-year-old Northport native and Seawolves superfan. Creamer sat five rows up directly behind the basket, his sizeable stomach bared and jiggling like a belly dancer in a desperate attempt to throw off the free throw shooter as the entire Red Zone student section–and even Wolfie–urged Vermont’s star to “LOOK AT IT!”
Blakely looked, and went 2-for-6 from the charity stripe in the game.
“At first I did it to gross out my friends,” Creamer said. “But then at a women’s game, we were thinking of ways to distract the shooters. I tried it, and saw the reactions of the players on the floor and bench, and realized I had something good.”
Creamer, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major at Stony Brook University, has been attending Seawolves sporting events for years, dating back to the days when the basketball teams were perennial losers and played in the old arena.
Creamer started making himself heard at sporting events as part of the Stony Brook marching/pep band. Since its inception, the band has been the center of school spirit on campus, starting chants and songs at football and basketball games.
But Creamer wasn’t satisfied with just two sports.
“I wanted something to do when basketball season ended,” he said.
The result was band members making noisy appearances at lacrosse, soccer and hockey games. Creamer organized small pep bands to appear at the games, playing the same songs they would at basketball games, but under the direction of a student instead of band director John Leddy.
Creamer even went with a group of five students to a men’s basketball game in Albany this year.
“We decided two days before the game,” he said. “It was either that or watch it in the [Student Activities Center].
“Tommy Brenton and Danny Carter copped us tickets,” he said.
The trip brought Creamer and company’s support to the attention of the players. Breanne Nugent, who was among the people who made the trek to Albany, said the players recognize their group since the Albany game.
“I saw [senior Muhammad] El-Amin in the student union, and he said, ‘Thanks for the support,’” the 19-year-old band member said. “It was amazing.”
Creamer went to further extremes to see the players.
“I crashed the team party last week—it was awesome,” he said, all in one breath.
Creamer and his group booked a hotel in Hartford for the conference tournament. They went all out, with red, well, everything.
“We have red face-paint, and novelty hats,” Creamer said, taking a break to scream at a Binghamton women’s basketball player trying to sink a free throw against Stony Brook Friday night. “Everything down to my underwear will say ‘Stony Brook.’”
The men’s and women’s basketball teams played in the America East postseason tournament this weekend, and Creamer was where he always has been—front and center—vocally supporting his beloved Seawolves as they pushed for a place in the NCAA March Madness tournament.
His support has come with a price, however.
“As a result of this athletic department, I legitimately need a tonsillectomy,” he said. “They’re coming out right after basketball season.”