Student turnout and ingenuity has dropped off a bit as the program has slid since Mike Montgomery's departure in 2004, so third-year coach Johnny Dawkins has an idea to help make Maples Pavilion a more fearsome home court again.
According to the Stanford Daily, admission for all students to the Sixth Man section will be free of charge next season at Dawkins' request. The club will also implement a loyalty points system rewarding attendance in the preseason with access to the best seats for conference games in the winter.
"It was something always thrown around as a way to make the section as inclusive as possible, but it was difficult for us to make happen as students," Sixth Man Club Director Joel Sandler told the Stanford Daily. "It took Coach Dawkins pushing for this change to make it a reality. Since coming to Stanford, he has been a huge supporter of the student section and made numerous efforts to reach out to us fans."
It will be especially important for Stanford to be able to feed off an energetic home crowd next season since the Cardinal will be particularly young. Guard Anthony Brown and forward Dwight Powell headline a promising six-man freshman class expected to bring size and athleticism to a roster severely lacking in both areas last season.
One interesting tidbit from the Stanford Daily story was that the change in policy for the student section appears to be only for next season at this point. It's probably the hope of the Stanford athletic department that the program shows signs of contending in the Pac-10 again, so that the Cardinal can charge admission and still fill its student section each night.
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