THE BROO VIEW with Ken Broo

I'm back from an enjoyable (well almost) Saturday at my alma mater. Veterans to this blog know that I live and breath Ohio University sports. Veteran channel 5 viewers in Cincinnati, Ohio, heard me Friday night say no other games this weekend mattered except the one between Ohio and Kent State Saturday. I said it tongue firmly planted in cheek, of course. There were a multitude of big games this weekend, not the least of which is Ohio State vs Wisconsin Sunday.

It was great being back at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. It is a virtual replication of the basketball arena at Notre Dame and it has held up well over time. Good seats, great viewing lines and wide concourses. In a lot of ways, the "Convo" was ahead of its time. If you live in Ohio, you should know at least some of your tax dollars were spent wisely.

Saturday was one of those rare family days you experience when your children are older and their lives have taken them exclusively from you. My wife (proud OU grad), son (not an OU grad but we're still proud of him, an assistant prosecutor in Hamilton County) and my daughter (very proud of her, Ohio class of '08 if the GPA hold up) watched our Bobcats take on a very good Kent State team. And by the way, thanks to Ohio graduate assistant coach Doug Dewey for the seats. Doug is a Cincinnatian, a solid student-athlete at Glen Este High School not so long ago.

The Bobcats are struggling these days, having now lost four of their last five. They should've beaten New Mexico State, but ran out of gas after being up 19. They should have beaten Kent State, but could not get a 'stop' in the final ten minutes and were too sloppy with the ball in the final minutes. This current Bobcat team is an enigma: it has balanced scoring, with strong inside play. It could use a true center, but what mid-major school couldn't? The Bobcats could also use a true point guard. The had one, but a young man named Antonio Chatman took a hike on the team earlier in the year for personal problems. It's hurting the 'Cats a lot right now.

Kent State won by two, when, inexplicably, the Golden Flashes were allowed to hold the ball almost at mid court while the clock wound down. That kind of maneuver you rarely see in the NBA anymore. A lay up, seemingly uncontested, with 3.5 seconds to go won the game for Kent.

But other than that, the experience of the event was terrific. The school now allows the students to sit courtside. It reminded me of when I called ACC basketball games on television and we made our trips to Cameron at Duke. And the theatrics of the students were a great side show. I used to think Duke, and to a degree Maryland, students were the best at their good natured bashing of the opponent. The "O" section is right there with them. I asked someone seated near me to point out one of my favorite posters on www.bobcatattack.com, a guy named "Dragon". I don't know how this kid has time to go to class, with all of the posting he does on that board. Sure enough, the person I asked knew who he was.

And, at halftime, they brought back some of the guys who helped make Ohio basketball the tradition that it is. It was good to see Tom Corde again, a Bobcat star some of the years I spent in Athens. If you didn't know, Ohio University is celebrating 100 years of basketball this season.

After an enjoyable dinner at at Stephens, a downtown Athens restaurant (my daughter always seems to 'rope' me into going there as opposed to The Diner, which is my favorite place), it was back on Route 32 West, through the sleet, back to Cincinnati.

I'm writing about this today because I know a lot of my friends and fellow Bobcats read this blog. Maybe some of you haven't been back to Athens for a basketball, or football game in awhile. You should think about doing that. The campus is beautiful, the atmosphere at the events is great, always something going on during time outs, and the teams can use your support. Take a day or a weekend, buy a ticket, and make some noise when you get to Peden or the "Convo".

You can thank me later.