Colleges: Getting to the bottom of the CIA

Amara Aguilar

They are present at every UC Irvine men’s basketball game in the

Bren Events Center, wearing their bright yellow shirts and sitting in the

stands opposite the team benches.

One can’t help but notice them. They scream with intensity at referees

and opposing players and cheer wildly for their Anteaters.

They are all part of a UCI student organization called the Completely

Insane Anteaters. The CIA’s vocalness at men’s basketball games seems to

pump up the noise level in the Bren dramatically and it apparently

carries some momentum on the court.

During Friday’s game against UC Davis, the Anteaters were down by 18

points with under 10 minutes left in the game. Stanislav Zuzak made a

three-pointer to start the rally and the fans, sparked by the CIA, went

crazy. Every time the Anteaters hit a shot, the arena shook with volume

and intensity.

UCI ended up going on a 20-2 run to tie the score at 69. When Jerry

Green grabbed a loose ball in midcourt with under a minute left and made

a dunk to put UCI ahead for the first time in the second half, the

screaming was at its loudest. The Aggies seemed rattled. CIA members

taunted UC Davis’ Brent Wyse throughout the second half. He missed a

three-point attempt in the final seconds.

After making four of five three-point attempts in the first half, Wyse

made two of three in the second half. The Aggies made 10 three-pointers

in the first half and four in the second.

“At the end of the game against UC Davis, you could see (the Aggies)

were on fire earlier, hitting all those threes until we turned it

around,” CIA president Jeff Minhas said. “The basketball team turned it

around at first, and we joined it so it wasn’t just UC Davis working

against UCI, but it was (the Aggies) working against the Anteaters and

the packed house. The momentum was against UC Davis. If you have fans

cheering against you, you are much more hesitant and not as sure of

yourself.”

There is no question that the men’s basketball team earned the win,

but the crowd was definitely a factor.

“It was a great crowd with great enthusiasm,” UCI Coach Pat Douglass

said. “The crowd is like a sixth man on a team. They bait officials and

talk to opposing players. It was really significant for us.”

Rattling opposing players and the refs is a common occurrence at

sporting events. But at several of the UCI games this season, some CIA

members have seemed to go too far when taunting opposing teams and

players.

Like in the game against UC Davis, one from the sea of yellow shirts

shouted a four-letter word at a UC Davis player which defies publication.

One person in attendance also shouted, “Your mom is a cow,” to one UC

Davis player.

In other instances, when the referees made a call that the CIA didn’t

agree with, some members chanted, “Bull----,” a practice that Minhas said

is common at many colleges and something that he does not encourage. He

said he even tried to bring that particular chant to a halt during the

game.

Despite the presence of some fans who choose to use profanity and are

sometimes rude, CIA seems to be having a pretty positive affect on the

fans that fill the Bren and ultimately the men’s basketball team itself.

Profanity isn’t essential in distracting an opposing team or officials

and Minhas recognizes that.”We pass out cheer sheets at the beginning of

the game and started including good sportsmanship notices,” Minhas said.

“It’s definitely not the crowd as a whole, but I am in front and see some

individuals that get profane. Some of those guys in my opinion go too

far.”

Minhas said the club encourages a positive atmosphere. “We want to

show that we are good sports and we want to come up with more clever

chants.”

For the most part, the club has done a pretty good job of coming up

with some interesting chants that could make any person chuckle.

When Pepperdine faced UCI, the chant “Daddy’s Boy,” echoed throughout

the Bren many times during the game because the Waves are coached by Paul

Westphal who has a son that plays on the team.

The club also uses the more traditional chants of “Defense” and

“Airball” when an opposing team shoots the ball without hitting the

basket.

CIA has about 1,300 members and is the largest student organization on

the UCI campus. Club membership is free. The CIA is in only its second

year of existence, but the club has already run out of their signature

yellow shirts. Club members attend other athletic events in addition to

men’s basketball games. It’s all good fun, Minhas said.

“The club adds character to a school that has always been known as a

research institute,” Minhas said. “With the success of our basketball

team and our new baseball team and CIA we hope to change that

(perception). It’s a win-win situation for UCI.”

Kelly Boeke set a Vanguard University career rebounding record in the

Lions 74-55 loss to Concordia Saturday. She had nine rebounds in the game

to bring her total to 860. She also holds the school record for most

career points.