Getting out of bed for EWU’s morning show a real eye-opener

Up before the sun, the mercury and common sense to ring in the start of college basketball Friday morning.

It’s Eastern Washington tipping it off at 8 a.m. against Texas Southern for the first, nobody-ahead-of-them, first, take-that-you-layabouts-at- other-schools, very first game of the season in all of Division I hoops. Not just the only show in town, but the only show anywhere.

Well, unless you include the women’s games in College Park, Pittsburgh, Miami, Orlando, Durham and Ypsilanti also tipping off at this hour.

But I’m in Cheney at the crack of 6 to take the temperature of the hardy souls who camped out overnight in Tent City just to be the first ones in the building for this over-the-top ode to being first.

You do know this is the first game, right? Just checking.

So, back to Tent City.

OK, there are no tents. No campers. No RVs in the upper lot full of hearty partiers (party heartiers?) as jazzed about having the first game on the national basketball schedule as they were to have that first game on the national football schedule back in August.

Maybe there can be too much of a first thing? Not for Brian Whiteman. He’s been on the job since 4 a.m. and is ready to feed an army of fans with breakfast burritos, sausage-and-biscuit sandwiches and cereal.

“I run Swoop’s, a restaurant on campus – we’ve just gone remote this morning,” he says. “I forecasted for 400 (burritos), but we’ll see what happens. I’ll start with 100 but we have cooks ready down at the other building if we need more.”

Now there are stats you won’t get in the box score.

Down on the floor, the two teams are stretching and shooting. Texas Southern coach Mike Davis sits on his bench, trying to gauge the readiness of a massively remade roster. After head coaching stops at Indiana and UAB, Davis has had enough starting times jacked around by television that you’d think he’s seen it all.

“Never played this early,” he says. “I don’t think some of my guys have been up this early.”

But everyone seems willing to give up a few hours of sleep so Eastern can enjoy another tidal wave of national TV exposure and bags of ESPN loot for turning the opener into a breakfast special.

Wait, what? No ESPN? No money?

It’s true. The Worldwide Leader didn’t make a return trip to Cheney after the boffo success of August. In fact, what was once a showcased opening weekend on the network that hoops built is now an afterthought – three lousy games on ESPNU and Pitino Family Values on the mothership.

Ah, but Bob Castle and Bill Ames from SWX are here to rescue the morning for sleepyheads and those afraid of playing hooky. Pre-empting the weather forecast and another episode of “Sled Head 24/7” seems like risky programming, however.

The morning shift begins to stagger in. Bump into those EWU superfans the Walter brothers and my heart sinks, as I presume they’re here to take food off my table by writing the “Road to the 8 a.m. Game” diary. Ironic, as I’m certain they never made an 8 a.m. class as undergrads.

Right behind them is Bill Chaves, EWU’s athletic director, whose exuberance at this hour is inhuman.

“You’re here!” he shouts over the hip-hop being pumped over the P.A. “This is validation. No way you’d be here if we started at 6.”

Of course. That’s still happy hour at some of my stops. But if it’s me you’re worried about, I’m free between noon and 2:30 most days.

Up at the student entrance, the giveaway bait – 250 pairs of EWU slippers and the bacon-maple-dough pastry scuds – are disappearing like Dad’s college annuity. Brandon Jackson pockets his new footwear and confesses that he’s skipping his 8 o’clock for hoops.

“It’s a computer lecture class nobody actually goes to,” he said. “You just sit there.”

Eliza Kinnaman, too, is truant – from Math 103 – to make tipoff with her friend, Kaitlyn Perin.

“We were really hoping to get the slippers,” she said.

“But we both hit the snooze on our alarm, so we were a little nervous. I set the alarm for 6 so I could shower, but I rolled out at 6:30. And my hair froze on the way here.”

Hmm. That wouldn’t happen at a 6 p.m. game, Bill.

As for the non-campus crowd, it seems to be an even mix of retirees and bankers – though they’re pretty much the same thing, aren’t they?

Eventually, they number 1,623 – probably in excess of what the Eagles might expect on a Friday night with parties beckoning the students and Gonzaga on the tube for the city folk and the ho-hum appeal of Texas Southern. Eastern misses 14 of its first 17 shots and still cruises 86-62.

“Rather than maybe just being another event that got lost in the mix tonight, I thought we captured the moment,” said EWU coach Jim Hayford. “Even if the moment had to be at 8 a.m.”

Gushed Chaves, “Don’t put 12:01 past us next year.”

From before my get-up time to past my bedtime. I guess that’s progress.