Dedicated Fan Seeks Recognition for Men's Basketball Season

by Michael Leinz

Des Moines, Iowa (Jan. 31, 1997)-- No matter how bad the season, the Drake men's basketball team always seems to win the support of a few really dedicated fans. This year, as in the past, Mike Carr (BN4) is one of those fans.

On Sunday, March 2, Carr called the local sports television program, "Sports Sound Off" on WHO-TV, to comment on the positive outlooks of the season. Carr's telephone call was aired live, and sports anchorman Keith Murphy agreed with what Carr had to say.

Carr wanted to give credit to Drake, and especially to senior point guard Lynrick Rogers. "Lynrick Rogers is a top class athlete who probably hasn't got the credit he deserves this year," Carr said on the show. "He's a great representative of Drake both on and off the court. I just want to thank Lyn and Sean for the great season."

Another reason that Carr decided to call the sports show was that Marc Hansen, sports writer for The Des Moines Register, was a special guest. Carr said that he was interested in hearing what Hansen felt about Drake's season.

Carr has had a lifelong interest in Drake, especially the basketball team. His father and uncle are Drake graduates, and his younger brother, Jeff, is a freshman business major at Drake. Carr has gone to almost every Drake home game since the 1976-1977 season. He has also attended many away games, including the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Luis for the past three years.

"All through high school, Mike's nickname was 'Drake.' We grew up idolizing the basketball team. Our parents always had season tickets," Carr's brother Jeff commented.

The Carrs' strong family interest in Drake basketball is possibly accounted for by the fact that when Mike's father Joe was a student at Drake, the team ranked third in the nation.

Even though Mike Carr's love for the team has not faltered, this season's final record was unfortunate. "Drake's a better team than what the record shows," said Carr. The team only won two games. However, as Carr mentioned during his phone call, the season had a few strong points. Lynrick Rogers completed his four-season career with 1,546 points. Carr said freshmen Andy Nath and Armand Le Vasseur demonstrated that they will be strong assets for Drake in the future.

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