A free Bojangles’ tailgate pack. A gift certificate to Starbucks. Tickets to the UNC or Duke game. Free movie tickets for an entire year. With coach Kay Yow’s new Reynolds Rowdies program, students will have a chance to win such prizes.

In an effort to restore the Reynolds atmosphere of old, when Reynolds Rowdies use to reek havoc on whoever the men’s basketball team was playing in Reynolds, Yow has created this incentive based program to attract more students to games through multiple door prizes.

It is something Yow believes can obviously contribute to a more energized and more successful team, but also as something that can be rewarding for students as well, because not only can they win prizes, but they can also have a good time.

“We created this program to do something for the students,” Yow said. “I know they can help us win games in Reynolds. I believe it with all of my heart. We’re going to have some tough home games this season and 100 rowdy students are like 200 other fans.”

She also added when the team takes the court during a game, and they see fellow students cheering, it helps to reinforce the reason why the game takes place, to represent the University.

“When students are there cheering we know we are representing them,” Yow said. “When you have classmates there cheering it really hits home that you are playing for the University and it makes you want to play even harder.”

Brenda Steen, business development agent for Wolfpack Sports Marketing who was responsible for gathering sponsors for Reynolds Rowdies, said even if there is a small increase in students at home games, the result will be a drastically different home atmosphere.

“Even if we only get ten more students a game then I will be thrilled,” Steen said. “Ten extra students a game cheering can really change the game environment. They are more vivacious, they are louder and they are really into it. Students cheering are really contagious.”

At every home game this season raffle tickets will be distributed to all students attending, and at the end of the game 12 winners will be given what Steen considers to be a “less-valuable” prize. These prizes include individual movie passes, meals at several select restaurants, and Nike sports bags that retail at $25 a bag.

After those 12 smaller prizes are distributed, another raffle involving the winners of the smaller prizes will be held to determine the winner of the grand prize. Grand prizes include tickets to other sporting events, gift certificates to restaurants and a years worth of free movie tickets worth $1,200.

Chris Hathcock, a sophomore in aerospace engineering and avid fan of women’s basketball, said the prizes are all something that he wouldn’t mind winning.

“They seem to center the prizes around college students,” Hathcock said. “It’s not like they are opera tickets or something like that. They are things that college kids go for.”

Also, in addition to the 12 door prizes and one grand prize, 1,000 free Reynolds Rowdies T-shirts in all sizes will be given out to students who attend home games.

Aside from the fun that Yow believes students could have at a game if they came, she believes this year’s team, which is comprised of six freshman and six seniors, offers an unique and exciting blend of basketball.

“You can come and see players this year and follow them for many years to come,” Yow said. “With the young players that we will have, this team has a great chance to do great things in the future.”

Hathcock, who attends every home game that doesn’t fall during a school break, said students should come to the home games because of a combination of the atmosphere and location of Reynolds.

“With the women’s games you are a lot closer to the court,” Hathcock said. “You get to feel the atmosphere of Reynolds, especially when we play ACC home games when the place is fuller. You still have the band, the cheerleaders and the dance team. You’re in Reynolds with all of the history. You need to go at least once. You’ll have a good time.”

Hathcock added the reason why women’s basketball doesn’t have more popularity already, without Reynolds Rowdies, is due to the natural popularity of male sports, lack of enthusiasm for female sports overall and apathy.

“Most of your sports fans are essentially, not in a sexist way, male and they tend to only watch men’s sports,” Hathcock said. “They only see men’s basketball, football and baseball. They think that women’s athletics isn’t athletics.”

He also added despite student’s preconceived notions about women’s basketball, all students should at least give it a chance.

“The women’s team definitely deserves our support,” Hathcock said. “They work hard. The coach has been here forever. She isn’t going anywhere. They are definitely a team that deserves more support.”

Overall, the Reynolds Rowdies program will attempt to garner more students to home games by using door prizes as incentives beginning Friday night when the women’s team faces Wilmington in the first game of a double-header with the men’s team.

Steen encouraged students to give the program a great start by showing up for the women’s game and getting a raffle ticket before halftime, as the prizes would be given between the women’s and men’s games.

Yow said the door prizes will hopefully get more students in the seats, but she realizes that is only half of the battle.

“Those prizes are supposed to help us get students in the door, but then it is our job to hook them and get them to come back,” Yow said. “I think we can. We have a great location at Reynolds that is right on campus. Students can take a study break and come over for a two hour break and come see what we have.”