Wacko for Darko: Cohadarevic gaining his own fan base
With Baylor’s lead growing and Texas Tech’s fans growing restless in the second half of Tuesday’s men’s basketball game, the United Spirit Arena camera panned the crowd in search of a “fan of the game.” It scanned past little kids wearing Tech T-shirts and cheering wildly while their parents watched. Then it settled on five particularly passionate Red Raiders.
They jumped and danced. They waived their guns up. And across their chests they pronounced their love for Darko Cohadarevic, who was playing his last game in United Spirit Arena.
Tech students Leah Christensen, Sarah Ellison, Haley Fowler, Morgan Johnson and Conner Williams decorated black T-shirts with red and white paint in honor of Tuesday’s senior night, which honored the three men’s basketball players who finish their college eligibility this season. On the front each wore one letter to spell
“DARKO.” The backs of the shirts all said the same thing: “My heart’s in Serbia.”
Texas Tech students, Haley Fowler, Morgan Johnson, Sarah Ellison, Conner Williams and Leach Christensen, wear shirts spelling Darko on the front, and My heart's in Serbia, on the back in support of Tech's basketball player, Darko Cohadarevic. Tuesday night was Cohadarevi's last game in the United Spirit Arena. (Grant Waters - for the Avalanche-Journal)
Texas Tech students, Leach Christensen, Conner Williams, Sarah Ellison, Morgan Johnsons, and Haley Fowler wear shirts spelling Darko on the front, and My heart's in Serbia, on the back in support of Tech's basketball player, Darko Cohadarevic. Tuesday night was Cohadarevi's last game in the United Spirit Arena. (Grant Waters - for the Avalanche-Journal)
“We have to believe in Darko because we don’t think many people do,” Williams said. “He’s very underrated.”
These are not Cohadarevic’s best friends. Until Tuesday, they’d never even met him. But they profess to be
his biggest fans.
“We are actually friends with Darko, just on Facebook,” Christensen said. “I know that’s not reality, but it’s close.”
The five Tech freshmen are all members of the women’s soccer team. Early this season they attended a
home basketball game, fell for the 6-foot-9 Serbian, and decided to continue cheering for him the rest of the year.
Tech basketball’s attendance has dipped as the once nationally ranked team struggles through a six-game
losing streak. At one point predicted to earn a seed as high as No. 7 in the NCAA tournament, the Red Raiders now hope for a trip to the second-tier NIT.
These five soccer players, however, never wavered. They say they’ve made nearly every Tech home game with their black foam finger and their team support. In honor of Cohadarevic’s last game, though, they decided to step it up.
When word spread about their T-shirts, they even had to turn teammates away.
“We’re the originals,” Williams said, “but once people heard of the idea they wanted to join.”
So why not expand to spelling “Cohadarevic”? That was never an option.
“But I’m glad you know how to pronounce it,” Christensen said, “because we don’t.”
Cohadarevic settled into the starting lineup this season, but his statistics still aren’t exactly stellar. He doesn’t rank in the Big 12 in any category.
But don’t tell that to the soccer team.
“He’s such a great passer and he can shoot,” Ellison said. “I saw in the warm-up he made about four threes; they just don’t give him the chance in games.”
Turns out Darko saw the soccer players, too. He noticed their homemade T-shirts and sent a manager to tell them to stick around after the game for a photo.
Now he plans to return the support at their game against West Texas A&M on March 27.
“Oh, I’m going for sure,” Cohadarevic said. “I’m going, and I’m wearing their names on my shirt.”
To comment on this story:
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com l 766-8735
terry.greenberg@lubbockonline.com l 766-8700
More from this category
- Tech basketball sweetens its recruiting class
- Myers leaned on experience as athlete, coach when he became athletics director
- Tech basketball tickets selling quickly
- Big 12 basketball schedules released
- Selling Tech basketball, part 3: Texas Tech plans to draw crowds back to United Spirit Arena
- How to measure basketball attendance
- How to measure basketball attendance
- Selling Tech basketball, part 2: Creative scheduling
Entries (RSS)
this all is a little late……
Report this comment
Darko is what its all about!!! Heres a kid coming around the world to get an opportunity to play basketball and get a college education. He has worked his behind off to be where he is. He is tough. He is a grinder. He does his best and he is finishing strong! He may not be the best talented on the court, but he is ours and I am very proud of him. Way to go Darko!! I hope the lessons you’ve learned at Texas Tech will multiply to bless you in your life. Thank’s for being a Red Raider!!
Report this comment
He’s not underrated in his own mind. Watch as he awkwardly dribbles the ball down the floor (like Gheorghe Muresan), tries to jack up fade-away 15 footers with 2 defenders in his grill (like Mark Madsen), punches the padding underneath the basket (like Shawn Bradley), and yells at Pat Knight in practice (like Bobby Knight).
Report this comment
To TTU Alum
Damn, you are boring. Too bad we can’t suit you up so we can laugh at you!
Congratulations to all the student/athletes who put in years of hard work for nothing but the ridicule of idiots like TTU Alum.
Report this comment
Hey, I know Darko. He’s a good friend of mind and he knows the game better than anyone thinks. He has a great 10 to 12
foot shot, but he’s been taught to pass the play off to the shooter’s. If his team would have made some of the shots off his passes. He would have had at least 3 or 4 triple doubles. Thanks for a good year DARKO !!!
Report this comment
Who cares, all that matters is that I am playing in the NFL and marrying the hottest chick in Austin. Hook’em…
Report this comment
This article made me laugh………….
Report this comment
can we please get a true big man???
Report this comment
Hey Colt 45, what are you doing on here, if you don’t care, get off!! This is Raider land, and for you going to the NFL, yeah it wont be long before we see you on the front cover wearing a wedding dress too!!! And as for the hottest chick in Austin, please….whatever, come out of the CLOSET already, your not fooling anyone!!
Report this comment
Hey ren, jealous? You just haven’t forgotten that we DEFEATED you last year, oooohhhh….
Report this comment
next in line for an attitude adjustment?
lets see, kindle lays a torpedo into “nick”
a baylor not so friendly bear scores a TKO over the ladi raider.
next is this clown?
Report this comment
The truth of the matter is that Texas Technological University is quickly becoming the new “aggies” of Texas. Ha-ha-ha… But seriously folks, I’m the best QB ever.
Report this comment
Very interesting storry about Texas Tech and stuff…
Anybody has any good recipes for chimichangas?
Report this comment