Fred Stolaruk is not one of those people.
Stolaruk was a regular at Finch Fieldhouse during his four years at CMU from 1967-71 and during that time was fortunate enough to watch three future CMU Hall of Famers in Willie Iverson, Paul Botts and future Detroit Piston Ben Kelso.
"I got to see some really good basketball in Finch," he said. "We didn't have anything like the 'Rowdies' going on at that time, but a lot of kids attended and we all had a lot of fun."
Stolaruk was pleasantly surprised in the fall of 2010 when he got a chance to revisit Finch Fieldhouse while watching another of his favorite CMU programs, women's volleyball.
He said that while he used to play intramural volleyball in college, he prefers the women's game to the men's.
"There's a lot more passing and a lot more finesse, I find it a very interesting game," he said.
Stolaruk came to CMU in 1967 from Detroit and had to deal with a bit of culture shock during his first taste of university life in mid-Michigan.
He said that he came to find that a few of his friends from back home were also attending, but it did little to alleviate his anxiety.
"It was such a small school and Mount Pleasant was different to us," Stolaruk said, "it was kind of 'hick-ish.'"
The great CMU basketball teams of that era coupled with the indefatigable kindness of the community and other students, a kindness that Stolaruk said persists to this day, helped him to come around.
He said that by the end of their time at CMU, that same group of friends that was so anxious in year one didn't want to leave.
Stolaruk said that to this day, the group remains closely connected to their alma mater.
"It was absolutely the best four years of my life that I spent here," he said.
One particular way that Stolaruk remains close to CMU is through his membership in the Chippewa Athletic Fund.
He has been a Chippewa Club member since 2009 and is a contributor to the CMU Events Center.
Stolaruk also participates in the Chippewa Challenge Golf Outing, an event that allows 100 percent of support to be directed to help student-athletes, despite the fact that he no longer golfs.
Despite some recent struggles, Stolaruk said he is optimistic about the future of Chippewa basketball and its growth thanks to a nucleus of young talent.
He said he sees glimpses of Kjolhede's "wheel offense" in the modern game and how CMU employs what Stolaruk calls "on-the-fly-screens."
Stolaruk should know as he's part of a rare group of CMU fans to have seen Kjolhede's primer on offense titled "The Theory of Basketball."
He said that the pieces are in place for CMU basketball to enter an exciting time in its history. When asked if whether or not the Chippewas have what it takes to punch a ticket to the big dance, Stolaruk didn't hesitate.
"I think it's very possible and I think it's a very realistic goal for us to have."
On behalf of the over 400 CMU student-athletes, we would like to thank Fred Stolaruk for his outstanding commitment to Chippewa Athletics through his contributions to the Chippewa Athletic Fund.
