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Alumni Magic Is Real

The magicians on the women's basketball team swept the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship in Alumni Gymnasium

By Bates College

March 8^th, 2024

Alumni Magic

Never have so few seats been responsible for so much noise.

A small placard at one end of historic Alumni Gym announces the building’s capacity as 839. That’s not exactly the Carrier Dome capacity (34,616), but ask any Bates opponent and they’ll say that it’s quite enough, thank you very much.

Hosting an NCAA Division III tournament playoff game in Alumni Gymnasium for the first time since 2005 — and hosting two games for the first time ever — the Bobcats swept by Brooklyn College and Widener University on March 1 and 2.

They now advance into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005. They play Wartburg College on the campus of Rhode Island College at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 8.

Players call the home-court advantage “Alumni Magic.” And the Bates faithful loved every one of the 80 minutes of the magical, winning basketball that the Bates women played over the two days.

Feel the pride and excitement and magic through this immersive Picture Story, which includes quotes from Bates head coach Alison Montgomery and her players.

Super Special

“We love Alumni Magic so much. Just to be able to play for our community and just see how many people show up for us is a super-special feeling. We definitely don’t take it for granted.” — Co-captain Morgan Kennedy ’24 of Oklahoma City

Fighting Spirit

“We talked in the locker room about how everyone we face in the tournament right now is fighting for their life.” — Head coach Alison Montgomery

Getting Riled Up

“It’s Alumni Gym. Everyone’s showing up. The energy gets going and my teammates are all hyping each other up. The energy is just unmatched and gets me really riled up.” — Sarah Hughes ’27 of Rumson, N.J.

Something about Alumni

“There is just something about being in Alumni, in a smaller gym that is so much more intimate.” — Elsa Daulerio ’26 of Harpswell, Maine

Meaning Making

“You’re doing what you love with people you love, being committed and doing it together. You’ve brought so much joy to our community. All those people: having fun, having pride in our school, in our community. That’s really what it means.” — Alison Montgomery

Real magic

“I guess if you’re on the opposing team when you walk into this gym you don’t think that much of it. But once the crowd shows up, it’s just the most special. Alumni magic is real.” — Elsa Daulerio ’26 of Harpswell, Maine

To the Max

“This team is special. Our seniors are special, and so we want to max it out. We want a couple more weeks.” — Alison Montgomery

More than possible

“We just achieved something that we’ve had our sights on, and believed was more than possible. I think we are taking a moment to just be really excited for what we’ve achieved.” — Alison Montgomery

Poise, Belief, and Trust

“I just think our leadership is really good in maintaining poise, belief, and trust, even in the flow of a game when we have some adversity.” — Alison Montgomery

Gonna Have a Good Time

“Morgan [Kennedy] and I were just debating whether this was the best day of our life or close to the best day of our life. I don’t know. Feels pretty darn good. And sure, it eases the pain of turning 41.” — Alison Montgomery, whose birthday was March 2, the day of the Widener victory

Footnotes

Produced by the Bates Communications Office with photography by Theophil Syslo, Phyllis Graber Jensen, and Matthew Hamilton '25 and text by Jay Burns.

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FootNotes

Produced by the Bates Communications Office with photography by Theophil Syslo, Phyllis Graber Jensen, and Matthew Hamilton '25 and text by Jay Burns.