By Branson Hardcastle | Broadcast Reporter
Chris Fuentes and Ashley Hodge are friends who consider themselves Baylor basketball fanatics. This designation may be correct as one can find them at almost every home game of the season.
Fuentes said he began attending games in 1992 and grew to love what Baylor is.
“I started coming to games and when I realized what Baylor was about it was easy to get hooked,” Fuentes said. “Scott Drew was a big part of that too, because it’s all about family, family, family. When Coach Drew got here, it was a big family environment.”
Fuentes said he has not missed a home game since 1999 and he has brought energy and passion with him as well. One can find him jumping up and down, yelling at the referees or getting the crowd pumped at all points in the game.
He has earned a nickname with some fans as “the guy with the shooting sleeves.” Fuentes typically is wearing a jersey, shooting sleeves, backwards hat and a white towel that he waves above his head.
Hodge, a Baylor alumnus, has been a season ticket holder since 2004 and has his own way to bring energy to the Ferrell Center. Namely, through handmade signs he brings to every game.
“I have been doing [the signs] for about three years now. I was just looking for something to bring energy to the arena, so I thought that making these signs would be a great way to do it,” Hodge said. “The refs can see them because I’m close enough to the action. I’m able to communicate with them this way.”
Hodge and Fuentes sit just a few rows behind the opposing teams’ bench and use that platform to energize the fans and student section.
