All season there has been discussion as to whether Hilton Magic is dead or alive. Well now the regular season has ended, and Iowa State’s men’s and women’s team are in Dallas, so it’s time to put the issue to rest.

Sometimes it was questionable if the secret powers of Hilton Coliseum are still in existence, especially early in the Big 12 season. But look at the men’s home record, 13-4. I’d have to say that’s a pretty good mark, considering two of those losses were to Kansas and Oklahoma.

I know the men played a pre-conference schedule that was about as difficult as taking their starting five and competing against third-graders, but it’s tough to find teams that are willing to come into Hilton because of the legendary effect the building has on Iowa State’s opponents.

If you add in the women’s team, who finished 9-5 in the home whites, including a victory over then-No. 3 Kansas State, that gives Iowa State basketball a 22-9 record at home this season. Pretty respectable.

It was recently reported that Iowa State was No. 2 in the Big 12 in home attendance this season, trailing only Kansas for most butts in the seats per game. Some may say that the numbers reported were fluffed, because of all the empty seats we still saw.

I agree with this theory because the athletic department most likely counts all the tickets sold, regardless of what was actually turned in at the gates. This factors in season-ticket holders who didn’t go to a game or two for whatever reason.

Regardless, we were still No. 2 in the conference.

Getting back to the actual Hilton Magic, though — if you attended one of the final three home games for the men, then you have no choice but to believe Hilton Magic is alive. When the team goes on the road and loses 17 consecutive conference games, and then beats Colorado and Missouri at home by a combined 52 points, you might have to say the home court advantage definitely paid off.

With all of the criticism aimed at the athletic department about ticket prices and student seating, I really never expected much action to be taken. Then I heard the athletic department is lowering ticket prices. We’ll have to wait and see how effective that will be.

As far as student seating goes, we officially have a name for the new “student cheer section” — Cyclone Alley. Although I thought some of the other names were better, including the Wind Tunnel, which didn’t even make the final vote, it’s a step in the right direction. But it’s not the answer.

Why have just one area of student seating be the Alley, and not the whole student section? Apparently there will be special T-shirts for the Cyclone Alley, so everyone will look the same. I like this idea, but it doesn’t have to be the one section.

If everyone would just throw on a red shirt for the game, that would be enough. If you’ve ever watched an Oklahoma State home game on television, you’ve seen the massive sections of orange in the crowd. It definitely gives the fans a sense of unity.

The same goes for Nebraska football games. It’s no wonder they call the Huskers the Big Red.

If everyone would dump 15 bucks on a red Iowa State T-shirt, or if they make this Cyclone Alley shirt available to all students, it would definitely bring more of a closeness to the crowd. This would be a big improvement on the gray ISU shirts that people wear.

Moving on, I have to address the non-students, or as we students have come to know them as, the old people. Whether they are casual fans, donors or alumni, they are the people who get the prime seats along the court, and they sure get the best use of them. The only time they stand is during timeouts when the fight song is played or after a big basket during a run by the Cyclones.

I have the cure for this, and it’s a rather easy one. The band has it timed so they know how long it takes to play the fight song. Well instead of playing it while both teams are still heading toward the bench, play it as they come out of the break. This has everyone on their feet when the action resumes. If that doesn’t work, we should rig all the seats with headphones, like an airplane, and just run a recording of the fight song on a loop so they never know when to sit down.

I know that some aspects of Hilton Magic also depend on the team itself. Despite all the things the team has gone through this year, they’ve managed to do some special things, and with the group that’s coming back next season, and hopefully a few good recruits that work out better than a few of the guys they had for a short time this year, Iowa State can return to the glory days they experienced just a few years ago.

And the magic will continue to flourish.

Rick Kerr is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Des Moines.