After reading Travis Sullivan’s letter to the editor, “Apathetic students kill Hilton Magic,” (Dec. 10) regarding the alleged death of Hilton Magic, I couldn’t help but laugh. Hilton Magic no longer exists?

I’ll go ahead and make the call to SI, ESPN and all the other respected news organizations that have put Hilton Coliseum in their top five toughest places to play NCAA basketball and inform them that we are no longer passionate basketball fans. And I’ll go on to explain that one of the primary reasons is because the students don’t stand during games against directional schools in early December.

With all due respect to smaller Division I schools (remember Hampton), games against the Jackson States and the Binghamptons of the world are not what made Hilton Magic. I will admit that the crowd has been a little lethargic during the early games, but the hibernating giant of a sixth man known as Hilton Magic will be back for the Big 12 Conference season, if not sooner.

Any way you want to spin it, conference games are much more intense match-ups than non-conference games and that is reflected in the atmosphere at the game. I am as big of an Iowa State Cyclone basketball fan as any and I am confident that the crowd will be there when the team needs it most. Fortunately we haven’t needed to use Hilton Magic yet.

Ryan Hawkins

Junior

Construction Engineering