In year three, Jadwin Jungle keeps on growing

At the start of the men's basketball season two years ago, juniors Freddy Flaxman, Jonah Perlin and John Boscia — then freshmen — were surprised to find only about 20 students in attendance at a game in Jadwin Gym. Instead of getting discouraged and skipping out on games themselves, however, these three decided to devote themselves to inspiring school spirit in more students. And just like that, the Jadwin Jungle was born.

Since that time it has not been uncommon for upwards of 100 students, all clad in identical orange or black t-shirts, to chant and yell maniacally every time Princeton makes a basket.

"I think what we've done is that we have created a basketball culture here at Princeton," Perlin said. "There is now a real social aspect to it, and we have tried to make basketball games the thing to go to on Friday nights."

In that quest, the Jadwin Jungle has certainly succeeded. It now boasts more than 400 members, a number that is expected to swell with the addition of this year's freshmen.

As in the past two men's basketball seasons, the Jungle continues to provide numerous perks for its members. For a $10 fee, members get a t-shirt and special seating at every home game in addition to food before the game. This season, the Jungle has added some new features to try to increase attendance at the games.

"Last season, the team went through some rough stretches, and attendance kind of fell off a bit," Flaxman said. "This season, we really want to try to get students to come out for the entire season."

To that end, the Jungle plans on expanding its rewards program. Every game that a student goes to will be marked down on their card, and the more marks on the card, the better the student's chance of winning prizes raffled off at the end of the season. Additionally, the Jungle wants to increase the amount of free swag that is available during games.

Still, despite its success in bringing students to the games, the Jungle has not been without its share of criticism. Since all athletic events are free for Princeton students, some students have complained that the Jadwin Jungle essentially makes people pay to attend basketball games. The founders, however, disagree.

"Our basic goal is not to make money, and we barely cover our operating costs, if at all," Perlin said. "Before the Jungle, you used to have a handful of fans dispersed across the gym. Now you have 100 fans all together in one section. All we are trying to do is to get more students out to the games and to make the experience more enjoyable for all."

Flaxman added that students who are not in the Jungle can still attend the games for free with their Princeton IDs.

Good times ahead

The Jungle founders are coming into the season full of optimism for both the organization and the team.

"I think it's going to be a good season," Flaxman said. "I think last year was kind of an adjustment period under a new coach, and this season the team will work better together as a whole."

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The Jungle founders also feel that they can have an impact on the team's success by providing a fired-up home court on which to play. The Jungle is trying to increase its publicity in order to draw in freshmen and encourage the upperclassmen to come out in force.

"Princeton's going to be a tough place to play this year," Boscia said. "Between Coach Scott's defense and the hostile environment that we hope to provide, there is not going to be much scoring by the other teams in Jadwin this season."

By helping create the basketball culture at Princeton, Flaxman, Perlin and Boscia have certainly done their part to make Jadwin a place opposing teams fear to tread.