Court Club's Popularity Growing
Oct 30 | Men's Basketball
By Tom Luicci
ScarletKnights.com
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Brian Kelley has gotten used to the quizzical looks by now whenever he mentions "the streak."
There are dedicated Rutgers basketball fans and then there's Kelley and his streak, and when people hear that he has attended 373 consecutive Scarlet Knights games - every one home and road for the past 12 hoops seasons - the reaction often varies between disbelief and confusion.
That's because they don't understand, says Kelley.
"It's a labor of love," he said.
So much so that when Kelley - a 1994 graduate of the Rutgers School of Pharmacy - was asked to take over in 2011 as president of the Court Club, the fan organization that supports Rutgers basketball, he did so without hesitation.
"I did it because I felt like the Court Club was missing an opportunity to help the fans of the program become more attached to what they were seeing on the floor and, frankly, the program needed some help financially and perception-wise," he said.
Under Kelley's leadership, the Court Club has gone from 144 members when he took over to a record 377 last year. Kelley expects to exceed that number this season.
Founded in 1958 by George Mackaronis, the Court Club turns over all of the money it raises to the basketball program.
"The goal of the Court Club is to support the men's basketball program in any way possible by developing fan relationships and allowing those people who join our organization to feel closer to the team," Kelley said. "We call it being `the team behind the team.'
"In addition there are membership dues and the other programs we run, such as the 50-50 raffles, an auction and merchandize sales. All of that money goes directly back to the basketball program to cover things like travel expenses. We endow a scholarship for one of the players every season.
"They take the money we give them and use it for things that aren't necessarily in their budget but they feel they need. It helps us feel like we're giving back to the program."
Those efforts are appreciated by head coach Eddie Jordan.
"The Court Club has been a tremendous help to our program," Jordan said. "Brian Kelley is a `Loyal Son of Rutgers' and does an excellent job of steadfastly supporting the program. They have a genuine passion for the team and serve as great ambassadors for Rutgers basketball."
Kelley is now the driving force behind it, and it all started in part because of the hand of fate 25 years ago.
"My first-ever basketball game was the Atlantic 10 final in 1989. The first game I ever attended," he said. "I won a dorm lottery for a pair of tickets in section 114.
"I was not big fan before that. Football, yes. It was one of those magical nights that changed my life forever."
Kelley, a retail pharmacist, has redesigned the Court Club's web site (rutgerscourtclub.com) to make joining the organization as simple as a mouse click.
The group meets once a month during the season, with the inaugural meeting this year set for Nov. 10 at the Visitor's Center at 7 p.m. Jordan will be there as well as first-year assistants Mike O'Koren and Greg Vetrone for what Kelley says will be a season preview.
Those joining the Court Club before Nov. 12, he said, will receive a pair of tickets to the Rutgers-Indiana football game on Nov. 15 as well as a pair of basketball tickets to the Rutgers-St. Francis (Pa.) game on Dec. 20.
Kelley, meanwhile, intends to keep his streak going as long as he can.
"My employer does understand my passion for what I do," he said. "I have enough tenure and the type of job I have allows me to make my schedule a little more flexible. Then add in the vacation time. It becomes tricky, but it's definitely something my wife (Janet) and I can continue to do."
