Augusta University hosts fourth annual Stuff the Stadium night
By J.Ben Haynes | Sports writer
The Augusta University men’s basketball team celebrated its fourth annual Stuff the Stadium Night in style with a dominant 102-71 victory over Flagler College on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
The event, a beloved campus tradition, drew over 1,000 fans—including students, alumni, and community members—who arrived with stuffed animals in hand. After the Jaguars’ first made basket, the crowd erupted, hurling their stuffed animals onto Clint Bryant Court. The donated toys are given to local charities, elementary schools, and the Children’s Hospital of Georgia.
“I saw a hockey team do it,” said Jaguars head coach Dip Metress. “The very first year, I was worried if anybody would show up, but the students have been great. It’s been awesome for us.”
Fans didn’t have to wait long for the celebration to begin. Augusta guard Demitri Gardner nailed a baseline jumper just 16 seconds into the game, triggering a raining of 2,056 stuffed animals onto the hardwood.
Students raining the court with stuffed animals (Photo by Lydia Williams/The Bell Ringer).
“Honestly, I told my teammates I wanted one of them to take the first shot,” Gardner said. “But coach drew up a play for me, so I knew I had to hit it.”
The scene was electric, with the packed stands roaring as the court was showered with stuffed animals. Gardner said the energy was palpable and fueled the team’s performance.
“We were talking about it at halftime,” Gardner said. “When the stands are packed and loud, we feed off that energy, and it helps us play better.”
The Jaguars carried that energy throughout the game, securing a convincing win over the Saints.
“You want to win all the home games you can,” Metress said. “It was nice to get a win, especially with this crowd.”
Augusta University’s men’s basketball team returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 18, hosting Georgia Southwestern for Student Appreciation Night. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Contact J. Ben Haynes at jamhaynes@augusta.edu
Augustus embracing the stuffed animals (Photo by Lydia Williams/The Bell Ringer). Photo at the top of the screen is Augustus embracing the stuffed animal toss (Photo by Jaxon Garner/The Bell Ringer).
