Using basketball pre-game chants is a great way to get the crowd a little rowdy and in the mood to cheer on their favorite team. Although, you don't want to get too rowdy, a little pre-game fun is an especially good idea before "big" games.
About Basketball Pre-Game Chants
In planning for your big game, there are a few ways to think about organizing chants. You can organize them around the player, around key components of the game (such as a three point shot or a rebound) or you can organize the chants around the fans themselves.
Ideas for Pre-Game Chants for Players
A great way to announce your starters is to chant for your players. It gets the players hyped, and it excites the crowd and puts them in the mood to cheer. Furthermore, if someone in the crowd doesn't know the players, they will after the pre-game chants for the starting line up. You could come up with nick names, or chant things that the crowd can chant. For example:
- Three points, three points, three points! This good for someone who is especially adept behind the three point ring.
- He shoots! He Scooooooooores! Chant this for your leading scorer.
- It's a bird! It's a plane! It's super (name of player)!
- Watch your back! Rebound man don't take no flack! Chant this for a player who is known for rebounding.
- Slam D-U-N-K! He'll scare the other team away!
Ideas for Pre-Game Chants for Game Components
After the players have been announced, there's generally a time during the game where the players round up with their coach. This is also an opportune time to get the crowd involved in pre-game chants. However, before you organize anything, be sure to check with the basketball coach to be sure you won't annoy him/her with pre-game chanting. But assuming that they love a rowdy crowd as much as the players do, you can organize some pre-game chants around events in a typical basketball game.
- Just watch me, shoot for three!
- V-I-C-T-O-R-Y, that's our only alibi! We'll win (clap, clap, stomp) we'll win!
- S-C-O-R-E, that's the only option for me!
- Victorious! (stomp, stomp) Watch our dust!
Pre-Game Ideas Organized Around the Fans
If it seems too much to shout about the players or about the game, (which may be particularly true if your team is known for losing rather than winning), why not organize some pre-game chanting between classes or sections of the bleachers? You can always organize cheers around colors, or have a competition to see who is the loudest. To get the crowd particularly excited, throw candy or award prizes throughout the game for the best participation. It's amazing how psyched people get over a little candy in the bleachers. Here are a few more ideas:
- Have a "show your spirit" competition in which you challenge fans to come decked out in a way that best demonstrates their school spirit.
- Divide sections of the bleachers, and have a "who is loudest competition".
- If your school is smaller, you can actually challenge classes to come up with cheers for a big game. This is best done if the game happens around a big winter dance or a similar event.
Tools of the Trade
Pre-game chants are not necessarily easy to lead. There's a lot of activity going on, and people are still moving around and getting settled. To get the crowd's attention, try these tricks of the trade:
Let's Get a Little Rowdy Now!
Most cheerleaders take their jobs very seriously. Organizing basketball pre-game chants, as well as organizing the cheers you'll perform during the game is an important part of the overall experience. Win or lose, your job as a cheerleader is to get the crowd excited, and pre-game activities can go a long way towards achieving that goal.
