BOCA RATON — There were no Final Four banners, flags, T-shirts or caps for sale at the Florida Atlantic University campus bookstore on Tuesday morning.
Still, flying high on FAU’s unexpected winning streak in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, no one seemed to leave disappointed. Students and alumni were still buying FAU-branded items, keeping store staff joyfully occupied.
“Normally we wouldn’t be this busy,” store manager Cheri Pearcey said. “Anybody who comes in the store is leaving with something.”
A new shipment of Final Four gear is expected to fill the racks and be gone quickly on Wednesday. The store has seen a frenzy of students and alumni this week seeking to make purchases to celebrate FAU’s first-ever entry into the Final Four tournament, to be played on Saturday night against San Diego State.
Pearcey said Final Four caps were the most popular pre-ordered item ($36 to $40), but flags and pennants are also in demand. She said she will fill pre-orders first after their expected arrival late Tuesday. An abundance of FAU T-shirts and sweatshirts are still on the racks, with prices ranging from $15 to $70.
Angela Wiley, 35, a 2012 graduate, drove to the store from Wellington with her 2-month-old baby girl, Rowan, in tow. She and her husband, also an FAU graduate, plan to host a watch party on Saturday night. She came looking for a large flag but went home with a hat, a T-shirt and a polo shirt.
Wiley remembered when the FAU football stadium, where she was a bartender, opened in 2011 and school spirit soared. But she said she has never seen similar sports enthusiasm since, until now.
“Even if they don’t make it any further, I’m so proud and happy,” she said.
Alyssa Grassi, 21, plans to fly to Houston for the game this weekend but was unable to get a Final Four shirt during her trek to the bookstore on Tuesday. Kennedy Bean, 19, a freshman from Melbourne, settled for a new red FAU Basketball hoodie sweatshirt and wore it as she walked through the campus breezeway.
“Football has never been a sport I like, but I always liked basketball,” she said.
Larry Faerman, FAU’s vice president of student affairs, said the campus is experiencing a universal high felt across all departments, majors, ages and genders.
“It’s been three weeks of sustained energy,” said Faerman, who has worked at FAU for 24 years. “You don’t reach a pocket on campus that isn’t talking about it.”
The main bookstore will have extended hours this week to accommodate expected crowds: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday to Friday (closing time is normally 6 p.m.) and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday (normally closed on weekends).
And if FAU wins on Saturday night? “We might be here Sunday too,” Pearcey said.
The FAU main campus bookstore is at 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton. Phone: 561-297-3720. There’s also a store on the Davie campus, 3200 College Ave., SD #102. Phone: 954-236-1950. Check out merchandise online at bkstr.com/faustore.
