When I saw those white shakers placed on those chairs before Penn State’s game against Minnesota last week and serving as a perfect complement to the ever-so-beautiful Lamar Stevens t-shirt, I knew.

I knew that the shakers needed to be at the basketball games. Using them reeks havoc on the opposing team while they’re trying to focus on their game plan. They also provide the Bryce Jordan Center with that extra sparkle it needs and remind me of gamedays right next door at Beaver Stadium.

The shakers bring back memories of football games and tailgates, Let’s face it, the “We Are” and “Let’s Go PSU” chants simply don’t have the same vibe without them. Using your hands to chant along just doesn’t have the same effect as it would if you were to use the shakers. The shakers are the one thing missing at the basketball games that would take the crowd to the next level.

In addition to having the shakers in the student section on the sideline, they need to be behind the baskets so they can distract other teams when they are shooting free throws. Their brief appearance at the Palestra when the Nittany Lions climbed past Iowa played a key role in making the Hawkeyes miss from the free throw line in crucial moments at the end of the game.

The shakers became most popular for their use at the White Out games for football, which started back in 2004. At games, students are also given special colored shakers if they happen to be in the S-zone, which could be another great addition to the BJC student section along with the shakers.

The BJC has also started to play some more of the remixes from the football games so having the shakers can also create a similar experience and atmosphere to Beaver Stadium. There’s something about the Lion King Trap Remix and shakers that makes the pair go hand-in-hand.

The goal of the shakers is not to make the basketball games “football games part two,” but recreate that same obnoxiously loud, distracting environment that opponents hate to come into.

I know the shakers haven’t been at many basketball games in the past. Maybe it’s because the team hasn’t been in the top ten for more than two decades, but the time is now.

With only three more home games left, I’m begging you to give out the shakers and make that a part of gameday in the Bryce Jordan Center.