It's one of college basketball's funniest and most effective weapons, nestled behind the opponents' hoop at home games in Tempe, Arizona: the "Curtain of Distraction."
Back in 2012, the "942 Crew" -- Arizona State's student fans -- came to be in an effort to revitalize student cheer. A year later, in 2013, one of the 942 crew's most innovative ideas came to be -- a portable "curtain" that opens up to opponents and reveals a number of distractions for opposing free-throw shooters -- and showcases some of Arizona State's funniest and more outrageous student fans.
That Curtain of Distraction is the evolution of an idea that came from a sweaty student put into a box once upon a time. He was placed by the basket at halftime with the intent to jump out at an opponent's first free-throw attempt ... too bad that attempt was more than 12 minutes into the game (or a whopping 40 minutes of real time).
The 942 Crew was named after the number of student seats in the lower bowl of Wells Fargo Arena, tweaked slightly to honor Pat Tillman -- who wore the number 42 during his playing time as an Arizona State linebacker for the football team.
Archie Bradley is having some fun at the Arizona State game by showing off his wrestling moves and being a part of the Curtain of Distraction.
Fast Facts
The Arizona State student section since the early 1990s is on the east side of the arena next to the opponent's bench, and behind the opponent's basket in the second half. The students sit in Sections K, L, M, N, P in the lower bowl and sections K1, L1, L2, M1, N1, N2, and P1 of the upper bowl of Wells Fargo Arena.
Students who pay a Student Athletic Fee can claim free tickets on ASU's mobile app -- but claiming a ticket doesn't guarantee admission.
Students get wristbands on a first-come, first-serve basis one hour prior to tip-off.
For the season's biggest games, students camp out in "Camp Fargo," outside the arena, for front-row seats.
The Sun Devils often cry out "Forks Up!" from the Inferno. Makes sense, right?
Since 2012, Arizona State's student attendance has increased by 230 percent at men's basketball games, according to Arizona State.
ASU's Curtain of Distraction opens to reveal a large man with an even larger wrecking ball.
The Curtain of Distraction
The Curtain of Distraction came to be in 2013, and has been one of college basketball's greatest gifts since.
A list of individuals who have had some fun behind the Curtain: Olympian Michael Phelps, actor and comedian Charlie Day, Bellator fighter Ryan Bader, IndyCar champions Tony Kanaan and Simon Pagenaud, and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley.
A list of other things behind the Curtain: Elvis Presley impersonators, the Village People impersonators, Miley Cyrus impersonators, people wearing unicorn heads, people wearing dog masks, people rubbing mayonnaise on their chests, people dressed as Disney character Jack Skellington.
Michael Phelps and Sun Devils wide receiver N'Keal Harry -- a future NFL player -- are the only people the 942 crew have asked to be in the Curtain. Everyone else has reached out to Arizona State for the honor. Other celebrities on that list: comedian Brody Stevens, social media influencer Brandon Armstrong, basketball star Grant Hill (who kept it a surprise, to show support for his college teammate and ASU coach Bobby Hurley), rapper YG, Phoenix Rising FC players Joey Calistri and Joey Farrell, and Arizona Coyotes players Paul Bissonnette and Jason Demers.
After his stint behind the Curtain, Charlie Day returned as a "student section leader" -- but as his famous Green Man character from his television show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
So... does it work?
So, yes, the disclaimer: There are plenty of factors that go into missing free throws in the second half of a game, such as pressure or fatigue. Opponents shoot toward the curtain in the second half -- so just how effective is it? There have been several analytical studies from past seasons that point to a one- to three-point advantage due at least in part to the Curtain. ESPN Stats & Info ran the numbers for the season so far, entering Feb. 11, and found that when opponents shoot toward the curtain in the second half, they make 70 percent of their free throws. On average, opponents this season make 9.9 free throws on 14.1 free-throw attempts when shooting toward the curtain. So if opponents shot the same percentage in the second half as they did in the first half, they would score around one more point per game. It's nothing crazy, sure, but it's an advantage -- we'll take it.