Dame hoops team returns to cheering fans

The Notre Dame basketball team was greeted by the ch ill o f the arctic and the warm th o f jub ilan t fans as they stepped o ff the bus at the Notre Dame main c irc le at 2:50 this m or­ ning. Follow ing yesterday afternoon’s away game against UCLA, a student manager made contact w ith Student Body President Rob Bertino w ho qu ick ly coordinated the welcom ing o f the team. Bertino phoned all the hall presi­ dents w ho had signs placed in all the dorms, he said. He had also con­ tacted some off-campus students. “ We want people to be there,” he said. Notre Dame had not beaten UCLA in basketball in the ir last seven at­ tempts. A pproxim ate ly 1,000 students and a make shift band filled Notre Dame Ave. from the c irc le to the end o f the M orris Inn parking lot. P rior to the bus’ arrival, trees were strewn w ith to ile t paper, and firew orks were l i t as the c row d cheered. The bus was sighted at 2:35 a.m. and students rushed down Notre Dame Ave. to greet it. The bus took 15 m inutes to cover the length o f Green Field. W hile the bus inched along more than 25 people clim bed on top. Head Basketball Coach Digger Phelps smiled and waved from the fron t seat. At one po in t the bus door was opened just enough to a llow Phelps to take a beer from the crow d w h ich he opened and consumed. The team was engulfed by a mob o f enthusiastic fans as they le ft the bus. Led by Phelps the team stood in fron t o f the guardhouse o f the main c irc le and held an im prom ptu pep rally. Phelps opened by te lling the crow d they were “ the greatest stu­ dent body ever.” He reported te lling