“The Stable” Amplifies Student Section at Leavey Center

Jameson Baldwin ’28, wearing an inflatable horse, and Derek Bell ’28, in a red wig, celebrate during Santa Clara University men’s basketball game against Gonzaga on Feb. 14, 2026 at the Leavey Center. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

If you’ve attended a Bronco men’s basketball home game this season, you’ve likely seen “The Stable,” a one-page cheat sheet that has transformed the student section into a tactical home-court advantage.

Founded by Santa Clara University students Jameson Baldwin ’28 and Derek Bell ’28, the sheet provides fans with a scouting report of the opposing team, and mainly the “Bum of the Game.” 

The rules are simple. Whenever the “Bum” touches the ball—dribbling, shooting or standing at the free-throw line—the student section erupts in boos. 

“It’s something that genuinely brings us joy,” said Baldwin. “The team is good this year, and the fans are amazing. It’s just the cherry on top, because we’d be there no matter what.”

Back in West Virginia, where Bell grew up, they used a similar strategy. When attending his first Santa Clara basketball game, he noticed “one girl passing out a cheat sheet. It had their picture, their name, and one or two sentences on them. One of the lines would be like, his cousin is a terrible SoundCloud rapper and whatnot. I have an idea here, so I made the first one. We just called it the Ruff Rider sheets,” said Bell. 

They quickly noticed the impact “The Stable” had on the community. During the Broncos’ matchup against Saint Mary’s, they began printing more sheets and spreading the word around campus. 

“The Stable” for Santa Clara men’s basketball’s last regular season game against Oregon State on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

“A lot of people end up going to the game because of the sheets, and a reason to actually boo somebody is very fun,” said Bell. 

Though “The Stable” focuses on men’s basketball, Bell emphasized that the women’s team deserves more attention as well. He hopes “more people would go to women’s basketball games.”

Baldwin and Bell described their research process ahead of each game. Bell does a deep dive into the opposing team’s analytics, rankings and breakout players to watch. Baldwin focuses primarily on selecting the “Bum of the Game” and researching the supporting cast. 

“I start with looking at a player’s stats. Then I look at their Instagram, and it’s better to look at their tagged photos to see what other people are posting about them. You can go super deep into it. We’ve gone down Twitters that they haven’t used since 2016. We’ve looked at parents’ Instagrams. We’ve DMed parents before, and anything that’s out there we try to find about them,” said Baldwin. 

Their favorite edition came during the matchup against USF. One of the Dons’ players, Mookie Cook, appeared in the movie “Shooting Stars” about LeBron James’ high school team. Cook portrayed James. 

“He got four paragraphs instead of one,” Baldwin added. “It was pretty funny.” 

“He’s a failed movie star,” Bell joked. 

Their passion isn’t just limited to the stands, but it also extends to how they believe the Broncos should approach their upcoming games. 

“Save timeouts. They need to play their game. We play fast, high tempo. We don’t slow down or let other teams dictate the pace. Coach Sendek has been so good this year,” said Baldwin.

“Take care of the ball. Do not turn it over. You have to take care of the ball. Do not let your opponent get those easy ones. Make the free throws. It’s a free shot. No excuse not to make them. If you make all your free throws, odds are you win,” said Bell. 

Bell also credited Sendek for the team’s growth. 

After Santa Clara’s loss to Gonzaga at home and recently against Saint Mary’s, people wanted Sendek fired and thought he was terrible. “That’s just heat of the moment. They play so much better this year. They play with more confidence. It feels like they know what they’re doing.” 

He pointed to the development of Allen Graves ’29 and Christian Hammond ’28. 

They barely touched the court last year. “Yet, both of them have broken out completely into studs. Hammond was averaging 19 a game. Graves was almost averaging a double-double. All the stuff I see on social media is Allen Graves, this dude is legit, and Herb Sendek should be Coach of the Year,” Bell continued. 

As Santa Clara pushes through one of the best seasons in decades, “The Stable” has grown right alongside the team. What began as a simple cheat sheet has become a staple of men’s basketball games, a sign that students genuinely believe this year could be different. 

Regardless of how the season ends, Baldwin and Bell don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.