Editor's Note: Ryan Marks is the head coach at Division I independent Texas-Pan American and is chronicling his season for ESPN The Magazine. In his latest college hoops diary, he invites you to take a peek inside UTPA’s friendly confines.

Five road games in five states. That’s how the Broncs and I spent the heart of January. There was the feisty young Cal State Bakersfield fan chanting “Warm up the bus” behind our bench on Jan. 7 … while we were ahead.

And how can I forget the referee at Air Force two nights later who challenged me to identify one bad call despite a 22-2 free throw disparity? We always welcome our return to Rio Grande Valley, but man, I’ve never been more ecstatic about a homestand at the UTPA Fieldhouse than our upcoming six-game stretch through Feb. 18.

Built in 1969, our recently refurbished 2,500-seat facility possesses some cozy -- and quirky -- comforts. For instance, after my pregame instructions, the team must funnel into a larger public locker room, where they often encounter the opposing team, refs and a handful of naked professors who have just finished swimming in the adjoining pool.

Following that awkwardness, we continue down a narrow corridor to the court as the pep band plays what everyone assumes is our fight song. (Heck, I did for two and a half years.) Actually, though, it’s “La Adelita,” a folk/love song from the Mexican Revolution.

As for attendance, the Bronc Zoo student group isn’t consistently in full force, but you can bet the Winter Texan section will be buzzin’. These retirees and semi-retirees are largely from the Midwest; they make their yearly pilgrimages to our little slice of paradise so they can escape the cold. Still, they’ve become our most avid supporters. Well, next to university president Dr. Robert Nelsen, whose battle cry of “Go Broncs” is heard above the cheers of roughly 700 other fans.

Oh, and if you want a hot dog, we’ve got good ones -- at the concession-stand trailer outside. (Don’t worry, it rarely rains here.)

So sure, you’ll instantly know you’re not in Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse anymore. But to us, there’s no place like home.

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