Utah Superfan Corey Made Himself Heard At The College Basketball Crown

SALT LAKE CITY- The Utah Runnin’ Utes came up just short in a tight game with the Butler Bulldogs in the College Basketball Crown, but one Utah Basketball super fan managed to steal the show in Las Vegas.

Corey Chidester, a Las Vegas native, made himself heard as the Utah Runnin’ Utes’ sixth man. During the game, he was chatting up Butler players, but more noticeable, Corey could be heard over the FS1 broadcast, belting out screams during the Bulldogs’ trips to the free-throw line, making life difficult for the opposing shooters.

The face behind the scream…@UtahMBB https://t.co/0qemgMvZu9 pic.twitter.com/SlXnq5JGVU

— College Basketball Crown (@CBBCrown) March 31, 2025

Since the beginning of the contest between the Butler Bulldogs and Utah Runnin’ Utes, a voice has been heard from MGM Grand Garden Arena and through TV and computer speakers throughout the country.

Each time that the Bulldogs stepped to the charity stripe, an ear-piercing screech echoed off the walls of the arena in an attempt to distract the Butler players as they shot free throws.

This Utah fan knows what he's doing 😂 @UtahMBB pic.twitter.com/iJH8aUGxqb

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 31, 2025

As the contest progressed, the camera crew started cutting to the fan decked out in Utah gear sitting courtside each time Butler stepped up to the line. He could be seen with his hands cuffed around his mouth, directing his howls toward the court, and then jumping up and down in celebration if the Bulldogs missed a free throw.

At the beginning of the second half, Nich Bahe, the sideline reporter for Fox Sports, caught up with Corey.

"I'm just trying to help the team any way I can." 😂

"Alright, I'll let you get back to screaming." – Nick Bahe@NickBahe met up with @UtahMBB super fan Corey at the break ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/WBThWkaQfg

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 31, 2025

“I love screaming at the free throws, that’s the easiest time to do it,” Corey said when it comes to how he approaches his banter. “But I have been talking a little bit, talking

Bahe also pointed out that Chitester’s antics seemed to be working. By the end of the game, Butler shot 65% from the free throw line, nine percentage points lower than their season average.

“… I may have an effect, I can’t do much else, but maybe, maybe,” Corey said about whether he thought he was making a difference. “I’m just trying to help in any way I can.”

The Runnin’ Utes would, unfortunately, fall victim to a late Butler comeback, falling to the bulldogs 86-84 and being eliminated from the College Basketball Crown, but it was not due to a lack of effort on Corey’s part.

Tanner Tripp is a sports writer for KSL Sports covering all teams across the state of Utah. Follow him on X @tanner_tripp and Instagram @tanner.tripp here.

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