Pacers find fans fired up at FanJam

Local interest in the Indiana Pacers remains strong no matter what you hear about the team on a national level. That was apparent at the Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon when the largest FanJam crowd in recent years showed up to check out the new-look Pacers.

Somewhere around 7,000 to 8,000 fans showed up to create an exciting environment for the team's annual rookie show and then exhition "scrimmage" which was a showcase of offensive fun. Rookies T.J. Leaf, Ike Anigbogu and Edmond Sumner were dressed up and put under the spot light to sing some bubble gum pop songs and they all stepped up to sell their performance like champs.

The Pacers gave out "We Grow Basketball Here" t-shirts to the first 5,000 fans which I'm sure they were happy to run out of this year. With the Colts playing on Monday night and a nasty storm blowing through town Sunday morning which put any yard work or other outdoor plans on hold, the Fieldhouse looked like the place to be on Sunday afternoon which had to be a nice confidence boost for some of these young players. The fans appear ready to give this team a chance and if they play hard they should be able to maintain that support throughout the year.

If you were at FanJam, please share your experience in the comments!

Here are some highlights via the Pacers.