Castle Court is where people go to party. Short people, round people, tall people and perhaps even turquoise people end up at the castle — that doesn’t look anything like a castle — before and after Syracuse University basketball games. I was one of those people the past two weekends, because SU continued to play well and apparently had no regard for human livers. The two visits to Comstock Avenue proved totally different.

Like Floyd Mayweather fighting or doing anything probably, I was very defensive at my first trip back to Castle as the Sweet 16 approached. I hadn’t returned in many moons, and I had forgotten the frenzy it creates on campus. You walk up the hill and it feels like the opening 20 minutes of “This is the End,” except this time we saved Aziz.

It’s easy to get intimidated. There are hundred, nay, millions of students in the fray and for some reason, it appears you don’t know a single one. Plus, with all of those girls on their phones, I would probably be getting in everyone’s way — think of the Snapchats I could be ruining with the back of my head.

I will give Castle some credit — no place on campus can make you feel quite like a freshman again like Castle can. I’m not sure if it’s the drunk kids or the drunk kids, or maybe it’s the drunk kids, but I’m not sure I’ll ever feel totally there when I’m at Castle. I bounced around the periphery for an hour before leaving.

But then we went back to Castle the next weekend, and everything changed. Syracuse had made the Final Four, a full week had passed, and I had met Vince Papale.

For those of you who don’t know, Vince Papale was a walk-on with the Philadelphia Eagles who started out as a normal person and then ended up playing in the National Football League. If you don’t think that’s hard, go ahead, give it a shot. I’ll wait.

*waits*

I’m sorry it didn’t work out, that bone bruise should heal within the next two to three months depending on your sign. But yeah, that shit is hard. I wish I could say that Vince Papale inspired me to dive into the fray of Castle Court with a rousing sports movie-esque speech, but that was just kind of a cool moment.

I ended up going into the pit, and it was definitely better than the first weekend. And by better, I mean I was just deeper into a mob than I was a week ago. Full disclosure: It was a lot of fun. I bumped into more people than a busy day on the New York City subway. I drank riot punch, which sounds like a band your cousin is in. I even got beer spilled on me while avoiding getting hit in the head by a bottle, because apparently we’re doing this now?

Side note: Can we stop this? No one should be throwing full beers or empty glass bottles across a crowd — it’s not right. What did you get out of throwing that bottle? You still aren’t the SU quarterback, and no girl is going to be so impressed that she sleeps with you because you threw a beer not very far. But maybe I haven’t met the right people.

After about an hour, I left the pit because, just like the weekend before, whatever you do at Castle, it’s not going to be fun for more than an hour. That’s the big secret. Regardless of what you’re doing there, whether it’s hanging on the side or getting into the mix, you don’t really want to be there for more than an hour. Just ask those girls on their phones.

Castle Court is one of those weird distinct things that I will never forget about my time at Syracuse University. It was where I attended my first party as a freshman, and it‘s where I’ll probably die.

But however you feel about the block of land at the end of Walnut, you’ll probably be gone after an hour.

Danny Cuneo is a senior television, radio and film major. He has never seen the movie “Invincible,” along with many other sports classics. He can be reached at dacuneo@syr.edu.

Published on April 4, 2016 at 8:09 pm