If you walked into Arco Arena seven years ago, you could instantly feel the enthusiasm of 17,317 loyal Kings fans.

Every time Peja Stojokovic drained a three-pointer or Chris Webber dunked the ball, the crowd would explode in excitement.

The Kings had a record of 354 consecutive sellouts before the streak ended last season when the Kings’ strong run of the Western Conference started to fade.

Many Country Day families held season tickets in the past, but quite a few have followed the recent trend and stopped buying their tickets.

Over the last two seasons, the team combined to win 71 games compared to past seasons (1999-2004) when the Kings consistently posted 50-win seasons.

After the 2005-06 season, the Kings fired long time head coach Rick Adelman, who had coached the Kings to eight consecutive playoff berths. Eric Musselman, who failed to get the Kings into the playoffs, replaced him. He was then fired and replaced by Reggie Theus, former King and University of New Mexico head coach.

Sophomore Case Nichols, a former season-ticket holder, wishes Adelman had never been fired, “I really liked Adelman and his coaching style. He was a great coach who had phenomenal leadership qualities.”

Senior Edek Sher’s family once had Kings' season tickets but they got rid of them. He said, “The year before we got our season tickets, we would go to a Kings' game a few times a month to watch a great team. But then we bought season tickets, and it was just too much to watch a bad team.”

When asked what changes he would like to see made to the team he said, “I wish we had a time machine and could go back in time and get our old team back.”

Not only has the head coach changed several times over the last couple of seasons, but the players have changed as well. From the 2001-02 roster, only one player (Bobby Jackson who was traded in 2005 and was traded back in the off season) is still on the team.

“The Kings need an upgrade. They need a better arena, and they need to make changes to the team,” said junior Chris Stamatis, whose family has gotten rid of their tickets.

The current price may also have an impact on families giving up their tickets. The Kings rank seventh among the National Basketball Association in average price per ticket ($59.80) with most tickets well over $100. Not only do the fans have to pay for the tickets, but there is also food and parking. With parking at $10 for a single game, these prices are getting difficult to deal with. Junior Robby Cook whose family have kept their tickets said, “Kings' games are fun but the prices of everything are unreasonable.”

A recent poll taken in the junior and senior classes showed that of 10 families who have owned season tickets in the past, only three still hold those tickets.

Nevertheless, some are still loyal to their team.

“I’ll always like the Kings, even if they play poorly,” Cook said.