Mississippi State athletics director Zac Selmon announced on Tuesday that major changes will be coming to the student section in Humphrey Coliseum during the 2023-24 basketball season.

As renovations on The Hump continue throughout the summer, the biggest change might not have to do with physical appearance, but rather the atmosphere of the games. Previously, the student section inside The Hump was located behind the basket, but now a part of the student section will stretch across the sideline, something students have been asking about for years.

"You asked. We listened," Selmon wrote on Twitter.

The major change to the experience at Mississippi State basketball games was a collaborative effort between the Student Association and the athletic department as Selmon and student body president Ellie Herndon made the announcement Monday.

Herndon and the Student Association have been working alongside athletics for a while. They put together different promotions at basketball games last season, and it has allowed them to build a partnership to continue to build the fan experience for students.

"We started to work with them a lot this past year," Herndon said. "We did some t-shirt pass outs at the Kentucky game, and we really just met to talk about the continued partnership and ways to engage students more."

Putting the student section along the sideline is something that many students at Mississippi State have wanted to see over the past few years. It's a part of the environment at plenty of arenas across the country, and it's the inspiration from other schools that pushed Herndon to the idea.

"It was just taking a look at what other universities do with their student sections and seeing what students would like to see best," Herndon said. "It was inspiration from other schools with really strong student sections."

The original plan from Associate AD Rhett Hobart, who now works at Auburn, was to gradually move the students over by one section each year, but with new leadership at Mississippi State under Selmon, the Student Association and the athletic department met earlier in the summer and were able to discuss new ways to implement their ideas.

"We met and talked about the student experience with athletics as a whole earlier in the summer, and just kind of discussed ways that we can partner an implement those ideas throughout the different athletic seasons," Herndon said.

Herndon has been able to work side-to-side with Selmon and his team since beginning as Student Association President, and she noted of how passionate they are about accommodating the students.

"It's been really awesome," Herndon said. "He [Selmon] and his team have some new faces on campus, so getting to meet with early on in my term as Student Association President, seeing how passionate they are about accommodating to students and what they want to see with athletics was really awesome. I appreciate their partnership, and that they value the Student Association input and student input in general."

The new changes couldn't have come at a better time. Both the men's and women's teams made the NCAA Tournament in year one under head coaches Chris Jans and Sam Purcell, and is they look to build on their impressive debut seasons, and improved atmosphere in The Hump can help them upon the way.