Too bad every Miami University student is not like Connor Sayler.

He had the time of his life Wednesday night at Millett Hall as the Miami RedHawks pulled off a late-game comeback to edge Bowling Green, 63-60.

The problem is that Connor is only 6.

In fact, Wednesday was his sixth birthday and when your dad is the new athletics director at Miami you get to celebrate like some other kids might not.

“He wanted to come to the game for his birthday,” David Sayler said of his boy. “He got to go out there on the court and be part of the High Five deal before the game and he has full reign of the menu tonight. And we’re letting him stay for the whole game even though he does have kindergarten tonight. Normally he’d have to go home early.

“But tonight was special.”

Of course, you didn’t have to be 6 to feel that.

Miami trailed for about 36 of the 40 minutes Wednesday.

Its biggest deficit was 10 points. But in the final minutes one RedHawk after another stepped up:

Drew McGhee, who had come off the bench for 14 points, made a lay-up to put Miami ahead. Will Felder, who had a career-high 20, hit a jumper to offset a BGSU bucket and then point guard Quinten Rollins drove the lane with 19 seconds left and the shot clock about to run out and lofted a feathery floater over a pair of Falcon big men to seal the game.

Unfortunately almost none of the 16,300 students who go to Miami saw any of this.

When the game began, there were 28 students sitting in the student section behind the north basket. Sprinkle in a few adults and some young kids recruited to wave the oversized placards bearing the faces of Betty White, Snooki and Justin Bieber and you still had a pretty forlorn sight.

Attendance for the game was announced at 1,405 and that may have been generous.

“We do have to do a better job of recruiting students to the games,” said Sayler, who was named as the replacement for Boston College-bound Brad Bates in mid-December and just started the job Jan. 1. “The students set the tone for the whole facility and when they aren’t here it puts a hole in the whole night.”

Rollins said the players notice their fellow students have opted out on some games:

“We need their support, but obviously you have to win, too. And we haven’t been winning regularly.”

The RedHawks were 9-21 last year under Charlie Coles and this year under new coach John Cooper were 6-8 coming into Wednesday’s game.

“When we pick it up in the win-loss column that will cure a lot,” said Sayler, who graduated from Miami Valley School. “That helps you address other issues.”

While he decides whether to renovate Millett Hall or push for a new facility and tries to keep longstanding rivalries with Dayton, Xavier, Cincinnati and Wright State intact, he said one piece is in place:

“I love John Cooper’s energy, his vision for what we’re doing, his pedigree. If I had been here when we were looking for Charlie’s replacement, he would have fit my profile to a T.”

Cooper certainly managed the end of the game well Wednesday night and now the RedHawks have a two-game winning srteak.

“I hope people that were here tonight had a great time and they’ll tell other people tomorrow,” Rollins said.

Connor Sayler will be doing just that – of course, it will be in his kindergarten class.