Nick Brunner
Co-Sports Editor
Its right smack in the middle of arguably the most exciting week on campus. The music is blaring. Sororities, fraternities, and sports teams begin to gather together as the rest of the student body piles in for what is certain to be a great night full of school spirit and anticipation for the upcoming basketball season.
The 2009 edition of Midnight Madness proved yet again to be a great time for all that attended. At a time when most of the real world is thinking about jumping into bed and calling it a day, on the Hill everyone was anxious to get the first look at this years’ men’s and women’s basketball teams. You see, the teams are not allowed to begin organized practice until October 22, so in anticipation, Midnight Madness began at 11 o’clock on October 21. For the first hour sports information director and designated Midnight Madness P.A announcer Luke Stillson got the crowd pumped up and involved in a number of fun activities.
The most exciting event had to be the shoot out competition. Student spectators were encouraged to form teams of three and were welcomed down to the court to participate in a shooting contest. Over one hundred students came down to compete but eventually the field was narrowed down and the winning team of three was awarded six free pizzas courtesy of Classico’s Pizzeria.
While the shoot out and all the preceding festivities were great, the real fun began at midnight when the teams took the court. After all of the members of the teams were introduced, they began warming up. During warm-ups there were shooting displays put on the woman and high-flying dunks by the men. The crowd was stoked and ready to see some live game action.
The McDaniel women were the first to take the court. In a fast paced ten minute inter squad match, freshman Caitlin Fisher stood out in her first dose of college action, and senior captain Ali Moreland hit a reverse lay-up as time expired. It was a fun atmosphere but all of the Green Terror ladies played hard and put on a show for the fans.
In between the two scrimmages, the Terror cheerleading squad gave us a preview of some of what they have been working on for the upcoming season. They will surely keep the fans energized throughout what will be an exciting season at the Gill Center.
The final event of the night was the much anticipated men’s inter squad. It was obvious that the guys were looking to ignite the fans who had stayed up to get a glimpse of their first official team action. There were long three-pointers, ally-oops, and high-flying slama jamas. Sophomore Louis Sarris-Grau got the scoring started and then sophomore Marcus Dyson stole the show with a crazy dunk finish to an ally-oop.
As junior spectator Aaron Bonaccorsy put it, “Midnight Madness is a fun time and a great event. It says a lot about the school spirit here that so many people are willing to come out and show their support for our athletic teams. This is just another example of why I’m proud to be a Terror.”
