Written by Simon Martin.
The Greenville men’s basketball team began its 2012-2013 season with Midnight Madness on Oct. 14, 2012. Midnight Madness was a fun time for the team members as well as for the fans. There was a dunk contest, a 3-point contest, and several fan competitions. The team had its first official practice the following day.
After a little over a week of practice, the first scrimmage of the year was held as the Panthers faced the alumni team. The alumni team was able to overcome a great first half by the current Panthers to make the game close at the end. However,the Panthers prevailed and won by a narrow 2-point margin. Next, the Panthers faced Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, an NCAA Division I program. The Panthers kept the game close during the first half, but the SIUE Cougars pulled away in the second half. The next pre-season game was against Lindenwood University,an NCAA Division II program with a preseason ranking of fifth in the country.
The Panthers played an excellent first half of the game and were tied before heading into halftime. In the second half, fatigue began to wear on the Panthers and Lindenwood built a comfortable lead.The Panthers are looking forward to an exciting season despite these first two losses against higher division competition. The varsity team is attempting to integrate a new press defense as well as six new transfers. Head coach George Barber has his team well prepared for its first regular season game on Friday, Nov.16 against Rhodes University on the campus of Westminster College. After this opening tournament, the Panthers have their first home game on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. against Lincoln Christian University.
