Midnight Madness Recap

Written and media by Christian Caldozo.

Basketball season has finally started and what a way to kick it off with Midnight Madness! Both men’s and women’s teams came ready to give fans a preview of what they are about to show this upcoming season. It was especially a busy week in Greenville during Homecoming!

The night started off with many fans showing up before doors even opened! Those who were early received a free shirt for Midnight Madness. When the night finally began, lights were turned off, and we were able to hear the coaches give a motivational speech about what it meant being in the Greenville Basketball Program. Once the speech was over, both teams were very excited to start the night.

The first event that took place was the three-point contest where players had to shoot three-point shots from a total of three spots and end the contest with a halfcourt shot. A player from each year was selected to shoot and they were given at least 45 seconds to get as many points as possible. Both the men’s and women’s teams competed, but at the end, the men fell short to the Women’s Basketball Team.

The men, unfortunately, would fall short to the women’s team again when they played a game of basketball knockout. Several fans were chosen to play this game, but many of them were eliminated early. In the end Women’s Basketball Team once again became victorious amongst the Men’s Basketball Team.

After the three-point shooting contest, things got even more competitive when the Women’s Basketball Team scrimmaged each other. They battled for a good six minutes, showcasing all the new Freshmen as well as the players who were more familiar with the program. Things got even more interesting when GSGA held several fan games for everyone to get involved in. This made the night even more fun because everyone was able to get involved in the excitement that Midnight Madness had to offer.

Performances from the cheer and dance team were also seen during the night, giving a little preview of what they will be performing during winter sports season. Fans even got a solo performance from Hoguey the Mascot himself.

The Men’s Basketball Team got some spotlight with a six-minute scrimmage the had the Upper Classmen go against the Freshmen. The results were very exciting as the Freshmen Team won with a buzzer beater at the very end of the scrimmage.

Last but not least, the night ended with the dunk contest which was held by the Men’s Basketball Team. Several players entered, but only one winner prevailed. Many fans were surprised by the number of players on the basketball team that were able to do fantastic dunks in the contest. In the end a battle between dunkers Kyler Stork and Eric Williams took place, but there was only room for one champion. Eric Williams took the chip with an alley-oop windmill that had fans going crazy.

Senior Captain Kealin McLean had the perfect words to sum up the whole night, he said “It was bittersweet for this to be my last Midnight Madness. Honestly, it was the perfect way to end it. This is the perfect way to start my last year as well as to start the basketball season.”

The night was overall a success with many fans coming out to see both the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams. The season is finally here and the basketball teams cannot wait to play their first games of the 2017-2018 season.

Go Panthers!