The second annual Big Green Midnight Madness event will be held tonight, starting at 11:30 p.m. in Leede Arena in the Alumni Gym. The event marks the official opening of the season for both Men's and Women's Dartmouth Basketball teams.
To increase the interest in this year's Midnight Madness, the basketball department is offering great prizes to everyone who shows up at the event, namely two roundtrip airline tickets, to both Celtics' and Bruins' games, a snowboard, a pair of skis, and much, much more.
The coaches of both Men's and Women's basketball teams, David Faucher and Christina Wielgus, are excited about the event. "The most important thing for me is that the season starts after Midnight Madness," Faucher said . "Of course, it is great to see the students and the team laughing and having fun, but its biggest significance to me is that we begin official practice on the next day. I think it's a nice, relaxing way for people to see and get to know the players."
"I am looking forward to the slam-dunk competition, it should be pretty interesting this year. A couple of freshmen will stick their noses in there. Leon Pattman '07 and John Blakley '07 will probably be in it, as well as Cal Arnold '06. Adam Warren '06 and David Gardner '05 may also be in it, so it should be a good event," he added.
Coach Christina Wielgus is also looking forward to Midnight Madness. "Midnight Madness was a huge success last year. By success I mean lots of students attended and they had a really good time. The primary purpose is to expose the student body to fun you can have with basketball. Clearly with contests, giveaways and free food .... it's more about the students then it is about us," she said.
Samantha Burnham '04, whose entrance on a unicycle was the highlight of last year's event, is "more excited than ever." "Midnight Madness represents a fun celebration signifying the beginning of our season. I know that there are a lot of basketball fans on campus, so this is a fun, entertaining way to include those fans into our program, get them excited about the season, and also gives us a way to do something for our fans. It definitely builds our team spirit and provides a fun way for us to kick off our season with fun, fans and free food!" she said.
Asked if she has any special plans for this year, such as another unicycle ride, Burnham answered "I wasn't planning on busting it out this year, but due to high demand, I might have to again. We'll see".
Jamie Librizzi '04, captain of the women's team, is hoping that the event will generate enough public attention. "To us, Midnight Madness is a way to kick off the new basketball season and hopefully spark interest in the student body so that we get their support throughout the season," she said.
"I think that the three point and dunk contests should be very interesting. The way we have it organized this year, a student gets to pair up with a women's basketball player to try and win the three point shooting contest to win tickets to a Boston Bruins' game. And for the dunk contest, a student is also paired with a Men's Basketball player. Whose ever player wins, wins Celtics tickets. And of course, the half-court shot for the two free round-trip airline tickets should be entertaining as well."
Steve Callahan '05, captain of the men's team, can't wait to get the season underway. "Midnight Madness is a giant pep-rally for the Basketball Program. It gives the fans an opportunity to show their school spirit, win prizes, and get a sneak preview of the Men's and Women's Basketball teams. The event is not really for us as a team, but for the fans to have a good time and to see what Big Green Basketball is all about. I'm looking forward to the event. I think it is a fun and entertaining way for people to come out and get excited for the upcoming basketball season. The Marketing and Promotions people have done a tremendous job organizing the event, so I am very confident that it will run smoothly and provide the crowd with some top quality entertainment and prizes," he said.
Callahan added that he, like his Big Green teammates, is especially looking forward to the slam-dunk competition. "Last year it was a student contest, but this year, we are going to have members of our team in it. We have some really gifted athletes on our team that are going to put on a show for everyone who attends. It should really electrify the crowd," he said.
So, if you want to be electrified, give up all other plans you had for Friday night and head to the Leede Arena for an 11:30 p.m. start. As Callahan said, "It is the perfect way to start off a Friday night."