Historically, Midnight Madness is when the men’s and women’s basketball teams make their first appearance of the season to their fellow students by showcasing events such as a 3-point shootout and a skills competition. However, Midnight Madness has been lacking in student participation in some regard over this past few years.
When a mob of students waited outside the Bob Martinez Center doors at this year’s Midnight Madness, it seemed like this was going to be something special.
Marketing Coordinator and freshman athletic training major Daniella Arias said that she was “I was surprised by the amount of people who showed up,” said Marketing Coordinator Daniella Arias, a freshman athletic training major. Midnight Madness showed the abundance of school spirit by the athletes and the student body.
The night started off with the school’s fashion show followed by the Spartan Scarlets dance team, the Blackout Dance team and other performing arts organizations. After the school’s cheerleaders performed their routine, this led up to the main event, which was the unveiling of the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Both teams got the student body involved by having some students compete in drill-based games. Athletes from both teams showed off their skills in the 3-point competition, which led up to a slam dunk contest that had the crowd on its feet.
In the slam dunk contest, players from the men’s basketball team put up a display of flashy dunks that entertained the crowd. This event was clearly the players’ favorite.
“They should skip everything and go straight to the dunk contest,” said Take Ikuno, a walk-on senior point guard.
Junior shooting guard Tyler Zacur agreed with Ikuno. “I like how they got everyone involved,” Zacur said.
Zacur and Ikuno expressed their excitement for the upcoming season, which they are going into with “high expectations.”
Midnight Madness was a major success. The event showed how our students could have a fun time and show support for your university. “This was a sign of things to come,” said Arias.
Phil Novotny can be reached at philip.novotny@spartans.ut.edu.