Midnight Madness gets fans pumped

Sea Lion junior Curtis Carlson throws down in the dunk contest at Midnight Madness on Monday. Carlson tied for first with freshman Graham Yantis, a member of the track and field team. Photo by Amanda Addie

Loud, spirited students filled Golden Gym for Midnight Madness Monday night, showing their support for the men and women’s basketball teams. Raffles, shooting and dunking contests were combined with cheers, music and pizza to inspire students to go out and support both teams.

According to organizers, this year’s attendance was slightly lower than last year’s, but the spirit and support were not in short supply.

“I think the crowd participation was great,” said senior guard Brittney Dove. “Knowing someone is behind you and rooting for you to win just pumps the adrenaline even more. It was an amazing event, and I think it was a good preview for the season.”

The event was coordinated by the Mane Events staff, who worked with Steve Riddle, the assistant athletic director, as well as with the basketball coaches and various local businesses.

“We were very excited to receive such an enthusiastic response from the teams. … Midnight Madness is an event that introduces the student body to their teams and allows them to get excited about the people they will be cheering for,” said Mane Events Manager Hilary Honnette. “Also, we were very lucky to get so many great sponsors for the event this year and hope we were able to provide students with prizes they will enjoy.”

This year’s prizes included Jamba Juice mugs, Chipotle gift cards, one surfboard and the grand prize of $400 credit to the Common Knowledge Bookstore.

The women’s basketball team’s shooting contest was called “Champ or Chump” and incorporated male audience members. The crowd’s cheers got more intense by the minute, and the noise level rose as each basket made its way into the hoop.

The men’s team also got the crowd going during its dunking show. Although many of the team’s top dunkers were unavailable due to injury, participants managed to impress the crowd with their difficult dunks; one included jumping over Roary. In a twist, the men’s team had to prove itself when freshman Graham Yantis, a track and field athlete, stepped onto the gym floor.

“I had just heard that there would be a dunk contest, and so I asked Coach Wilmore if I could be a part of the contest, and he said that it was all right if Scott McGowan was OK with it,” said Yantis.
Yantis, who played high school and club basketball but delayed college ball plans because of an injury, ended up tying for first place with Sea Lion forward Curtis Carlson.

ASB President Scott McGowan, who acted as master of ceremonies, used the time to explain the change in the spirit bell competition from previous years: students versus alumni rather than dorms against one another.

“I think the way they are doing the bell competition this year is good because it promotes school unity,” said sophomore Kyle Ertel.
Toward the end of the event, everyone was invited down to the floor with both basketball teams for a group photo and pizza.

“Any time the student body gets to interact with the athletes who represent us and who we support every game, it’s good for our community,” said McGowan. “Basketball is, by far, the most well-attended sport by PLNU students, so it’s worth taking the time to celebrate our players, our coaches and even our fan base."