Basketball season kicks off with Midnight Madness
Mike Mazzeo
Issue date: 11/7/08 Section: Sports
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In anticipation of the start of the 2008-09 basketball season, a standing-room only crowd was on-hand at the DAC as the Athletic Department and the DAC Pack teamed up to host Midnight Madness Nov. 6.
There was a sense of anticipation air as the crowd chanted, "Let's Go Drexel!"
Ironically, however, there wasn't even a game being played.
However, the sound was so deafening that you couldn't even hear Emcee Dan Baker announce the rosters.
"Every year [Midnight Madness] seems to get better and better," Baker, also the men's basketball play-by-play announcer, said. "The Drexel student body is so enthused and so supportive and it really provides the men's and women's basketball teams incentive going into the season to do well."
The event kicked off as Baker, also the Phillies and Eagles public address announcer, introduced both teams' rosters as well as the respective coaching staffs.
The most intriguing part of the event, the dunk contest, was captured in an upset victory by Chris Mohl, as his dunk off a backboard pass from Bobby Jordan defeated a slam by Kevin Phillip.
DAC Pack President Rob Falcone, who also emceed the vent, said he believed the event was successful as it gave incoming freshmen a look at what Drexel basketball has to offer.
"A lot of these kids are freshmen and have never experienced Drexel basketball before," Falcone said. "Midnight Madness provides the perfect opportunity for these kids to come out and get involved in the experience."
DAC Pack Director of Marketing Marshall Fleming said he was pleased with the turnout given how much the group had concentrated on promoting the event to freshmen.
"I thought it was a pretty good event," Fleming said. "We didn't have the resources to get a big name artist [like Questlove] this year, but we still had a pretty good turnout. We targeted the freshmen this year and we had the largest turnout from the freshmen. All in all I think it was a pretty good event."
Drexel men's basketball coach Bruiser Flint said it was great watching his players, but the event was solely intended for the student body.
"It's always fun," Flint said. "It's a student thing, you know?"
Freshman Chris Hill, a future DAC Pack member, enjoyed the festivities.
"I think it's great that everyone came out," Hill said.
The first 500 students in attendance received tickets to the men's basketball Nov. 18 opener vs. Penn.
The Lady Dragons, who compiled an 18-12 mark a year ago, will kick off their season at American University Nov. 16.
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