Eagles hold Midnightish Madness
Senior forward Aaron Greenwood makes his case during the dunk contest
October 31
Midnight Madness kicked off in the Tine Davis Gymnasium last night just a tad shy of the indicated hour. At 9:30 p.m. the lights in the gym went black and music began pumping. John Gordon began calling out numbers, names and hometowns as a spotlight illuminated players emerging from the locker room.
The bleachers were packed and the student body went nuts. For the 11 students who missed it, continue reading. After the bulk of the team had been announced the audience began to notice something; something lurking in the shadows. There, on the baseline, stood seven hooded figures. Gregorian chanters? No. Freshman. In this case the “baby Eagles.”
Drill instructor Michael Lenard and the seven "baby Eagles" at center court
The hooded posse marched and dipped its way to center court where drill sergeant (and team manager) Michael Lenard commanded attention. Lenard forcefully asked, “What is the motto of this team?” “Be strong and courageous,” they responded. “What is the winning formula of this team,” came the second request. “Sustain intensity and focus on details,” the baby Eagles squawked. “Give me one phrase,” shouted the drill sergeant. “It really does matter!” they returned.
The group then proceeded to Stomp the Court before turning the show over to the three-point contest.
The showdown from downtown started with six contenders, but after a few rounds only two remained standing. The junior for Saraland, Ala., Josh Gholston and the senior from Big Lake, Ark., Reggie Dupree.
Junior guard Josh Gholston hits a buzzer beater to send the contest into Double Sudden Death
Round one saw more buckets than the deck of a sinking ship. Dupree and Gholston let it rain. Then, just when it looked like Dupree had clinched the title, Gholston's buzzer beater dropped, tying the event and forcing sudden death.
Just when fans thought the suspense had ended, Gholston struck again, beating the buzzer forcing double sudden death (yes, there is such a thing).
Senior guard Reggie Dupree clinches the three-point contest title
Double sudden death was an intense 15 seconds of rainmaking, but this time the senior sealed the deal. Dupree was crowned king of three-point territory. Now, Dupree is of course very good - as is Gholston - from behind the arch, in a stationary position, while being fed balls from a cart and being timed. But don't let that fool you. Both of these guys make it happen in big game situations.
The three-point contest was followed by an SGA sponsored student body three-point shootout. Raffle tickets were drawn and two men and two women were selected to battle for gift certificates and other prizes. Samantha Ruddick and Justin Barnes (sort of an unfair advantage being a former player an all) won the two rounds.
Fans shoot for prizes from the 3-point line
By a little after 10 p.m. the highlight of the evening was underway - the dunk contest. The slam dunk contest dates back to… well a long time, back to whenever some guys got tired of tossing the ball through the hoop and started just jack hammering it instead.
The history of the event aside, last night was history in and of itself. Six started the contest, but only one could take home the coveted title “Best Dunker on the Team”. Who would it be?
Josh "Dr. J" Gholston sends one home in the opening round
Dr. J and assistant coach Sam Allen chill during the dunk finals
Gholston livened up the event with a tribute to Dr. J. The 6-1 guard dressed like the 6-7 forward complete with Sixers jersey, Afro, and headband. It wasn't enough to secure him a place in the final round, but gave the fans, players and coaches a good chuckle. After the opening round, only two remained. Freshman Brandon Snellings from Jonesboro, Ga., and senior forward Aaron Greenwood from Houston, Texas. Four words for ya: DON'T-MESS-WITH-TEXAS!
Freshman Adam Okechukwu on the opening round of the dunk contest
Big man Oneil Mangal send the rim-a-rattl'n with this pounder
Freshman Darius McKnight swoops under and around for this jam in round one
Though Snellings is more than capable of hammering down his fair share of creativity, it was Greenwood that took the evening's top honors. After offering up a powerful delivery on his first of two dunks, Greenwood needed something…special for his finale. He thought to himself, “Hmmm, how can I ensure my place among the Eagle greats?” After a moments pause, he had it!
Freshman Brandon Snellings delivers this jam to secure his place in the finals
What better way to guarantee the trophy (ok, there's no trophy - guys, we need to get a trophy) than to catapult himself over a six-foot tall sports information dude with a camera? Greenwood knew he'd struck gold and the rest is history. Who cares if the six-foot dude with a camera was lying flat on the ground? It was till maybe the most exciting event in sports history (last year's half court shot for a TV is a very close second) and you 11 students missed it. Oh, well. We got pictures.
Aaron Greenwood jumps over the camera man to secure his dunk title
After the dunk contest a pair of students were selected to shoot for more prizes. Then came the shot for the prize of all prizes, a 60” Plasma television. The raffle winner for the half court shot was Emily Medlin. It was Medlin vs. Magnavox. Upon prompting from the student body she went for the granny style approach, missing it by only nanometers!!! (maybe not, but it was still pretty cool). Gordon quit sweating bullets and put the credit card securely back in his wallet. No TVs this year. Snap!
Students shoot for more prizes
Emily Medlin goes for the Plasma from half court
Greenwood, Dupree and Gholston all addressed the crowd and thanked them for coming out. “I've played at a lot of places,” Greenwood said. “And we by far have the best fans anywhere. If we get a crowd like this at our games, we'll go undefeated at home.”
Head coach Jim Sanderson addresses the crowd at the close of Madness
Head coach Jim Sanderson also addressed the crowed. He thanked them for their support of the program, but more importantly for their support for all of the athletic programs at Faulkner. Sanderson also acknowledged the football team and their victory last weekend against Kentucky Christian. He applauded their courage and focus in the face of an 11-point deficit late in the game.
Make no mistake about it. Fans help fuel competition. Athletes work hard day in and day out. And though they may be ready both mentally and physically for an opponent, adding the excitement of a strong student body changes the atmosphere dramatically. We've had fans drive half way across the country to support this program and the players always look forward to that crowd.
Baldwin watches the cheerleaders perform
Be a part of it all this season. Play begins on the road against a very strong Mobile team on Monday, Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m. The team then travels to Tuscaloosa to take on the University of Alabama in an exhibition game on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. The Eagles return to Montgomery for their home opener with Pensacola Christian. That game is set for Saturday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m.