Madness begins at Mid-Day for Illini
By Ian Gold Daily Illini
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (U-WIRE) — Saturday afternoon was like Christmas. It started in the football game, when Michigan quarterback Chad Henne tried to gift wrap the first half for Illinois. And it ended with several unveilings at Assembly Hall.
Illini fans were in line to get into Mid-day Madness well before the 30 minutes after the football game that they knew the events would begin. They then streamed into their seats as quickly as possible to fully open the adrenal glands. When they found their seats they were treated to their first present.
“I walked into Assembly Hall and looked forward through the doors and saw the video board and couldn’t stop thinking how cool it was,” said Jamie Lee Shaffer, a junior in communications. “When they showed the video to introduce the team this year, I thought it was awesome.”
The action was tipped off by the women’s team, who found ways to get the crowd into the festivities. The team worked out and ran relay races involving players and children from the stands. They also had a 3-point contest, in which players from the squad teamed up with members of the Blue Crew, the women’s basketball cheering section.
The team showed its speedy tendencies during its scrimmage.
“This year we intend on playing to our strengths,” women’s head coach Theresa Grentz said. “We are very athletic, and I am impressed with their strength and conditioning.”
The video board was used throughout the night to show new graphics and introduce the next present to the fans. To start the celebration to commemorate 100 years of Illini basketball, the All-Century Team was announced. Banners were opened by members of the team, and then rose to the ceiling of Assembly Hall, where they will stay for the rest of the year to celebrate Illinois’ tradition.
It was after this celebration that the biggest present of all was shown to the fans. The estimated 10,000 people who made it out for the event got their first glimpse of the 2004-2005 Illini men’s team, a team that some polls rank as high as No. 1 to start the season.
After introductions, the Illini were ready to show off their range in a 3-point contest. The players’ scores were close, from 7-foot-2 Nick Smith to 6-foot Dee Brown, the Illini showed the time spent shooting in the gym is paying off. In the end, it was sophomore Richard McBride leaving the competition behind — he got hot in the finals and rolled off 11 shots in 30 seconds.
“The crowd got into it and got me going, and I just knocked them down,” McBride said.
Following the raising of banners commemorating the players from the “Flyin’ Illini,” the current Illini showed they can fly too. The slam-dunk contest brought the crowd to its feet as a squad full of rim-rockers showed off its hops.
Senior Luther Head won the contest, beating out senior Roger Powell in the finals. For Head’s last dunk, he had junior Dee Brown stand in his way and bounce the ball up to him. Head soared to the hoop and Brown made sure to get out of the way.
“It was great. I was so energized, and Dee got me more energized,” Head said. “He was in my ear the whole time telling me how good I could have done.”
McClain added that Brown didn’t have to duck.
“Luther gets up so high, I don’t think anyone would have to duck. It’s more like flying with the birds when he gets up there – the birds are ducking,” he said.
The Illini men will see action next on Oct. 30, for the annual Blue and Orange Scrimmage. The women’s scrimmage will be Nov. 3.
Wayne McClain said, “We are all excited, you can tell, a lot of electricity today.”
The team was introduced while the new video board blasted a scene from the movie Ali, in which Will Smith proclaims, “The champ is here.”
© 2004 Daily Illini via U-WIRE.
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