Bison students and faculty filled seats in Burr, excited to see members of this season’s men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Each men’s player was introduced one by one while the crowd cheered loudly. As senior guard Bryce Harris—a marketing major from Long Island, New York—was announced, he walked out with his hands above his head, stopped and started dancing. The crowd cheered him on as he showed off his moves.
His first dance concluded, followed by the Sigma Walk, which garnered deafening cheers and encouragement from the crowd and announcer.
After his introduction, Harris greeted his teammates with smiles and handshakes.
On Tuesday evening, Bison basketball fans packed Burr Gymnasium for Bison Madness. The event kicked off homecoming festivities for athletics and was stuffed with entertainment ranging from a student half-court three-on-three game to a special guest performance.
The night opened with the band coming to the court to perform. The energy was contagious and seeped into the stands as the crowd danced with the band and cheered them on.
The first team introduced was the women’s team. As each player came out, some danced to the middle of the court, and others waved to the crowd, heading swiftly to greet their teammates.
One player fans didn’t see much of on the court last season showcased some of her moves for her introduction. Graduate student Destiny Howell was sidelined with an injury last year but looks to be dancing her way into the new season.
“Just being able to lace up, be back on the court; it’s just a blessing itself,” the Bison guard and women’s studies major from Queens said. “So I’m really appreciative of just being able to do what I love to do every day.”
The crowd was ecstatic watching the director of basketball operations, Margaree King Richard, smoothly dance as she made her way to the middle of the court to stand with the women’s team.
The men’s team came out right after, greeting the crowd with some players singing and dancing as they made their way to the middle of the court.
After winning back-to-back MEAC championship titles, the Bison are heading into the upcoming season with lofty expectations.
“The goal is to win a championship. If you’re not trying to win a championship, then there’s no point in playing college basketball,” Harris said.
After the introductions, six students came to the court to play a half-court game of three-on-three. Bison basketball players coached each team. Harris and Ose Okojie coached one team, and Marissa Steel, Amirah Allen and Vanessa Blake coached the other.
Both teams consisted of male and female players who fought hard for every point. Some taller male players were aggressive in the paint, going for layups when given the chance. Other male players were shooting threes.
The female players were shorter than their male counterparts but were still persistent in shooting threes and moving the ball around the court.
The team coached by the women’s team fell to the team coached by the men’s team.
The night concluded with a special guest performance from rapper Skilla Baby that saw him go into the stands, interacting and singing with fans.
Head Coach of the men’s basketball team, Kenneth Blakeney, has experienced players enter and leave his program over the past few seasons but has still been able to create championship-winning teams. For another year, the team has new additions to the roster, but it does not seem like a daunting challenge for Blakeney.
“We take great pride in trying to figure out that connection, the chemistry and then the comradery that it takes to make a good championship team year in and year out,” he said.
Reflecting on the night of festivities, head coach of the women’s team Ty Grace said, “It’s just amazing to see everybody come together, see our teams having fun, see the students having a good time.”
The men’s team’s next game is Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. against the Jayhawks, hosted at the University of Kansas.
The women’s team is traveling down south to play their first game of the season in Florida against the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Rattlers on Nov. 4.
Copy edited by Jalyn Lovelady
