Let the Midnight Madness Begin

By John Nagle Hoya Staff Writer

Two words: Midnight Madness.

For my entire ESPN-watching life, I have been looking forward to idnight Madness. I can remember watching Dick Vitale broadcast live from Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke and seeing those insufferable Crazies pump up pretty boys like Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley and thinking how much fun it would be to do that for my beloved Hoyas.

Imagine my disappointment when I arrived on campus to find out that Midnight Madness did not really exist at Georgetown. In its place there was the watered-down, fun-deprived “Hoya Madness,” complete with a pointless “walk-on tryout” that ended with the embarrassing sight of Assistant Coach Mike Riley leading the “hopefuls” in the Macarena. Pathetic.

My sophomore year I avoided the scene entirely, and by all accounts I missed very little. Last year, while I was out of the country, John Thompson decided not to hold any sort of season-opening event, and based on last season’s results perhaps he was right in doing so.

Now Big John is gone, and the era of Craig Esherick has begun. uch remains to be seen, but things have gotten off to good start, with improvement in the second half of last year, every key player back from last year, and a strong recruiting class. I am excited, and Midnight Madness, during Homecoming Weekend could not be a better way to get things started.

As a veteran observer of Georgetown basketball, Homecoming Weekends and Midnight Madnesses across the country, I feel it is my duty to offer a guide to the uninitiated.

The whole thing begins with the block party. This is without a doubt the most fun party every semester, rain or shine. The key is pacing, my young friends. Undoubtedly you will be overtaken with the sheer joy of keg trucks pulling up next to Lauinger and perhaps will forget the principles of moderation. Bad choice.

I read a few weeks back that some people were concerned about students showing up to Midnight Madness drunk and causing problems. While I suppose that could be seen as a problem by some folks, I foresee a much worse potential hurdle: people passing out after block party and not showing up at all. Don’t be that guy.

My advice is simple: Go to block party. Love it. Embrace it. Just don’t spend all day there. Maybe a nap will be in order after the day’s festivities; just let me know if you need a wake-up call.

Then, head down to McDonough Arena for the big show. It is right down at the end of Lot 3, right near where you will be tailgating in about 10 hours, so I suppose you could just bring a sleeping bag.

Midnight Madness starts out with a pep rally type deal for the fall sports teams, which sounds like a good idea to me. Too bad we can’t do that sort of thing more often for lack of interest, but you take advantage of what opportunities you have.

At the stroke of midnight, the first official Men’s Basketball team practice of the fall begins. This will be your first chance to see an exciting group of newcomers, although it will probably just be a lot of dunking and showmanship, maybe Maybe a quick intrasquad scrimmage. Don’t worry about it, just yell your head off.

While you’re there, try to keep your eye on a few things.

– Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje. The sophomore center has been wearing a walking cast until recently. People tell me he is fine, but I want to see him running out there to be sure. If he is healthy, expect big things from the big man this year.

– Newcomers. Demetrius Hunter, Courtland Freeman, Wesley Wilson, Jason Burns and Trenton Hillier are the latest additions, with junior college transfer Lee Scruggs not eligible until at least second semester. These guys are supposed to be able to play and contribute right away, but none of them is expected to start in the beginning.

– Anthony Perry and Kevin Braswell. These two guards are obviously talented athletes, and both were highly regarded coming out of high school. Last year was their first year playing together, and Perry had not played any competitive basketball for a year before that. They showed flashes of brilliance, I am told, but some inconsistency. Shot selection and ball-handling were a concern. This year they need to be more in control.

– $10,000 half-court shot. That’s right, you could win 10 large for sinking one from half-court. It is not that tough a shot if you are seeing straight and can shake the nerves. I say go with the two-hand heave from the chest, although the baseball pass style is acceptable if you are feeling a little weak. Just be prepared to be heckled if you airball.

Remember, Midnight Madness is only part of your Homecoming Weekend athletic supporting duties, but it is an important part. For three years I have been here, our basketball team has struggled. I am not saying the glory days are back, but at least there is a chance, and I want to see things get started right.