My First Midnight Madness

I know the media is supposed to be unbiased, but as a DC native I grew up a die-hard Georgetown Hoya fan.

I have been to well over 100 Hoya basketball games. I've seen a buzzer-beater victory (UConn 2009) and a buzzer-beater loss (Miami 1999) live. I've seen an upset over the No. 1 team in the country and a subsequent court-storming (Duke 2006) live. I've seen the Hoyas clinch a Big East Regular Season Title (Louisville 2008), witnessed them advance to the Final Four (UNC 2007), and seen them defeat a No. 1-seed in the Big East tournament (Syracuse 2010) live. I was present for John Thompson Jr's final home game as head coach (Miami 1999) and Craig Esherick's first game as head coach (Providence 1999). I witnessed both Kevin Braswell and Jonthan Wallace score their 1000th point (Bethune-Cookman 2001 and Fordham 2008), and even saw a classic 4-OT thriller (Notre Dame 2002). Hell, I even lied to my coach sophomore year in college to get out of a Saturday practice in order to come back for the 100th Anniversary celebration and game (Marquette 2007). I've been to games at McDonough Gymnasium, The Capital Centre/US Air Arena, and MCI Center/Verizon Center.

Aside from winning a National Championship, I have seen the Hoyas do just about everything, live and in-person. But until Friday, October 15th, 2010, one of the few things I had never witnessed was a Georgetown Midnight Madness.


But I can now cross that off my list.

This Midnight Madness, like every other event around the country, was something special. Not just because it was my first Midnight Madness experience, not just because the university was honoring Greg Monroe. It wasn't even a result of Wale, the most popular musician to come out of D.C since Chuck Brown, performing (and getting his hat stolen). What makes Midnight Madness special is that, for the first time since early April, we get to experience the college basketball atmosphere.

The number of dance routines easily outweighed the number of drills executed by the team. I learned more about the women's team than I ever intended on knowing, and I heard "Teach me how to dougie" more times than I ever planned on hearing.

But I sat, watched, smiled, and got goosebumps every time the lights dimmed and every time the PA announcer got on the mic. Four hours on a mid-October night felt like a January edition of Big Monday. It would have been very easy to mistake the atmosphere during the player introductions for an overtime game against Syracuse.

It was exactly the type of drug I needed to tide me over until the season's first games tip off.

I watched two freshman (John Caprio and Nate Lubick) enter the gym using Hanson and Enrique Iglesias as introduction music. "Epic" and "classic" are just two of the many words that could be used to describe their entrances. More than two people on the team used Wale's "No Hands" song as introduction music. We even saw a couple of sophomores take "family photos" a la LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.


When freshman phenom Moses Ayegba crip-walked out to mid-court, McDonough gymnasium nearly exploded. I was pretty sure that he had just received the loudest ovation of the night.

But then Hollis Thompson entered to Sandstorm by Da Rude.

Game.Over.

Thompson proceeded to bust out some of the meanest techno-dance moves I have ever seen. At no point in time did I ever think that Hollis Thompson would be the one to steal the Midnight Madness spotlight. But you could have just ended the show right then and there. Seriously, in my notes, all I wrote next to Thompson's name is "THAT JUST HAPPENED".

Hollis Thompson hadn't sank a game-winning three-pointer, or thrown down an emphatic slam, and yet he received what may be the loudest ovation he has ever been given in his entire life. For merely picking the right music and doing the right dance.

That's why Midnight Madness is so special.


A bunch of other news & notes from Friday night:

Tia Magee of the women's team stole the show with a pretty memorable dance number which probably would not have been suitable for viewers under the age of 14.

Former players Tyler Crawford, Mark Tillman, Reggie Williams, Michael
Graham and Gene Smith were in attendance.

Last year, head coach John Thompson III honored Michael Jackson by having the team do "The Thriller". This year, he honored Lil' Benny, a iconic DC musician who passed away early in the year, by doing "The Soul Train".

When Jack the Bulldog ran onto the floor to eat his Syracuse-themed chew-toy, the PA announcer and the crowd started chanting "Eat that box".

Freshman forward Aaron Bowen took flight numerous times during the lay-up lines. The kid can soar.

Fans began leaving McDonough Gym once the actual basketball practice began.

Wale performed "DC Chillin'" and "Pretty Girls". During his second set, which took place after the practice had ended, he went into the stands to dap people up, and one fan stole his hat.

The loudest ovations went to Hollis Thompson, Wale, Moses Ayegba, John Thompson III, Nate Lubick and Jack the Bulldog

During a shooting contest between Fy/Soph and Jr/Sr classes, both Markel Starks and Jason Clark air-balled jumpers, while a female fan contestant wearing high-heeled boots, sank back-to-back 15-footers.

It was reported that Brandon Bolden, a high school forward in the class of 2012, committed to Georgetown after the event.

The new student section T-shirt slogan was revealed: "Victory Now, Georgetown Forever"