Rutgers Basketball Celebrates MidKnight Madness
Oct 07 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers men's and women's basketball celebrated the upcoming season by hosting MidKnight Madness Friday night at the Rutgers Athletic Center. Under the direction of head coaches Steve Pikiell and C. Vivian Stringer, the teams competed in a series of competitions as DJ Trakside provided the evening's soundtrack.
The highlight of the evening was the final event, the slam dunk competition. Sophomores Corey Sanders and Jonathan Laurent and redshirt juniors Nigel Johnson and Deshawn Freeman comprised the field. Coach Stringer, Director of Athletics Patrick Hobbs, super fan Jason Newcomb, Riot Squad president James Siricio and new men's basketball play-by-play announcer Jerry Recco served as the judges.
Sanders, with a perfect 50, and Johnson advanced to the finals and set the stage for a very memorable highlight. On the final dunk of the evening, Sanders elevated over the Scarlet Knight to slam home the winner and bring the RAC to its fit to earn his second perfect score.
Another highlight was the announcement of the featured performer for next week's Beats On the Banks. RUPA revealed that Logic will headline this year's show on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
After player and head coach introductions, four men's and four women's players competed in a three-point shooting competition. Freshman forward Issa Thiam and redshirt sophomore Ashli Juene advanced to the final, were Thiam prevailed with an 18-point round to claim the title.
A skills competition followed. Four teams comprised of a men's and women's player and a Rutgers student took to the hardwood in the high-tempo drill. In the end, the team comprised of redshirt sophomore Ibrahima Diallo, junior Shrita Parker and student Unah Magaya prevailed.
Another student, Dylan Stone, had the opportunity to make a half-court shot to win a car valued at $20,000. Unfortunately, the attempt fell short.
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President Kyle Holder served as the night's emcee.
The 2016-17 men's and women's seasons both officially begins on Friday, Nov. 11 at the RAC. The women host Chattanooga at 2 p.m. and the men meet Molloy at 7 p.m. To purchase season tickets or mini-plans, please call the Rutgers Athletics Ticket Office at 1-866-445-GORU (4678).
Follow Rutgers men's basketball (@RutgersMBB) and women's basketball (@RutgersWBB) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for additional news and updates.
