Basketball teams ready for Midnight Madness

With Mike Davis in charge of the men's basketball team, midnight practice will no longer simply be a few drills and a scrimmage. \nIt's Midnight Madness, complete with a high-flying slam dunk contest and sharp-shooting three-point contests. The annual event, essentially the first full-squad practice allowed by NCAA regulations, begins at 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning in Assembly Hall and is open to the public for either a nonperishable food item or $1 donation.\nFor this team of Hoosiers, it's more than practice. It's their chance to prove to the fans that this team is ready for the season to begin and that they've put the past in its place.\n"This is our coming-out party," freshman guard A.J. Moye said. "This is the beginning of a new era. It's the initiation of something new." \nIn the past, Midnight Madness was nothing more than the men's team warming-up, doing a few drills, then scrimmaging. It was the fans' one opportunity to watch a practice run by former coach Bob Knight.\n"He'd would break it down and it was formatted like a practice," Moye said. "This is more fun, a fan-friendly event. It's the initiation of something new. We can put this Coach Knight thing to rest, at least physically."\nIn addition to the dunk contest and a scrimmage, which are common at most first practices, the women's basketball team is joining the men's squad for Midnight Madness. The women's team will participate in the spot shooting and three point shooting contest with the men, and they will judge the dunk contest.\n"Friday night is for the students, for the fans, it's for Indiana basketball and that's why I included the women's team," said Mike Davis, the interim men's basketball coach. "They're a part of Indiana basketball. It should be special for them. Our guys get enough pats on the back and enough attention."\nMoye said he's pretty tired of the grueling conditioning drills of individual workouts, and he's happy to get the season started. \n"When I got here, I wasn't in the best shape," Moye said. "I was dragging along and hurting. But I didn't realize all the other guys were hurting too."\nDavis said tonight is a reward to players for their efforts during workouts, and for the fans who supported the team in the last few months.\n"I'm not going to say anything as long as our guys aren't acting crazy," Davis said. "I pressed a lot of them."\nBut most of all, Moye is looking forward to having fun in front of a crowd, which Davis expects to be between 10,000 and 12,000 strong. \n"We're going to set the tone," Moye said. "The fans are going to see some high-flying guys, some sharp-shooting guys, and a lot of camaraderie between the men's and women's teams."\nBut they can't have too much fun. The players must wake up early in order to participate in the Hoosiers Outrun Cancer 5K race. Most of the players will walk instead of run.\n"I know I'll be walking," junior forward Kirk Haston said. "We come back that afternoon for practice, so I don't think they'll want us doing too much running. But we'll be out there, and we're looking forward to seeing everybody and talking with the fans"