It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Hoosier Nation. That’s right- basketball season has officially begun. Although practices have been going on since October 12th October 20th was Hoosier Hysteria. For some programs this is just a chance for fans to see the team practice, for the coaches to say a quick blip about the upcoming program, and try to boost morale and hopefully ticket sales. But this is what separates Indiana from other programs.
If you don’t believe me, ask the “Midnight Maniacs”. These were the fans who arrived at Assembly Hall 36 hours before they were allowed to enter. Due to the mass popularity of Hoosier Hysteria, the Indiana University Athletic Department only allowed the first 17,000 (ish) fans to enter Assembly Hall. No matter how many seasons a ticket holder had been to, no matter if they supported the ups and downs of the seasons past, everyone had a fair chance to see the magic that is Indiana basketball… as long as they got in line early enough. These “maniacs” as they were being affectionately called had arrived at Assembly hall to wait in line for well over 24 hours. Some brought sleeping bags, others brought televisions and played Mario Kart while waiting in line.
This shows without a doubt, that Indiana is back, and fans couldn’t be happier. Although the emcee (Sage Steele) may have seemed awkward at times, her enthusiasm showed that no matter what year you graduate, Hoosier blood is always in you. I’m not going to lie; the opening show for the Hoosier got me teary-eyed. It showed a emergence of old and new Hoosiers and how it feels to be back on top. It’s an amazing sight to see the 5 banners hanging in Assembly Hall and seeing the space waiting for banner 6.
The hysteria began with the women’s team scrimmaging and running drills. Then the men took the court with a show-stopping performance of lip-syncing (an IU tradition as of late). Then came the 3-point contest, which Cody Zeller of all people won. That’s right ladies and gentlemen; our star center is shooting 3’s. As interesting as it is, Zeller is actually a pretty consistent 3-point shooter and has been practicing for most of the summer. This will make him an even deadlier player. ”. Then there was the dunk contest, where Peter Jurkin, Victor Oladipo, Jeremy Hollowell, and Raphael Smith all participated. While Smith did a pretty impressive blind dunk, Oladipo kept his crown with a dunk over roughly 7 people. The scrimmage was just as entertaining as an actual game. With Yogi Ferrell showing his quick feet and ball handling skills. Hollowell showed that he is definitely going to get playing time in the future. It’s safe to say that this years incoming freshman will be just as active as other veteran players this season.
With the thousands of fans in attendance, and the opening game of the season tomorrow Hoosier fans are on edge. It’s going to be the beginning of a beautiful and hopefully fruitful season.
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