Tuesday, Oct 16, 2012
Students filled Alumni Gym on October 12 to welcome the 2012-13 basketball season and the Rider men's and women's hoops teams.
by Sean Ramsden
The 2012-13 men’s and women’s basketball season arrived at Rider on October 12, bathed in multicolored spotlights and music as the University’s annual Midnight MAACness festivities hit the hardwood of Alumni Gym. The date marks the first day collegiate teams may conduct official practices, as per NCAA regulations.
Each year, the Student Government Association, the Department of Athletics, Office of Campus Life and the Student Entertainment Council provide food, live entertainment, free giveaways, and spirit-filled activities to usher in the news hoops season.
This year’s theme, “Bronc the Vote,” played on the excitement of the current presidential campaign and encouraged the sold-out audience of students to register to vote in this year’s elections on November 6.
The women’s team, under the tutelage of head coach Lynn Milligan, tips off on Friday, November 9, at Stony Brook. The Broncs will open their home schedule on Monday, November 12, when they meet New Jersey Institute of Technology at 7 p.m. in Alumni Gym.
The men, under first-year head coach Kevin Baggett, open their schedule at home on Friday, November 9, when they host Robert Morris University. The Broncs then step into the national spotlight on the morning of Tuesday, November 13, when they play Stony Brook at 6 a.m. as part of ESPN’s 24 Hours of College Basketball season-opening marathon. This is the second year in a row that the Broncs have hosted ESPN at dawn, and once again, the Rider community is expected to fill Alumni Gym to capacity.