Queens College students and fans got a chance to see their men’s and women’s basketball teams as they electrified the crowd for MidKnight Madness. To kick off the start of a new season, both teams gave onlookers a chance to see their talent at the teams’ first official practice which featured a skills contest, slam dunk contest and other fan friendly activities.
As the teams were being announced, the crowd cheered loud and proud for their Knights while the players and coaches threw t-shirts into the crowd. The two-hour event was filled with music, games, dance shows and food. The crowd was often engaged in all of the games throughout the event.
A few audience members were given an opportunity to win $150 for dining at Queens College. A handful of players were chosen from the women’s basketball team to make the shot for the audience members. If they made the necessary shots, the lucky fan would receive a gift card totaling $150 to use for dining at Queens College. Regardless of whether the shot was a make or a miss, the crowd cheered for the players to provide extra encouragement for them to win the fan a gift card.
It was an incredible experience for the audience and all those participating. Bianca Castro, a political science major, was among one of the fortunate members chosen at random. Although she did not win the gift card, she certainly had a great time.
During the dance show, the girls were full of enthusiasm as they performed their energetic new routine. The 11 dancers—who wore matching tops with “Knights” stitched onto them to match their black and red pom-poms— worked hard at their routine and it showed throughout the performance. One of the most exciting events of the night was a nail biter as one fan got the chance to win $10,000. Throughout the night, raffle tickets were being sold for an opportunity to win the grand prize. When the winner of the raffle ticket was revealed, he had several attempts to make the one shot which would have changed his life in the near future.
Unfortunately, the lucky fan did not make any of the shots but that did not damper the atmosphere as people were still excited to see what was coming up next and for the upcoming season. The crowd still cheered and the contestant did not seem upset.
Afterwards, the teams began shooting some hoops and proved why Knights are amazing. The spirit was great, the music loud, and memories were made throughout the night. The men’s team looks to improve from last season as they opens their season on Nov. 10 vs. Chestnut Hill. On Nov. 11, the women’s team will look to follow up a great 2016-2017 season as they begin the year with a game at Jefferson.
Go Knights!
