The Rhodes Field House was rocking Monday night as thousands of Harding students showed their enthusiasm for the upcoming basketball season at Midnight Madness.The annual event ran from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and was the first opportunity this year for the Rhodes Rowdies to kick it in gear and work themselves into a frenzy.
This massive pep rally is an indication of Harding’s love for basketball.Smoke machines and special lighting effects made the madness that much better.As men’s head coach Jeff Morgan introduced the men’s and women’s teams, a video production showcasing each player was shown on a big screen.Supporters who attended included not only students but residents from the Searcy area.
There were several fun competitions that took place during the rally.Dr. David Burks attempted to give away some tuition but it was not to be.The student chosen by ticket drawing had a rare three attempts to make a halfcourt shot but could not quite get the ball in the net.
A highlight of the event was the social club three-point contest.Each social club selects a participant to compete in this event.This year, the Chi Sigma Alpha social club selected junior Brant Swafford, who hit 16 three-pointers in one minute and won $100 for the club.
“I shot a little after class on Monday,” Swafford said. “I’m not the most athletic guy in the world so all I do is shoot.”
Swafford said Morgan had nothing but good things to say about his performance.
“Coach Morgan seemed a little surprised that someone hit that many shots and told me I did a great job,” Swafford said.
Swafford said he plans on a repeat performance next year.
Coach Morgan was impressed with this year’s Midnight Madness and said that it is a very important recruiting tool for the team.While these annual events take place at the larger Division I schools, Harding is one of the few schools of its size that have this event.
“There were big recruits there that night for both teams,” Morgan said. “It makes a huge impression on them when they come to visit and see the involvement and connection between the student body and the teams.Every one of those kids walked out saying that was awesome.It really is a big deal in recruiting.”
The men’s and women’s programs are preparing for their inaugural season in the Great American Conference with new teams to match up with.Midnight Madness starts the season off with a bang.
“This event really kicks it off for us and I know our guys appreciate it a ton,” Morgan said.”They talk about it all the time and look forward to it.It’s a great way to celebrate the start of the season.”
The men’s program ended its season last year in winning fashion.
The men were Gulf South Conference tournament champions and qualified for the NCAA Division II national tournament.
The Bisons finished the season with an impressive No. 11 national ranking.The returning players were awarded with their GSC championship rings to begin the night.
“We’ve had a great last decade and have accomplished some great things,” Morgan said.”This team has expectations that they want to continue and build on. We lost some really good players and this is a young team.It could be a team that gets better as the year goes on.”
