By Charlie Leffler
Friday at the stroke of midnight the 2001-02 U of L men’s basketball team took to the floor Midnight Madness. It was a night of firsts in many ways. It was Louisville’s first ever Midnight Madness celebration. It was the first public exhibition of new head coach Rick Pitino along with the team. And it was the first time that the city of Louisville got a taste of what “Pitino Ball” really means.
The night had been filled with activities, starting with the Cardinal volleyball team match-up against Marquette. Even though it was a hard fought, extremely exciting battle the match got the night off on a sour note as the No. 22 Cards lost in a tiebreaker game.
After the volleyball game, Cardinal fans were treated to adventures on children’s inflatable toys, food, drinks, and an autograph session by both the volleyball and the women’s basketball teams.
Freedom Hall announcer took center stage soon afterward and began the countdown to midnight, passing the time with various contests and his own failed attempts to hit a reverse half-court shot.
The entire Louisville cheerleading squad got the crowd roaring with a highly athletic and entertaining exhibition of their skills at their finest. Finally as the time drew near and anticipation built, the lights were dimmed and the crowd was introduced to the Lady Cardinal basketball team which is ranked No. 18 in the preseason.
Then the moment arrived. The crowd counted down the final 10-seconds and a new era of basketball at U of L began when the players and coaches took to the floor.
In a surprise announcement, senior forward Joseph N’Sima was also introduced. On Thursday, Pitino had said that N’Sima would not be with the team unless the other players voted him to return.
It only took moments after the team was announced for Pitino to begin his instructions. Instead of the players, the new head coach laid down the rules for the crowd.
Rule #1: Everyone will stand during the introduction of the starting lineup.
Rule #2: When a senior or a team captain comes out in the starting lineup the crowd will repeat the player’s name after it is announced over the PA.
Rule #3: Anytime a Cardinal shoots a 3-point shot the crowd will yell “Three!”
Rule #4: If the goal is good the crowd will yell “Cards!”
Rule #5: If the player takes a bad 3-point shot the crowd is to ignore them.
After laying down the law to the crowd, Pitino then turned his attention to his players. Most likely, never before in Cardinal history has a team been worked so hard in front of so many people. During a one on one drill the players were pushed until they looked like they were about to collapse. But the fans who were present only cheered louder because the players never quit.
Some other surprises of the night included freshman center Brandon Bender nailing five consecutive 3-pointers, sophomore Simeon Naydenov doing a very good impersonation of Air Jordon, and possibly the biggest surprise came from the tenaciousness and agility of Alhaji “Junior” Mohammed. The younger brother of former UK standout Nazr Mohammed had not been spoken of much, but if Friday night was any indication that will not be the case for long.
As the one-hour workout concluded the fans could only go away with high hopes for the future. Once again, it appeared Cardinal basketball was something to be proud of.
