Let The Madness Begin!
10/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 15, 2007
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - 10:49 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15. The Madness Begins!
The USC Upstate basketball teams were ushered into Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference in style on Monday night at the Hodge Center, as the teams played part in Midnight Madness in front of an overflow crowd of 1,700 rabid fans.
The event, which began with a performance from the Tantrum Dance Troupe, was the Spartans' entrance to Division I basketball, as it makes the transition after 17 years at the NCAA Division II level and in the Peach Belt Conference, joining the Atlantic Sun Conference.
With the lights still dim around the arena, the Spartan Army, USC Upstate's fan group featuring full Greek regalia, entered through the doors of the Hodge Center. Raising their swords to honor the court warriors, the Spartan Army welcomed the USC Upstate women's basketball team underneath the fort the army created. Then the men were introduced to strains of Soulja Boy's "Crank That" over the speakers brought in for the event and freshman Rashawn Brailsford captured the crowd's attention with a thundering dunk under the spotlights followed by another from classmate Mezie Uzochukwu. After the introductions, the Upstate players warmed up on the court, the fans were treated to complimentary pizzas and were led in chants of "Upstate" and "Spartans" by the Spartan Army and the cheerleaders.
At 11 p.m., the fans in the Hodge got a preview of the women's team, as it participated in an five-minute scrimmage. Freshman Tiffany Whiting led the Spartan women on the court, draining two trifectas during the White team's 11-6 win. Sophomore Courtney Hawkins also drained a three in the scrimmage.
After a birthday cake was presented to tennis head coach Alessandro DeMarzo, who led both the Spartan men and women's teams to three straight NCAA Division II Tournament berths, the men's basketball team got their chance to show off their skills for the crowd. Freshman Rory Spencer led the Spartan men, posting a roaring dunk and adding a reverse layup as the White team took an 8-4 decision against the Green.
After the scrimmages, the marketing and promotions department held their first giveaways of the night, handing out two IPods and a $250 book voucher from the campus bookstore. Then the teams were set for the Battle of the Sexes 3-point shootout. Kasey Thompson represented the women's team after beating her teammate Whiting by hitting eight treys in the first round while junior Zac Rich represented the men after besting sophomore Rhett Hardin, 11-7, in the semifinals. In the 60-second showdown between the two teams, Rich hit four of his first five shots from the left corner en route to taking the championship over Thompson, 13-7.
After the 3-point shootout, the Upstate cheerleaders tossed out special edition "House of Payne" T-shirts to the crowd, honoring sixth-year men's head coach Eddie Payne, who has racked up 353 career wins in 23 seasons as a head coach. Then the crowd got a chance to compete against the Spartans, as two fans took the floor to compete against a men's and women's player for a shot to win Charlette Bobcats' tickets. Though neither fan could best their Spartan counterpart, they did walk away with the tickets.
Following another set of giveaways, Sparten men Jeremy Byrd, Rashawn Brailsford, Nick Schneiders, Bobby Davis and Rory Spencer met in a Slam Dunk Contest with a special set of judges including Palmetto Sports Network's Stan Olenik, Vic Bailey Associates' Elaine Gibson, USC Upstate Chief of Police Klay Peterson, Coker basketball standout Tully Pate and Upstate Director of Athletics Mike Hall. In the first round, Brailsford connected on a turnaround-360 dunk that thrilled the crowd and drew nothing but 10s from the judges. Spencer posted another remarkable dunk, leaping over 5-8 freshman Josh Chavis and drawing wows from the crowd. In the second round, Brailsford connected on a reverse dunk off his own lob and junior Nick Schneiders dunked two balls on one giant leap, setting up a finals showdown between the two. In the finals, Brailsford tomahawked a dunk to steal the contest.
After a Playstation III Gaming System was given away, Payne addressed the crowd, thanking them for coming and asking for their support throughout the season. "As we go into Division I and play top-flight teams, we want to have a party in the stands every game," the 23rd-year coach said. "We need you here."
