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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

sports

Women's basketball appears in first Midnight Madness

While the men's basketball team waited patiently inside their locker room, much of the women's team hovered around the floor of Assembly Hall waiting for their first official practice to begin. \nAs the clock ticked down, and the cheers got louder, the team's smiles got bigger and their step a little livelier. They've never played in front of this many people, let alone practiced. \nYes, the 9,000 fans that attended probably came to welcome interim head coach Mike Davis and the men's team or to see a dunk contest featuring the Hoosier high-risers. And no, the television cameras weren't focused on the women's team as they ran out of their locker room. \nIndeed, the women's team might have been the second act in the early moments Saturday morning, but for one night, that was OK.\n"This is a unique experience to have this many people at one of our events," said junior forward Erin McGinnis, minutes before the start of practice. "I'm very excited. I've been getting ready for this all summer and all fall."\nFor the first time ever, the women's team ushered in the new season, practicing with the men's team at Midnight Madness.\nBut the hour and fifteen minute gala resembled anything but a usual IU practice.\nUnder former men's Coach Bob Knight, the practice was a practice; simple as that. Nothing fancy, and no women's team.\nWith Davis at the helm, things were different as the team shared the spotlight with the women's team and had a series of contests made for the fans.\nAfter warming-up, the women's team was introduced to the fans at Assembly Hall for the first time. As public address announcer Chuck Crabb voiced each player's name, they scurried across the floor, obviously in awe of the adrenaline that came with the situation. The fans then welcomed women's coach Kathi Bennett, in her first public appearance with her team, with a standing ovation.\n"There's this anticipation of something very exciting," junior guard Tara Jones said. "I'm glad to see so many people came out. I'm excited to see what's going to go on."\nWhat went on was junior guard Heather Cassady showing why she took 160 three-point attempts last year.\nCassady stole the show from the men in the three-point contest, making more three-pointers in all three of her rounds than any man. She won the women's portion of the contest by netting 14 three-pointers each round, breezing by McGinnis in the finals, 14-11.\nThen Cassady quickly dispatched the men's winner, junior forward/center Kirk Haston, 17-12 in a battle for inter-gender supremacy. Cassady won the competition shooting an amazing 60-percent from behind the arc. She shot 33-percent for the Hoosiers last season.\nIn the spot shot competition, Jones teamed with freshman forward Mike Roberts to defeat junior forward Jill Chapman and freshman forward George Leach in the finals.\nAfter the women judged the men in the slam dunk contest, they sat out as the men scrimmaged for 10 minutes. But then they got right back to work.\nAs the Midnight Madness program ended, the women's team remained on the floor of Assembly Hall for their first real practice of the season. And for all the shooting that happened in front of the fans, Bennett said there would be hardly any use of a ball for the hour-and-a-half after the crowds dispersed.\nThe practice would focus on installing her defense and running drills to accentuate that, Bennett said.\nThere was no fanfare this time though, as players got down to business. The team did not talk to the media after the midnight practice. \n"The problem won't be getting them up in front of all the people," said Bennett beforehand. "The key is for them to have the same intensity when no one's there. When it's just us. When we're all alone"

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