Meet your 2004-05 Northwestern men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Junior T.J. Parker can rap in French. Freshman Sara Stutz can juggle basketballs. Senior Samantha McComb can spin a ball perpetually and sophomore Vince Scott can dance.
The baskets were stowed away at Halloween HOOP-la on Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena, but players, Ladycats and cheerleaders entertained the fans.
Many students came from Ryan Field after watching the NU football team beat Purdue. About 600 people attended the free event, said Tracie Hitz of NU’s marketing department.
“I think it was a great event,” guard Evan Seacat said. “People came from the football game after a really good win and they got their first chance to see all of us for the new year… it was just a good time.”
The fourth-annual event began with basketball announcer Gary Ross introducing the women’s basketball team. First-year women’s coach Beth Combs gave a shout-out to the football team before appealing to students to come to the women’s games.
“Hopefully we can get you, a friend and a friend of a friend,” she said.
The microphone was then turned over to Parker, who spit out a few verses of a French adaptation of an R. Kelly song before technical difficulties cut short his performance.
“I wish that he could have rapped all the way through,” forward Davor Duvancic said. “He was preparing so hard for that — he was in the locker room for an hour before practice just thinking about it. It was so funny.”
After the men’s team was introduced, coach Bill Carmody addressed the crowd with his usual candidness. He talked about the team’s heightened expectations before informing the freshmen students, “We haven’t been that good in basketball… we haven’t.”
The crowd laughed as he amended his remark: “But we’re working hard, we’re using our heads, so we’re pretty excited.”
After a Ladycats performance, the rest of the event featured non-basketball competitions. Players were divided into two teams to participate in events such as dancing, juggling, ball spinning, singing and pumpkin pie eating.
Fans got to interact, too. The sauciest moment came when senior Shelby Chlopak, a lacrosse player, came out of the stands to dance.
Scott’s moves in the dance-off attracted attention, too, but for different reasons.
“It was something different, something I never saw before,” Duvancic said. “It cracked me up so hard, it was just unbelievable.”
Despite the festivities, some students were frustrated that, unlike past years, no hoops were played. A volleyball match scheduled for later in the evening prevented the athletic department from setting up baskets.
“There was no basketball, so I was kind of disappointed,” McCormick senior Andrew Cibor said. “I was looking forward to a dunk contest or something.”
Players, however, still enjoyed the event.
“People can come see us (play) at the games,” center Ivan Tolic said. “This was a chance for them to get to know us a little bit more personally — talk to us, see what we do, see our other talents.”
Vedran Vukusic, Parker, Hachad and Duvancic also represented NU at Big Ten Media Day in Chicago on Sunday.
The media voted defending Big Ten champions Illinois the Big Ten preseason favorite and Illini guard Deron Williams preseason player of the year.
