Midnight Madness Sweeps Through LIU Post
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Nov. 1, 2014) - Nearly 1,000 members of the LIU Post student body attended Midnight Madness at the Pratt Recreation Center on Wednesday night. The event was labeled as a kickoff to the 2014-15 LIU Post basketball season.
The crowd was energized from the introductions of the players to the very last contest, showing their support for their friends and fellow student-athletes. Students could participate in contests for various prizes, including a 50-inch flat screen television and XBox One bundle, a laptop computer, and one thousand dollars in cold, hard cash.
"Midnight Madness was a great University event," said Director of Athletics and Recreation
Bryan Collins (Sayville, N.Y.). "There was a lot of cross-promotion between Athletics, Student Life and Student Affairs in the event, and it showed a great sense of "Post Pride". Our student-athletes felt special and more inspired to represent this great University."
Echoing Collins' sentiments was the reigning East Coast Conference Coach of the Year,
Deirdre Moore (Elmont, N.Y.) of the LIU Post women's basketball team.
Moore stated, "We had great support, not just from the student-athletes, but all members of the student body. Everyone went home with something, whether it was a feeling of "Post Pride" or a tee-shirt or one of the prizes that were given away. The student-athletes felt special and it was an electrifying night."
The event culminated with a slam dunk contest featuring members of the men's basketball team, which was followed by a student half-court shot contest.
"We packed the place," said Head Men's Basketball Coach
Erik Smiles. "I think our guys were really happy with the amount of support we received from "Pioneer Nation" and it gave all of us that sense of "Post Pride" going into the season.
Both the men's and women's basketball teams will kick off their season in the coming weeks. The men's team will open with an exhibition game against Division I Manhattan College next Saturday (Nov. 8) in Riverdale, before hosting Franklin Pierce and AIC in the LIU Post Tip-Off Tournament on Nov. 15 and 16. The women's team will begin its 2014-15 campaign by facing Adelphi and Pace at the ECC/NE-10 Challenge in Garden City, N.Y. on Nov. 14 and 15.