'Madness' ensues to begin practices
Published Oct. 17, 2006
The MU men's basketball team did not begin its official practice schedule with a two-hour, closed-door, productive practice. Instead, it held Mizzou Madness, which coaches called a fan-centered event, this past Friday at Mizzou Arena.
The team had previously been holding conditioning sessions, as early as 6 a.m., because they were not permitted to conduct official practices.
"Now we can actually teach," coach Mike Anderson said.
Anderson called "Madness" a fun night and an opportunity for fans to meet the players. He added that he didn't consider it a distraction for the team.
"We wake up the next morning and have two practices on Saturday," he said.
Nolan Richardson, who coached Anderson when he played at Tulsa and coached with him at Tulsa and Arkansas, attended the event. Richardson said that he had similar events during his tenure at Arkansas and that the events were like rehearsals and "an introduction to the fans."
Richardson also said that the NCAA's new rule allowing these events to start before midnight is a benefit to coaches, as the players can get home earlier and get more sleep for a morning practice the next day.
Associate coach Melvin Watkins also described it as a fan-oriented event.
"Hopefully our fans will get a lot out of it," he said, noting that the coaches do not benefit from the event.
Watkins has experience at other schools where similar events varied in popularity. He said that when he was the coach at Charlotte, the event was big, as the school did not have a football team. When he was the coach at Texas A&M, he said it was not as big of an event. Watkins said that coaches would prefer to not have the event, but that they "check the pulse of the team to see if they want to have it."
The women's team also participated in the event. Coach Cindy Stein said that it was a great event for her team and that it helped her younger players get experience playing in front of big crowds.
Associate Athletic Director Sarah Reesman said she was unsure how long MU has been conducting this type of event, as season-opening events have taken a variety of different forms depending on the specific NCAA rules at the time.
"We think it's a great way to kick off the season," she said.
Reesman added that if the coaches were to decide against having the event in the future, it would be a combined decision between the administration and the coaching staff.
Freshman guard J.T. Tiller said that the event was a big step from his days at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga. He said he was excited to get a feel for the crowd and that the event "lets the crowd see what we're doing." Shortly after the event ended, Tiller said it surpassed his expectations.
Junior guard Nick Berardini acknowledged that a negative aspect of the event is that little is actually accomplished basketball-wise, but he expressed confidence that Anderson would be able to get the needed production from his team in practices the rest of the weekend.