Colleges: Midnight Magic fills Bren Center

Amara Aguilar

Remember those days, when everyone in the whole school piled into

the gym for a pep rally and the cheerleaders came out and the band

played. Everyone sang the alma mater and all the athletes jogged single

file into the building with their team uniforms on.

For those who haven’t been to a pep rally lately, some things have

changed. And for those who are in high school now, the ones in college

get better.

On Friday “Midnight Magic” was held in the Bren Events Center at UC

Irvine. The annual event kicks off the men’s and women’s basketball

seasons. Both teams began practice during the weekend.

Some of the traditional pep rally stuff took place at this event,

which was free of charge.

The cheerleaders came out. There was really loud music playing. People

chanted, “Go ‘Eaters!” Sounds pretty traditional, right. But at the

stroke of midnight, things started to get technical.

It was like opening night at a hockey game or something. The building

went dark. Sparks of light flashed through the air. There was a big

screen. Even that mysterious thick smoke shot up from the ground, like at

a concert.

Then, now this was really cool, they played highlights from last

season on the big screen to get everyone pumped up. The screen showed the

men’s basketball team winning the Big West Conference title and people

storming the court.

Next, players were introduced. But the announcer didn’t just say their

names and have the team come out. The players said a few short words on

the big screen and then jogged out. It made things a little more

personal.

After that, the games began. Following all of the introductions, there

were two contests: Battle of the sexes and the slam dunk contest.

In battle of the sexes, five players from the men’s basketball team

attempted three-pointers against five players from the women’s team. Each

player had to shoot under a time limit, with each shot made earning a

point.

In the fourth round, Erin Tomlinson of the women’s squad helped tie

the score, 25-25.

The men sent up Adam Parada to shoot in the team’s final round and he

pulled the men ahead, 33-31, to win the contest.

“I was really nervous,” Tomlinson said. “But it was more fun having

everyone here and seeing the support that we get. This makes us look

forward to the season. It gives us focus.”

Tomlinson was nervous, but what about her opponents? Does anyone from

the men’s team get the jitters before the three-point contest?

“Only if they start missing,” men’s head coach Pat Douglass said.

This time, the men didn’t miss many shots to pull ahead and get

everyone pumped up for the slam dunk contest.

Four players from the men’s team were rated on their dunks and two,

Jordan Harris and Matt Okoro, advanced to the final round.

In the end, it was Harris who made the dominating dunk. “It was fun.

We are all good friends and it was just fun and games,” Harris said.

It wasn’t all fun and games in the Bren Center, although that

certainly was a part of the event. This event showed the basketball teams

how much support they really have from the school, the students and their

families and friends. People piled into the Bren Center, filling one side

of the building that was available for seating.

“It creates a lot of excitement for our players,” women’s head coach

Mark Adams said. “It’s a good way to get their adrenaline going and feel

excitement about the season.”

The event also reminds students that basketball season is on the

horizon.

“It shows a lot of school spirit and alerts people the season is going

to start,” Douglass said. “We have a recruit here and former players.

It’s a festive night for all.”

Both the men’s and women’s teams have high hopes for the upcoming

season.

In addition to winning the Big West Conference title last year, the

men’s team set a school record for most wins in a season with a record of

25-5. Senior guard Jerry Green is the team’s most notable returner. Green

was the Big West Player of the Year last year and is a Wooden Award

preseason All-American this season.

The women’s team has five returning starters, including senior forward

Cindy Oparah, who was a first team All-Big West pick last season.

In other college news, Vanguard women’s soccer player Annie Jacobs

scored her 30th career goal in the Lions’ 3-0 victory over Biola on

Saturday. Jacobs, a senior forward, has a team-leading six goals this

season. She is second on Vanguard’s all-time scoring list, behind Jamie

Gardiner, who scored 39 goals.

Kathy Lavold was named player of the week by IvyLeagueSports.com for

leading Columbia to the title of a recent volleyball tournament. Lavold,

a graduate of Newport Harbor High, had a total of 55 kills and a .609

hitting percentage.