Saint Rose students should be in for one great basketball season this year
By JOSHUA NATOLI
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 8, 2011
On Thursday, Students filled up the Nolan Gymnasium for the annual Midknight Madness to get a preview of the men’s and women’s basketball upcoming season.
Students began to line up in front the Nolan Gymnasium at 8 p.m., an hour before festivities started, to get into Midknight Madness 2011. After the doors opened, the line that stretched way past the main lobby quickly diminished as students grabbed their Midknight Madness shirts and nearly filled the gym. The atmosphere was electric as DJ T.G.I.F kept the crowd going before things got underway. Not a single student seemed to be sitting still as continuous music filled the gym
Among the student interactive events were a Chicken Joe’s boneless wing eating contest, a free-throw shooting contest in which the winner moved on to a challenge in which a lay-up, free-throw, a three point shot, and a half-court shot all had to be made within thirty seconds, and a shooting game in which a student got the chance to win $10,000.
There were also three performances. The Saint Rose Cheerleaders performed an array of very flashy jumps and stunts. The ALANA steppers put on a dazzling display of beat and dance. The Saint Rose Dance Team also showed their stuff in a very vivid presentation.
The biggest attractions at the event were the displays by the men’s and women’s basketball teams put on. Senior Adrianna Gaeta commented on the 6 seniors who lead the team and their quest for a 12th Division 2 NCAA Tournament bid. The women’s team also put together a group dance which was very comical and entertaining.
Golden Knights forward James Wilson also took the mic to discuss how the team has been ranked as a top-20 team in preseason polls for NCAA Division 2. The team then followed with an athletic display of high-flying dunks for two minutes.
The women’s squad is coming off of a 21-8 season in which they finished in fourth place in the NE-10. They will return three senior starters this season in guard Ashley Rath, who led the team in scoring last season with 15.9 points per game and is also a two time All-Conference pick, another guard Ola Shajuyigbe who averaged 12.3 points per game, and forward Ali Johnson who averaged nearly 10 points per game. With returning nearly the same winning formula as last season, the women’s team can expect another successful year.
The men’s team enjoyed a 22-9 overall record last season, finishing fourth in the NE-10 conference. They return four starters from last season in senior guard Rob Gutierrez, who led the team in scoring last season with nearly 18 points per game, junior guard Andre Pope who also scored his share with nearly 13 points per game, senior forward Brian Hanuschak who averaged 8.7 rebounds per game and senior forward Sheldon Griffin who averaged 6.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season. With a roster filled with both fresh-legged freshmen and seasoned veterans, the men’s team can expect an even more successful season than last year.
The Golden Knights Basketball season tips-off for the women on Friday November 11th when they will go up against Concordia at 6 p.m. , the men’s season begins the following Saturday when they also will host Concordia at 8 p.m. The women’s team will also face Post University the Saturday following the Concordia game at 2 p.m. and the men will go against C.W. Post at 4 p.m. the day following their date with Concordia.
