UAFS Lions, Lady Lions to host Moonlight Madness
by October 12, 2009 5:18 pm 82 views
Editor’s note: Story by Jonathan Gipson, sports information director for the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
Area basketball fans will get an early opportunity to catch a glimpse of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Lions and Lady Lions basketball teams on Thursday night (Oct. 15) during Moonlight Madness at the Stubblefield Center.
Activities begin at 7 p.m. and will include player introductions, team scrimmages, 3-point contests and dunk contests. Players and coaches will also be available for a meet-and-greet autograph and picture session with the fans. There also will be free popcorn and fountain drinks. Admission is free, but fans are asked to bring a canned food item to support the local food bank.
“We would like to introduce our teams to our fans and our fans to our teams without doing that at midnight,” Lady Lions coach Louis Whorton said. “We felt like we would get a lot more of our young kids who come out to our games to come out at 7 o’clock versus midnight. Kids do have to go to school the next day.”
Whorton said he is excited about the opportunity to interact with the UAFS fans in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.
“A lot of our fans are talking about what these teams are going to look like and things like that, and we wanted them to have a chance to see (our teams) in a relaxed atmosphere,” Whorton said. “There will be a lot of activities, and the players will be available for autographs and pictures. It will be more of a meet-and-greet event than anything else.”
Thursday will mark the first day of official team practice for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. After weeks of individual workouts, Whorton is ready to begin preseason preparation in earnest.
“I don’t know if I have ever been more antsy for practice to start in 34 years of coaching,” said Whorton, who begins his 24th season at UAFS. “It’s because I haven’t seen (the team). I’ve seen them in the weight room and doing individual workouts, but I have not seen them together. … I’m kind of crawling the walls. I wish we started right now. The kids are eager to get started, and I am too.”
The Lady Lions will open the regular season on Nov. 20-21 in the third annual Dr. Mary Jane Gilbert Classic hosted by the University of Arkansas at Monticello. They will play Southern Arkansas at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 20 and UAM at 2 p.m. on Nov. 21.
The Lions will open the exhibition season on Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. against Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Mo.