DUNK CITY, Fla. – For the second-straight year FGCU will be showcased alongside 10 of the premier college basketball programs in the country on Friday, Oct. 17, as ESPN has selected Dunk City After Dark Presented by Coconut Point Ford to appear on ESPN3.
The event, which unofficially tips off the 2014-15 college basketball season and will include the women's team as well, will air in its entirety on ESPN3. Plans are still being finalized, but Dunk City After Dark is estimated to run from 9-10:30 p.m. in Alico Arena.
ESPN has chosen six schools: Arizona, Kentucky, UConn, Florida, Gonzaga and San Diego State to appear on its ESPNU coverage, while Kansas, Harvard, Mercer and NC State join FGCU exclusively on ESPN3.
FGCU officials are still finalizing the schedule for the event – which is also sponsored by the
Naples Daily News and
The News Press, but preliminary plans call for an introduction video, 3-point contest, scrimmage, player skits and the highly-anticipated dunk contest.
ESPNU's Midnight Madness broadcast will air starting at 6 p.m. and combine studio and remote coverage to bring fans a three-hour start of the season celebration. Last year,
Brian Greene Jr.'s reverse-360, between-the-legs dunk capped a spectacular evening and landed on SportsCenter later that night as a Top 10 Play.
"We're extremely excited to once again be selected by ESPN to showcase our program on a national stage alongside some of the best teams in the country," said second-year head coach
Joe Dooley. "It's a great opportunity for all of our guys and provides our fan base a chance to see our team for the first time."
Admission is free and open to the public; however, the FGCU volleyball team hosts Lipscomb earlier that evening at 6. Tickets to that game have been discounted to only $3, and that will ensure fans a seat at the general-admission Dunk City After Dark. More details and information related to the event will be issued at a later date.
Midnight Madness began in 1971 by then-Maryland coach Lefty Driessell, who started the tradition with a team workout at 12:03 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 15 – which was then the first official day teams could commence practice for the season. Since then, the midnight start has morphed into a pep rally rather than an actual practice, including an emcee, music, dancing, competitions and giveaways for fans in attendance. Last year FGCU was featured on ESPNU with LaPhonso Ellis serving as the on-site host.
FGCU enters the 2014-15 season with seven returning letterwinners and three starters. Six high-major transfers in
Demetris Morant (UNLV),
Eric Moeller (Missouri) Julian DeBose (Rice),
Marc-Eddy Norelia (Tulane),
Brian Greene Jr. (Auburn) and
Nick Pellar (Auburn) are all eligible in Dooley's second season at the helm. Furthermore, highly-touted
Logan Hovey (Orlando, Fla./Paul J. Hagerty HS) is expected to see his first action in the Green and Blue as the 6-7 forward redshirted in 2013-14 following surgery to repair a stress fracture. Additionally, Dooley and his staff will have incoming freshman guard
Christian Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) to bolster a 15-man roster which will be one of FGCU's deepest teams in program history.
FGCU earned the program's first Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season championship courtesy of a 14-4 league mark in 2013-14. The Eagles participated in the NIT for the first time in program history as FGCU's 22 wins marked the second-straight 20-win season and were the second-most in the Division-I era (2007-08).
2014-15 women's basketball season tickets are still available, while men's basketball season tickets are nearly sold out. Fans can renew and reserve their seat(s) by visiting the Alico Arena Ticket Office, calling 239-590-7145 or logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets.
