Indiana basketball puts swagger, success on display at Hoosier Hysteria
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson has brought a unique sense of swagger to Assembly Hall.
That was evident in the hype video that played on the jumbotron on Friday night at Hoosier Hysteria riffing off Woodson's quote that "Indiana is the s---."
"It hasn't changed all these years," Woodson said, during an interview on the court. "Indiana has the greatest fans in college basketball without a doubt."
Indiana men's and women's basketball programs hosted the annual event on Friday night that kicks off the basketball season with plenty of pageantry. The lower bowl and student section was completely full and fans spilled over into the balcony areas.
The women's introductions took on a celebratory tone when the nine remaining members of last year's team were presented with Big Ten championship rings and their team was added to the championship banners hanging in Assembly Hall.
They were all smiles taking the court.
Sharnecce Currie-Jelks did the gritty down the entrance ramp, Sydney Parrish brought her dog Chanel (dressed up in a crimson colored bow and sparkly tutu) and Chloe Moore-McNeil busted out Hulk Hogan-style moves to get the crowd pumped up winding up her hand and putting it to her ear.
Hoosiers guard Yarden Garzon got emotional when she entered to raucous ovation with the Israeli flag wrapped around her shoulders. The sophomore is an international player from Ra’anana, Israel, and she spent the summer back home.
Indiana coach Teri Moren, who came out to John Mellencamp's "Small Town", received a hero's welcome.
More: Indiana women’s basketball coach Teri Moren wants to boost Mackenzie Holmes’ star power
The teams faced off in skills competition, 3-point contest and game of knockout that featured fan participants.
Anthony Leal and Lenée Beaumont won the skills competition thanks to Leal hitting a desperate three-quarter court shot in the semifinals when he looked on the verge of losing. His teammates mobbed him at center court to celebrate. They ended up beating Mackenzie Holmes and Xavier Johnson in the finals.
Gabe Cupps and Sara Scalia won the 3-point competition behind Cupps’ 19-point performance. He tied for the best individual performance with Garzon.
Garzon responded by winning the knockout competition that featured a final five including a student, Trey Galloway, Sara Scalia, Garzon and Jakai Newton. She hit a 3-pointer to knock out Newton for the title.
Indiana's RedSteppers, cheerleaders, spirit squad and marching band put in plenty of work as well to set the stage for the teams.
They went through nearly a dozen routines for cheering fans.
The finals of the Candy Stripe Classic 3-on-3 tournament served as an opening act of sorts. The 10-minute game pit Mike Woodson's Goatee taking on the Black Knights.
After winning 9-8, Woodson's Goatee were presented with a trophy and t-shirts on the court. The fans momentarily turned against them when they tried to dribble out the clock at the top of the key with 30 seconds to go.
They abandoned the strategy when it drew jeers from the crowd and missed a layup attempt that allowed Black Knights to attempt an off-balanced 3-point attempt at the buzzer that missed.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on Twitter @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Hoosier Hysteria sets the stage for Indiana basketball's 2023 season
