Late Night Madness welcome NEMCC basketball season
Photo: Northeast Mississippi Community College cheerleader Mary Houston Ivy of Booneville prepares to shoot the basketball during the fan knockout shooting game at the 2021 Late Night Madness. The annual tipoff event for the Northeast basketball teams returns on Tuesday, October 18 at 8 p.m. inside Bonner Arnold Coliseum. Credit: Michael H. Miller/Northeast Public Information)
The hype surrounding the 2022-23 basketball season at Northeast Mississippi Community College will grow even greater during its annual tipoff event.
The Lady Tigers and Tigers will welcome their fans inside Bonner Arnold Coliseum for the seventh edition of Late Night Madness at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 18.
“It’s a fun night. We’re going to have a good time,” said Tigers headman Cord Wright. “We always have great support. The town comes out and the school comes out. There’s a lot for everybody to get involved with.”
Fans will receive the opportunity to connect with Northeast’s round ball student-athletes for the first time this year during this approximately one-and-a-half hour extravaganza.
It all starts with a recognition of both the men’s and women’s teams plus the 20-member cheerleading squad, which is under the direction of eighth-year head coach Chasity Moore.
Each program will put their sharp shooters to the test with a three-point competition. It ends with one grand championship showdown between the respective winners from the Lady Tigers and Tigers.
The men will show off their hops with a slam dunk competition. Students and other supporters will join both squads on the Ricky G. Ford Court for a special knockout shooting game.
The festivities wrap up with a pair of intrasquad scrimmages that feature a 10-minute running clock. The Lady Tigers should take the floor first at around 9:10 p.m. with the Tigers immediately following after a brief warm up period.
New Northeast head women’s coach Chelsey Rhodes and her assistant Aspriona Gilbert, who both played at Delta State University, will make their unofficial debuts at Late Night Madness.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about it,” Rhodes said. “I’m getting very excited day by day just to sit down and talk to (the fans) and actually meet them. I think it’s going to be a great experience.”
The Lady Tigers and Tigers will both complete their preparations for the regular season with jamborees on Friday, October 21. The women travel to Itawamba Community College for their lone exhibition contests.
Northeast hosts a seven-team round robin that day. The Tigers face Dyersburg State (Tenn.) Community College, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) University and Shelton State (Ala.) Community College starting at 1:30 p.m. on the Booneville campus.
