Ok folks, just got back from Midnight Madness.
There is no other way to describe it: unbelieveably hyped.
People were expecting about 12,000 (roughly the lower deck and a little of the upper). When I arrived at about 9:45, the entire lower deck and ring were filled. By the time things were in full swing, it was filled to capacity. They had to stop letting people in.
It felt like an NBA arena when they turned off the lights and the spotlights swirled around the building at 10:30.
When the players were introduced one by one by Stuart Scott, they emerged from the tunnel most doing something unique. A confident David Noel busted out a crip-walk-like dance, Rashad McCants displayed the "X", etc. Raymond Felton probably received the loudest applause. The applause for Roy was endless. It looked like a wave was being passed around through the fans as many flapped their arms up and down in a worshiping motion.
Then, for the hour leading up to midnight the players performed an array of skits. Each skit had a different theme and almost all included dancing. It was like a performance in a theater! It was awesome to see the players bust out correographed moves with the dance team girls. There is no doubt these dances were practiced a lot beforehand. There were some good smacks at Coach K, Dickie V, and NC State. The Duke disses were limitless. Sean May and Melvin Scott gave their "10 reasons why UNC will be the best team in the acc." One of the reasons was, "Clemson: enough said." The crowd went nuts when they said the number one reason: "Because old Roy came home."
There is so much to say...how about a few thoughts about the players based on layup lines and the brief scrimmage.
Raymond Felton: Raymond Felton is Raymond Felton. his quickness is unreal. He is clearly the leader of this team.
Rashad McCants: Rashad's handles looked to be improved. Rashad hit some early 3 balls. He powered right past Melvin Scott in the scrimmage. He is a scorer and will be hard to stop.
Sean May: He has lost weight and added muscle. You would never know he was hurt. He gets up and down the court very well. His versatility is awesome. His touch is silky smooth.
David Noel: Still the best athlete and dunker on the team. He seems to be more confident.....lets say he has the swagger. He wasn't too sharp in the scrimmage, but he had some nice dunks in warmups.
Byron Sanders: His dancing ability shows that he has footwork. Also, it looked as if his post moves had improved, but his two nice moves were countered when he was blocked twice by Sean May.
Damien Grant: This guy is a f-ing beast. He is huge. If he can get healthy and give us some minutes, he is a monster.
Melvin Scott: His handle looked even better. He wasn't following through tonight, but he has a stroke.
Jawad Williams: He didn't look to sharp in the scrimmage, but he has really beefed up. His shot is so smooth, and he can really get off the ground.
Jackie Manuel: He was probably the most impressive on the night. He knocked down a couple of 3 balls, made some composed slashes to the basket which he finished, and also handled the ball effectively. He looked to have made some strides in the off season.
Reyshean Terry: Taller than I expected. He has long arms and a great body. He reminds me of Josh Howard.
Justin Bohlander: This guy is a walkon, and he was a player tonight. After getting good position and getting his hands free, he caught the ball in the post and made some really skilled moves in the paint. He has some good fundamentals and a nice touch. No doubt he will be able to help us out some down low.
Wes Miller: He will be a fan favorite. He dribbles the ball very well, and he plays tough, in-your-face-defense. He was putting some pressure on Felton. He came away with a few steals and break a way layups. It is good to see that someone will be pushing Felton in practice.
That's all for now. Need to sleep. Incredible night, I just hope the expectations aren't too high.
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