by Dax Larson
Issue date: 10/19/06
Section: Womens Sports
The men's basketball team's scrimmage portion of the Late Night with Maverick Athletics was like a child with a plate of Oreos and a glass of milk. Dunk after dunk after dunk. The Maverick men put on their own version of the dunk contest Tuesday night at Taylor Center.
The event started with the Maverick volleyball team in a non-conference match with No. 7 Concordia-St. Paul. The 797 fans broke a Bresnan Arena single-game record for a volleyball match. The crowd couldn't help MSU get an upset as the volleyball team went down in the first three games.
Once the volleyball net was taken down, basketball season officially started with "Hoop it up with Maverick Basketball," a version of Midnight Madness. MSU senior high jumper Jim Dilling wowed the crowd for the third-straight year by winning the amateur slam-dunk contest. In Dilling's final dunk he took a page out of Michael Jordan's book and took off from the free throw line and threw it down.
After Dilling warmed up the crowd the men's and women's basketball teams came out with the men's team sporting new home and away jerseys. One set was white and the other was a bright yellow. Head men's basketball coach Matt Margenthaler said it was time for a change.
"It was nice to break them out last night," Margenthaler said. "We wanted to get the new Maverick logo on there. I think they're sharp."
Senior Luke Anderson was named the Division II Bulletin Preseason Player of the Year last week, but didn't suit-up Tuesday because of a high ankle sprain he suffered during the first practice of the year Sunday.
"He will be back in a couple of weeks, but we don't want to push him," Margenthaler said. "It's better for him to do it now and get healthy before the season starts."
Senior Paris Kyles and freshman Curt Greeley were also sidelined with injuries - Kyles with pain in his neck and Greeley with a sprained ankle. Tuesday was the first opportunity for the fans to see the 6-10 240 pound monster that is Atila Santos. Santos transfered from Northern Iowa and is originally from Salvador, Brazil.
"If the first three days are any indication of what's to come, he is going to have an outstanding season," Margenthaler said. "He has a big body that takes up a lot of space and he has a great knowledge of the game."
On the women's side, MSU features a strong class of returning players including senior Alanna Wahl, junior Jamie Kienitz and sophomores Heather Johnson, Joanne Noreen, Flecia Foster and Alex Andrews. MSU fans got their first look at Teresa Parker, a D-I transfer from Southern Illinois University. The freshman and transfer class of 2006 have six women over six feet, including Parker. This year's team is also young with 14 of 19 players being underclassmen.
Dax Larson is a Reporter staff writer
