Lopes hold annual hoops celebration themed with "The Hunger Games"
By: Paul Coro
As a high school signee, Lanelle Wright had attended Midnight Madness at Grand Canyon.
Three weeks ago, she was among the GCU students who filled Global Credit Union Arena for the Lope-A-Palooza volleyball match.
But when the line that weaved through campus from the arena to GCU Stadium turned into "The Biggest Party in College Basketball" inside the arena, the passionate, purple scene hit different as Wright and teammates peeked at the crowd from the northwest tunnel. Lanelle Wright & Cora Bennett
"My heart was racing," said Wright, the Lopes' first freshman ranked as a top-100 recruit. "It was way more than I expected. It was a vibe in there. It was crazy. I was nervous coming down the stairs at first, but the energy brought it all together."
Per usual, the annual midnight introduction of the GCU basketball seasons brought the campus together. Some Havocs pitched "Camp Elliott" tents on The Quad throughout the week to secure the best seats. On Monday night, they were watching "The Hunger Games" outside the arena. Five nights later, "The Hunger Games" took over the arena as the Midnight Madness theme for a season in which both teams are expected to be Mountain West title contenders.
The proceedings let the games begin even before midnight, as GCU students filed into the arena at 10:45 with the Thundering Herd Pep Band and the DJ taking turns to hype them more than any other Valley spot on a late Friday night.
Planning for Midnight Madness started around the time of March Madness, and culminated with thousands singing and swaying arms in unison and remaining on their feet after being on their feet in the line outside.
"A lot of happy tears, a lot of sad tears," said Havocs President Kendra Slater, a senior experiencing her fourth and final Midnight Madness. "But at the end of the day, it was truly the Lord that brought us all into this building, and it was the Lord's will with this whole show. I give all glory to God. And the team, all the workers, all the AV, all the lighting, our production company 3 Point, security guards, event staff. There are so many people who put this together, and I couldn't be more grateful. They're truly amazing."
"Starships" played, but the Havocs did not need the prompt. They already had hands up to touch the sky, as "All of the Lights" played while a light show took over from the arena lighting and the students' phones.
After a combined countdown to midnight, the GCU Spirit Programs injected more energy into the crowd with performances from cheer, dance, band, drumline and Thunder launching an arrow into a video screen burst of fire.
A version of the "Purple Pregame Party" unveiled three section-covering banners for "Paint the Valley Purple," the Havocs logo and "Welcome to the Party," the latter of which was true for 11 newcomers on each basketball team. Blake Barkley
GCU junior forward Blake Barkley, who is from Morgantown, West Virginia, transferred from East Tennessee State as one of nine transfers who started for their previous program.
"I got to the arena and 7, saw the line and thought, 'Oh my goodness, what's going on?' " Barkley said. "And then I realized they were all in line to come here. It's just awesome seeing how much they support us. It's midnight, but they came out here to support us. The support's just unmatched, and it's really cool to see."
Horns blared and drums were beaten as head coaches Bryce Drew and Winston Gandy entered the arena floor on mechanical horses.
A 3-point contest ensued, with freshman Yasmeen Schmidt and sophomore Maya Foz each making 13 of 25 attempts to bring their team to the corner in celebration.
When the men followed, junior Jaden Zimmerman made eight of his last 10 tries to get to 10 before senior Omaha Biliew, a 6-foot-9 power forward, won by making 16 of 25 and drawing an "O-ma-ha" chant from the Havocs.
Sophomore center Efe Demirel threw down a lefthanded alleyoop dunk on a Havoc's lob to earn the student In-n-Out for a year.
These tributes co-existed in harmony, giving off a common wish – may the odds ever be in the Lopes' favor.
"There's something about this arena," Gandy said as he begins his second season at the helm of the GCU women. "There's something magical about it. This season, we're going to need every bit of it. Havocs leaders and Havocs, you guys are one of one. People try to talk about the best fans and what other people do, but nobody does it like GCU.
"They've got a chance to do some pretty special things this year. We promise to put on a show."
That will begin Oct. 27 with an exhibition doubleheader at Global Credit Union Arena, where the women will face Utah State and the men play Western New Mexico.
"A lot of great things have happened at GCU for the basketball programs," said Drew, entering his seventh season coaching the GCU men. "We've got banners up there. We have a national brand now that people look at from TV and different media outlets from our basketball teams. But I want to say congratulations to our seniors Havocs, our junior Havocs, our sophomore Havocs and our freshman Havocs. You guys have a national brand.
"It'll be a show, hopefully, in the crowd and on the court. And then, hopefully, we'll have a show the rest of the year. We want to make this the best year for the basketball teams and for the Havocs in the history of this school."
If to "make sure they remember you" carries from "The Hunger Games" to hoops, Midnight Madness did that for this year's tributes trying to make GCU the capitol of the Mountain West.
"To see the vision come to life, I'm ecstatic," Slater said. "This is just the beginning. We have the whole basketball season to go."
