RALEIGH -- N.C. State made its first foray into "Midnight Madness" on Friday with the aptly named "Red Rally." The showcase for the men's and women's basketball teams, which featured a 3-point shootout, a dunk contest and a scrimmage, was done for one reason.
"We wanted to give the fans a chance to see the team," men's coach Sidney Lowe said.
A modest crowd of about 5,000 in Reynolds Coliseum, got the first look at the unofficial beginning of the 2009-10 college basketball season. Typically, State has held a Red-White game on a football Saturday but decided to jump into the "Madness" this season.
Lowe, beginning his fourth season at his alma mater, addressed the crowd before the festivities began.
"I think you're going to enjoy what you see in our ballclub," Lowe said. "We're going to be different. We're going to be young, and we're going to be exciting."
Lowe added five freshmen to a team that finished 16-14 last season and has to replace its top three scorers.
One of the newcomers, 7-foot-1 Jordan Vandenberg, became an instant fan favorite when he won the dunk contest over sophomore Johnny Thomas. Vandenberg, from Melbourne, Australia, drew cheers of "Aussie!" for his between-the-legs dunk and for catching an alley-oop off the side of the backboard from fellow freshman Scott Wood.
C.J. Williams' running jumper at the buzzer capped a win in the scrimmage for the White team.
New women's coach Kellie Harper kicked off the night with the introduction of her first team, which participated in both the 3-point and dunk contests with the men's team. Junior Tia Bell, a 6-3 forward, missed both of her attempts with the regulation ball but flushed a mini souvenir ball to the delight of her teammates.
