On the heels of the start of practice for the men’s and women’s basketball teams, Northwestern put on their inaugural “Friday Night Hoops” showcase to the delight of the public crowd over at Henry Crown Sports Pavilion.
In addition to free pizza, the festivities included a joint-team scrimmage and the opportunity to see new players, including heralded freshman JerShon Cobb of the men’s team, and freshmen Meghan McKeown – Coach McKeown’s daughter – La’Terria Taylor and Mylan Woods. Women’s basketball transfers Tailor Jones, Anna Cole and Kate Popovec were also on hand, though Cole and Popovec will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules.
The scrimmage was an entertaining display, featuring a number of memorable moments, including a Michael “Juice” Thompson dunk that was assisted by a hoist from assistant coach and acting referee Tavaras Hardy. Other highlights included alley-oops to many of the men’s squad, but junior forward John Shurna and senior Mike Capocci stole the show with a one-handed reverse and a two-handed tomahawk, respectively. The women, not to be overshadowed, also kept up pace with marksmanship from three-point territory and crisp ball movement.
During public introductions of the two squads, a running gag amongst the men’s players was their claim that many were “electrical engineering” majors. Head coach Bill Carmody, coming into this season in his last contractual year, hinted at the team’s expectations for this year, declaring “I sense that there’s a hunger on this team for something that hasn’t been done before,” an obvious allusion to the quest for Northwestern’s first-ever NCAA tournament berth.
The women’s three-point contest and men’s dunk contest yielded impressive performances, with Meghan McKeown and senior Beth Marshall tying for the women’s three-point title at 13. Senior Mike Capocci easily took home the dunk title with a two-handed 360-degree slam and an off-the-SPAC-wall jam. Fellow participants Ivan Peljusic, Davide Curletti and Reggie Hearn mustered their best efforts, but honorable mention goes to Hearn, who selected a young boy from the stands to assist in a missed dunk.
Northwestern’s men’s team sees its first action against Robert Morris in an exhibition on November 4th, 7:00pm CT. The women face off against UW-Platteville Halloween afternoon at 2:00pm CT. Both matches are at Welsh-Ryan Arena.