Midnight Madness is now 8 p.m. Madness at Cal

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Oct 11, 2005

MIDNIGHT STRIKES a little earlier at the start of college basketball practice this Friday night, and the bleary-eyed have Cal coach Ben Braun to thank for it.

It was back in the 1970s when Maryland coach Lefty Driesell devised the attention-grabbing idea of starting his opening practice at midnight -- or at precisely the first minute NCAA rules allowed.

Sure, it was madness and the name stuck. Midnight Madness became a staple of the fall season, a popular promotional gimmick that lured insomniac undergrads into gymnasiums to watch their teams make their first public appearance of the season.

Over the past three decades, however, the novelty gradually wore off except in the most intense college environments. Even ESPN, which once televised the event, quit doing so eight years ago.

For Braun, the notion of staying up much of the night for what boils down to player introductions and a dunk contest -- but no real practice -- seemed a bit silly.

Older fans began staying away from Midnight Madness. Youngsters rarely made it through without dozing off. Saturday football games came awfully early after a late night, and Braun said workouts the next day were generally worthless because of fatigue.

"There were too many negatives associated with it," he said. Including what college kids -- and college players -- found themselves doing while wide awake at 2 a.m.

"They're either going to drink coffee or something else," Braun said.

So Braun phoned Arizona coach Lute Olson, who shared his views. They proposed through the Pac-10 Conference that the rules bechanged, allowing the first practice to begin at 7 p.m. on the evening before the official start day, and the NCAA made the change.

Now, virtually no school is staging a true midnight practice this Friday night. Cal's "Rock the Haas" will run from 8-10 p.m. at Haas Pavilion and feature appearances by both the men's and women's teams, along with the Bay Area hip-hop band The Frontline. Admission is free.

ESPN is back on campus, too, with plans to televise one-hour live segments at Memphis, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Oregon, beginning Friday at 5 p.m.

USF CELEBRATES: The first basketball practice of the season is just a small piece of a weekend-long party at USF, which is celebrating its 150th birthday.

A sold-out "Legends Dinner," honoring 75 athletes, teams and individuals who have contributed to the advancement of athletics at USF, will be held Friday evening. The Dons' 1954-55 and 1955-56 national championship teams will be presented with rings that weren't part of the festivities a half-century ago.

The men's and women's teams will be introduced at about 9 p.m. at Memorial Gym, following a hip-hop concert by Memphis Bleek.

A new book commemorating USF athletics, named "Legends of the Hilltop," is available online through http://www.USFDons.com, or at the USF bookstore. The price is $29.95.

Stanford, Saint Mary's, Santa Clara and San Jose State are not staging public events to welcome the start of basketball practice.

POINT GUARD PICKS CAL: Chicago prep point guard Jerome Randle has become the fourth member of the class of 2006 to give a verbal commitment to Cal.

A senior at Hales Franciscan High, Randle chose the Bears over Tulsa.

"My dream is to go to a big school," Randle said. "I trust in the (Cal) coaches, especially (assistant) Dennis Gates, because he's from Chicago. He really influenced me."

Hales Franciscan coach Gary London said Randle's size (5-foot-9) once scared off some recruiters. But Randle helped his team to two Illinois Class AA state titles in the past three years, and this summer led his team to the under-17 national AAU crown.

"It's never been a problem for me," Randle said of his size.

"Jerome is definitely a very exciting player. He can probably dribble with the ball faster than most people can run," London said. "I think he's proven he's a winner."

MORAGA BOUND: Saint Mary's got two recent verbal commitments, including from shooting guard Tron Smith, who averaged 3.9 points per game as a freshman at Arizona State in 2003-04.

Smith, who is playing this season at Citrus Junior College in Glendora, and will arrive at Saint Mary's next fall with two years of eligibility, said he senses a better vibe in Moraga than at ASU.

"I watched a couple of their games and it looked like everybody was having fun," Smith said. "Everybody on the floor was smiling. Everybody was pumped up. That type of stuff doesn't really happen at Arizona State."

Smith will be joined by Dubois Williams, a 6-5 wing, who redshirted last year at Arizona State as a non-scholarship player, and is currently at Fresno City College.

TIP-INS: Former Oakland prep star Tim Pierce, who played last season at Arizona State, has transferred to Reedley JC (just south of Fresno) with plans to enroll at San Jose State next fall . ... One-time USF signee Omar Samhan, a 7-footer from San Ramon Valley High in Danville, is trying to get a qualifying test score, and hopes to enroll at Saint Mary's mid-year. He likely wouldn't play until next season.