The first day of basketball practice promises to be a memorable one for Iola High’s boys and girls squads.
The squads will partake in “Midnight Madness With The Mustangs,” at the stroke of midnight Sunday evening.
Doors will open at 11 p.m., with activities starting at 11:30.
Because practices cannot officially begin until Monday, the players will take the court at midnight.
The Fillies will open with a quick practice session, including various drills and exercises. The boys are expected to take to the court at 12:30.
But that’s only part of the story.
The IHS cheerleaders will be on hand to rouse those in attendance — it’s free and open to the public — with hype videos in the mix.
The players will be introduced in style, complete with spotlights and a fog machine.
In addition, special Midnight Madness T-shirts will be sold for $15 apiece, while several prizes donated by local merchants will be raffled off. Raffle tickets sell for $1 apiece, for six for $5.
Proceeds will benefit expenses the Mustang and Fillies teams incur during the upcoming 20-21 season.
As part of the agreement, participants have agreed to be back at school for the start of classes, at 8 a.m.
Even so, the late night shouldn’t be much of an adjustment, Mustang head coach Luke Bycroft noted, because the players would have likely been faced with a 6 a.m. practice in previous years.
Because none of the players have had much court time recently, Bycroft and Kelsey Johnson, first-year Fillies head coach, agreed to avoid full-scale scrimmages.
“It would look like a pickup game of basketball, and not much more,” he said.
Those who attend will be asked to wear face masks and practice social distancing.
The 2021 season tips off for Iola at home Dec. 4 against Anderson County.
