“Everybody get up, it’s time to slam now,” in the words of the 1990s Space Jam tune.
The Allen Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams will be introduced at the Red Devil Rally in the college’s gymnasium Friday beginning at 7 p.m.
The fall sports teams will also be recognized at the rally for their achievements this season before the winter sports season tips off next week. The Red Devil men face Cowley County Community College Nov. 4 in Ark City.
The women will tip off against Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa also in Arkansas City on Nov. 4.
Friday’s rally will include a dunk contest for the men’s basketball team and a three-point contest for the women’s.
The event is free of charge.
“We did the Red Devil Rally last year for the first time and we want to keep making it an annual thing to kick off basketball season,” said Allen cheer coach Mackenzie Weseloh.
The Red Devil school spirit is always off the charts, Weseloh noted.
“I think it builds school spirit for sure. We kind of got away from a lot of school traditions so this is another way to bring those things back and get people excited about the school in general,” Weseloh said.
The Allen men’s basketball team is ranked No. 4 in the NJCAA D-II preseason rankings behind South Suburban, Davidson-Davie and Sullivan County. Milwaukee Area Tech is ranked No. 5.
The Red Devils clinched a spot in the national tournament last season and finished with a 28-7 overall record. The strong season was a drastic improvement from the 7-16 overall mark the season before.
“It will be fun to meet the new teams for the year. They should have a good year. Men’s basketball did really well last year so we’re hoping they do that again and women’s basketball looks really good this year so I think it’ll be exciting,” said Weseloh.
An implementation to basketball and volleyball games have been themed games in which the students and community wear certain colored clothing to support their Red Devils. This adds a festive atmosphere to root on Allen sports.
“I think it’s grown a lot,” said Weseloh. “We have a lot of students who come now and the themes make it fun. This is my fourth season here and since I’ve started, the student section has grown a lot. It makes everything more fun.”
The event will also include games and activities including a relay race, knockout game, staff versus student basketball game and prizes.
