October 07, 2004
The Texas A&M men's and women's basketball teams will be the focus of "Maroon Madness at Northgate" beginning at midnight on Oct. 15 at the main parking area in the Northgate entertainment district.
A basketball court will be located in the middle of the parking lot complete with portable baskets, lights and ample bleachers for fans. There will be additional entertainment before and after the event, including the Texas Aggie Dance Team and the Hullaballoo Band. Admission is free.
The men's team, under first-year head coach Billy Gillipsie, will be introduced at midnight, followed by the women's team, which is led by second-year head coach Gary Blair. Under NCAA rules, practice can officially start at midnight on Friday. The event is organized by the Texas A&M Athletic Department with the cooperation of the City of College Station.
"This should be a fun event for everybody," Gillispie said. "It's a totally different concept than what people are accustomed to and should create a lot of excitement around campus and in town. I know our players are excited about it."
"We're taking basketball right to the students at one of the top college entertainment areas in all of the Big 12," Blair said. "We're taking Aggie basketball to the streets and parking lots. We're not afraid of change and we're taking our game to the student body. We're trying to make each basketball game an event, not just a game, and this is the start of that."
The A&M men return six lettermen and two starters from last year, including two-time All-Big 12 pick Antoine Wright. The women's team also returns two starters and six letterwinners, led by junior Tamea Scales.