October 12, 2007
It was hip-hop meets the hardwood Friday night at a sold-out Reed Arena. One of the hottest events to hit the Bryan/College Station area, Maroon Madness 2007 headlined by teen rap sensation Soulja Boy, created the perfect blend of the two.
Yes, it?â„¢s officially basketball season in Aggieland. And fittingly enough, the nationally-ranked Texas A&M men?â„¢s and women?â„¢s basketball teams kicked off the 2007-08 season in style. No longer a stranger to the national spotlight, Aggie Basketball (like Soulja Boy) continues to climb the charts. Picked as preseason top 15 favorites by several national publications and being recognized by the league?â„¢s coaches as top contenders in the Big 12 Conference, there?â„¢s no greater time to be an Aggie.
Performing his Billboard No. 1 hit single ?Crank That,? Soulja Boy was a hit with the crowd and so were the Aggies. Freshman DeAndre Jordan was crowned the slam dunk champion after narrowly defeating fellow freshman Nathan Walkup (who earned fan-favorite honors after his impromptu Crank That dance performance at midcourt), while juniors Danielle Gant and Takia Starks won the two-ball competition for the women. Both teams kept things light with fun on-court drills and freestyle dancing at center court during Soulja Boy?â„¢s final performance of the night.
First-year men?â„¢s coach Mark Turgeon and the Aggies open exhibition play on Nov. 1 against Emporia State at 7 p.m., while fifth-year women?â„¢s coach Gary Blair and the Aggie women host an exhibition tilt versus the Chinese National Team on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.