Long before the University of Maryland's basketball program featured the patented checkered trim on the jerseys and clung to the \Fear the Turtle!"" battlecry, the Terps were known for one man??-Lefty. While an adoption of the state flag graces the uniform and the fans run with the ironic-by-design call to arms, long-time head coach Lefty Dresiell remains the chief symbol of Terrapin basketball.
In Dreisell's 17 years at the helm, he coached such greats as Len Elmore, Buck Williams, John Lucas and most memorably-for his limitless potential and the lamentably avoidable end to that potential-Len Bias.
But of all the players whose talents he cultivated (contributing to much of their success at the next level), his biggest contribution to the game of basketball just may have been the practice he scheduled Oct. 15, 1970-at midnight.
In an attempt to draw some attention to the program he planned on leading to greatness, he scheduled a practice at the soonest possible time NCCA rules would allow. That time happened to be midnight; a time unconventional enough to rouse the interest of college students and late enough to provide the event an appealing party atmosphere. What started as just a late-night practice (though purposely filled with pomp and circumstance even in its inception) is now nothing short of a spectacle.
It has come to be known as ""Midnight Madness.""
On campuses all across the country, ""Midnight Madness"" has evolved into a can't-miss pep rally intended to get people excited about the upcoming season and draw them in with the excitement of the festivities. While the proceedings vary from school to school, most offer player introductions, skits, and various (sometimes fan-inclusive) shooting and/or dunk contests.
After 35 years of only March-never ""Midnight""-madness in Madison, the time-honored tradition has finally found a home with the Badgers. The inaugural ""Midnight Madness"" at UW will be held at the Kohl Center this Friday. Only one problem: it's not going to be at midnight. Seven o'clock sharp.
Now please don't embarrass yourself by opting to make the painfully obvious joke/complaint, ""It's 'Midnight Madness,' not 'Seven p.m. Madness.'"" We all wanted to be rewarded for our 35-year-wait with a midnight showcase, but the NCAA made a new rule-citing the issue of public safety with people leaving arenas so late at night and driving-that the madness must begin before the stroke of midnight. While you may take umbrage with the time of the event, the athletic department had no choice in the matter.
Plus, your favorite ball coach and mine, head coach Bo Ryan, thinks the earlier time is a good idea. And who's going to disagree with him?
""Some campuses had a problem with certain establishments emptying out at midnight for people coming over to the 'Midnight Madness' and maybe not comprehending exactly what was going on on the court. So take that to mean whatever you might think I mean,"" Ryan saod, in a humorously vague allusion to the possibility of binge-drinking attendees.
Because the new time does not allow for the event's original moniker, it will be called ""Night of the Grateful Red."" Rather than allow the intoxication of the crowd to make the night scarier for UW officials than ""Night of the Living Dead,"" the event will be geared toward family-oriented fun.
""We figure 7 p.m., people can get there of all ages, they get to the Kohl Center, they see us play some games and have some fun,"" Ryan said. ""When most people see us only during a game, where it's more intense, and they get a chance to see everybody, plus we get some students out there. They shoot half-court shots, three-point shots, free throws, a chance to win some contests.""
While Ryan cites his team as yet another beneficiary of the festivities-as some of the inexperienced players can, for the first time, hear their name introduced with the lights down-he is particularly excited about the accessibility of the event and the interest it could draw from the younger generations of Badger fans.
""Over the years we've wanted to bring in high school people-not just players-but people who are interested in our team and our program that can't get tickets, they can't see us in the Kohl Center, so this is an opportunity, as well as our scrimmage on Oct. 30, the Red-White scrimmage,"" Ryan said. ""This doesn't replace that. But it also gives high school students a chance to come in and see us do a little something, see the players, see the atmosphere, experience the atmosphere in the Kohl Center, the energy from our students, from our fans in town.""
So forget the time; it will hardly make a difference. What's good about midnight anyway? When it approaches, either poor Cinderella's dreams are vanishing into the night or Dick Clark is counting backward from 10.
From the looks of it, the athletic department is making the best of what's around-seemingly poised to make the ""Night of Grateful Red"" a night for the fans. With any luck, the event will run smoothly and become an irreplaceable thread in the fabric of Badger basketball.
If so, thank Lefty, whom?? at this age?? is too old to be up past ""Wheel of Fortune"" anyway.
Ben can be reached for comment at bphubner@wisc.edu.
