It truly was a sea of red as students gathered on Oct. 14 to usher in the upcoming basketball season with its annual pep rally, Red Sea Madness. This year’s rally was a huge success as students dressed in red filled every seat of the bleachers in Alumni Hall in anticipation of this year’s basketball team.
“I noticed a lot more energy from the crowd and everyone was enjoying themselves,” said Morgan Rosemann ‘18, who noticed a significant difference compared to his first year back in 2014.
The madness started when the lights went dark and the introductions for both basketball teams commenced. Throughout the hall, students roared, creating an atmosphere unlike any other.
The women’s basketball team was up first as they introduced their three new additions to the Stags: freshmen Sam Kramer, Erika Schlosser and Nicole Bus. The sophomores proceeded next followed by the juniors and finally the senior class who came out for their final Red Sea Madness. Last but not least, the coaching staff of the women’s basketball team rounded out the order.
It was now time for the men’s basketball team as they introduced their new faces, including freshmen Olivier Cadieux, Deniz Celen and Nemanja Zubec. The rest of the team was introduced in the same order as the women’s team, followed by the men’s coaching staff.
“My friends who play basketball were one of the reasons I went,” said Michael Caldwell ‘18 after attending his first Red Sea Madness. “I wanted to show support and all my other friends were going to the concert, so we decided to go and support our classmates.”
The night included several contests, including a three-point shootout that Tyler Nelson ‘18 came out victorious over Sam Kramer ‘20. There was also an opportunity for a lucky student to win $10,000 if they could sink in a halfcourt shot, but the contestant was a tad wide, failing to convert.
For the final contest of the night, Olivier Cadieux ‘20 and Matija Milin ‘19 faced off for an epic dunk contest. A couple of rounds of back and forth action left Milin victorious after completing an extraordinary dunk to send “oohs” and “ahhs” throughout Alumni Hall.
This year’s Red Sea Madness featuring Lil Dicky was a huge success as it was the highest attendance to date. When asked about her first time experiencing Red Sea Madness, Liv DeMatteo ‘20 said, “As a first year student, I really enjoyed Red Sea Madness and the Lil Dicky concert because at this point in the year, it was a new way to connect all of us together as a school.”
Photos by Alfredo Torres, Photo Compilation by Alfredo Torres
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