Hamilton wins 3pt contest, children go 1-on-1 with Bodo Bodo, and a stoplight records the first two blocks of the season....
This past Saturday, October 19, HPU basketball welcomed students, fans and the community alike all out to downtown High Point to kick off the 2024-2025 season. The event, hosted by HPU athletics, featured a temporary half-court playing surface centered on the intersection of Elm and Church streets, across from Stock and Grain Food Hall, where both the men and women got opportunities to show off and interact with fans. Also featured were raffles, tee shirt tosses, games, HPU band and cheer, HPU Lady Cats dance team, Prowler and autograph sessions with the players. The in-stadium voice of the Panthers, Jim Scott, hosted in a signature purple blazer.
First of all, shoutout to HPU Athletics and Dan Hauser for putting together such a successful event. There was an impressive turnout and it was very cool that the programs came up with a unique way to introduce this year's teams to the community in a celebratory fashion. The event gave fans, especially young ones, a chance to interact with the team outside of the typical gameday setting; which was fun for everyone. Secondly, shout out not only to the men's and women's basketball teams, but also the band/drumline, cheer and dance teams that took time out of their Saturday to take part of in the event.
From a basketball perspective, there wasn't a lot to digest from the event; where the primary objective for both squads was probably to avoid injuries.
The women's team took the court first and after a few welcoming comments from coach Banbury, the players took turns introducing themselves. The team went through a few rounds of fundamental drills, followed by some shooting contests, and a game out knockout with some young fans. A handful of shots from the right wing were blocked by stoplights hanging over Elm street bringing some comedic relief to the otherwise competitive shooting contests.
Not to get too much into a roster breakdown, which will come later, but it's obvious that this year's team has more size than previous iterations of the lady Panthers. In the front court, transfers Ariana Wilkes (#23) and Audrey Meyers (#31) add 6'2 and 6'0 roster size to go alongside returners Neveah (6'0) and Shak (6'1). Also senior transfer Jaleesa Lawrence looked quite tall for a guard. She is listed as 5'10, substantially taller than the average guards HPU has had in the past. Add in junior Anna Hager at 6'0 that can play multiple positions and you've got not only height; but potentially more effective height across the board. Banbury seems to want this team to be more effective on the defensive end, and that height could be very helpful in accomplishing that goal.
Next the men took the court and Alan Huss spoke a few words about the team's make up, how practices have been and how hard the team has worked this offseason. The staff introduced themselves and then the players. We'll address the roster in another post but overall the team looked great and seemed to have good chemistry. Biggest surprise for me from player observations was Josh Ibukunoluwa. Up close the freshman forward looked taller than his listed 6'10 and just seemed to have great length. I think he could be a real impact player for Huss's team soon. Overall, like the women, I think Huss has assembled a more athletic and taller team than maybe he had a year ago. Certainly there is more depth with players like transfer Simon Hildebrandt and freshman Ivan Matlekovic clocking in at 6'9 and 6'11 respectively. Also Titas Sargiunas got a hair cut, leaving the mop-top behind for a more traditional buzz. Looks good but it was kind of wild to see him without the locks.
Like the women, there wasn't a whole of lot of actual basketball observations but the team had fun running some drills and then got into a three point contest. The court was on a bit of a slope, which anyone who's ever played ball in a street will understand. So there wasn't a whole lot you could infer from the contest. But Kimani Hamilton entered himself into the contest late and showed off his new-and-improved release knocking down nearly 40% of his shots while wearing a sweet HPU toboggan. Huss has praised Hamilton's work on reconstructing his jump shot in the offseason; and the results were on display.
After the on-court antics the teams stuck around to sign autographs and meet fans. Overall this was a great event that really embodies one of the traditional aspects of college basketball; the relationship between programs and community. Kudos to everyone involved and see you all soon in the Qubein Center!
Comments