Sports
By Rory McNelley, Newswire Intern
Musketeer Madness took place last Friday as a part of the Family Weekend festivities. Students and their families were invited into Cintas Center to get a preview of the men’s and women’s basketball teams and to build excitement for the upcoming season.
Musketeer Madness is an annual event to kick off the college basketball season and give fans a first look at the season’s teams. The event included a fan fest outside of Cintas, which included food, drinks, rock climbing and a chance to snap a picture with the Blue Blob and D’Artagnan.
Once the event began inside the men’s and women’s basketball teams were introduced and both teams participated in intrasquad scrimmages. The pep band, cheerleaders and dance team added to the energetic atmosphere.
To start off the event, the women’s team was introduced along with head coach Billi Chambers.
“We have a great group of young women who are ready to represent Xavier women’s basketball. They are super exciting to watch, they are a lot of fun to be around,” coach Chambers said. “We need you We need your help. We need you to come support and we need you to follow up with this team because they are going to get NCAA women’s basketball back in this gym.”
After coach Chambers’ welcome speech, the intrasquad scrimmage was under way with a blue team and a white team. Their scrimmage was won by Team White, but both sides provided an exciting game for everyone to watch.
Musketeer Madness saw the return of Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter, who were key players during the 2022-23 season but were sidelined last year due to injuries.
“I am so excited to see what the women accomplish this season. We have been preparing and putting in a great deal of time to be successful,” first-year nursing major and women’s basketball team manager Nailah Grant said
“The fans were energetic and excited to not only see the returning players but the new faces on the team,” Grant said.
Following the women’s scrimmage, the men’s team was introduced. The crowd cheered loudest for the return of Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter, who both returned to the court after being unable to play all of the 2023-24 season due to injuries. Head coach Sean Miller spoke to the audience, saying how he is looking forward to the season, even though it will be a long journey. He encouraged the students to come out and support the team.
Before the scrimmage began, a preview was shared for the docuseries being produced about the team’s journey this season. “All In” will be released in 8-10 episodes starting Nov. 14 and is being produced in a similar way to the NFL series “Hard Knocks.” It will show behind-the-scenes footage of the Musketeers throughout the season as they strive to return to the NCAA tournament.
The men’s scrimmage also saw a victory for Team White, but fans expressed excitement about the season ahead.
“I was so excited for Musketeer Madness, and to have my family here with me made the experience so much more special. I was excited to see the teams I will be supporting this season,” first-year exploratory major Renee Flett said.
The men’s basketball season kicks off on Nov. 4 at home against Texas Southern University, and the women’s team have their first game the next day against San Jose State.
