Georgetown students flocked to the stands of McDonough Arena for Midnight Madness on Oct. 16 to celebrate the opening season of Hoya basketball and were treated to a few “Thriller" moves on the court.

For the third consecutive year, ESPNU covered the night’s excitement as part of its live Midnight Madness broadcast. And they were there to capture, perhaps the highlight of the evening, the men’s basketball team breaking into Michael Jackson’s signature dance from the 1984 “Thriller” video.

“I’m a Michael Jackson fan,” said a white-gloved Head Coach John Thompson III looking on in approval.

The crowd of more than 3,500 erupted into cheers as the “Thriller” score filled the arena and the men’s team took center stage. 

“I’m here with my friends, hanging out with the GUGS (Georgetown University Grilling Society) kids, watching one of the greatest things – Georgetown basketball,” said Jennifer Tran (NHS’11), as she waved her light-up pompom and danced on the bleachers.




The Georgetown Step Team kicked off the Friday evening event around 9 p.m. Next, the Georgetown’s Bhangra team and GU Jawani danced to a mix of Southeast Asian fusion music while R&B, hip-hop group Groove Theory and the Hoya Cheerleading Squad also kept the crowd pumped up for the main event.

Performances finally concluded. The lights darkened. And the 2009-2010 women’s basketball team began to emerge one by one through a puff of smoke. Before players showed off their athletic moves on the court, each made entrances with a few dance moves.

Terri Williams-Flournoy, women’s head basketball coach, followed her team with cheers. “Give it up for the Georgetown women’s basketball team,” she exclaimed before leading the crowd into a chant of “Hoya Saxa.”

Cheers continued through the introductions of the 2009-2010 men’s team.

Without a single senior playing this year, Thompson describes his Hoyas as a different kind of team. “Even though some of the components are the same, collectively this is a totally different group,” he said. “There’s a totally different feel and a totally different energy to this year’s team. And that's good.”

Once the men’s team entered the court and hyped up fans with “Thriller” moves, players gave a glimpse of what’s to come this season. And dribbling basketballs and the swoosh of nets joined the sounds of energized cheers as the athletes ran the court and dunked balls.

“I’m excited to get going with this group. I think that they’ve worked hard and smartly over the spring, summer and the fall,” said Thompson. “They are anxious to get going. They are hungry this group.”

The women’s team will be back in McDonough Arena for its first home game on Nov. 28 against Wofford College, while the men will play Temple University at the Verizon Center on Nov. 17.

-- Victoria Fosdal

(October 19, 2009)