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Auctioning off Auburn Coach Cliff Ellis
By Angela Lento
College basketball is officially open for business at midnight on Oct. 12. Arenas across the country will celebrate the start of the season in a variety of ways.
Canisius College will hold its annual chicken wing-eating contest.
The University of Memphis has invited back the 1957 NIT finalist, the ‘73 and ‘85 NCAA Final Four teams and the ‘92 Elite 8 squad.
And the Cincinnati Bearcats will be going international, as they make their Skyline Chili Midnight Madness festivities available via the World Wide Web.
Perhaps the most interesting approach to kicking off the season will take place at Beard-Eaves Coliseum on the campus of Auburn University.
Beginning at 5:30 (EST) the doors will be open to ladies only, who will have the opportunity to bid on a night out with Tigers coach Cliff Ellis.
“Men are not allowed,” Ellis says. “This is strictly for the ladies.”
Needless to say, coach Ellis is the envy of many coaches right about now. Well, it’s a little more serious than you might think.
‘Ladies Night Out with Cliff Ellis’ will benefit the charity ‘Partnership for Children,’ which is designed to assist two-parent families that are unable to afford proper day care for their children.
“Basically it’s a scholarship for those families in need,” Ellis says. “It’s important for families to have the opportunity to get the best possible child care and we hope to help with this event.”
Open to ladies of all ages, the festivities include a coaching clinic, an opportunity to meet the Tigers, a tour of the basketball facilities, a cooking clinic with the gourmet chef/head coach, a shopping spree with different Auburn-Opelika vendors, and a Q & A session with Ellis and his wife, Carolyn.
“We’d like to give all of the woman an idea of how we do things,” says the evening’s top bid item. “The clinic will be on the basics of basketball so they can have a better understanding of the game. I’m looking forward to that. I’m also looking forward to cooking.”
So what’s on the menu, coach?
“Well I haven’t made any final decisions on what I’ll serve,” the gourmet coach says. “I like seafood, so something along those lines will be served.”
Notice how he did not mention that he was looking forward to the question and answer session?
“I don’t know what to expect,” he laughs. “As long as we can avoid the personal questions, I’ll be alright. I don’t think I’d want someone to ask me about the biggest argument I’ve ever had with my wife.”
Known in the fashion circles for his trademark sweater vests on game day, Ellis is also quite the entertainer. But country western tunes will not be on the event schedule.
“I need a band in order to sing,” Ellis says. “That’s a pretty good idea for future events though. Maybe next year we’ll do that.”
How about a little ‘God Bless America’ to kick off the event, coach?
The idea for the event came from Ellis’ daughter Chryssa, who, along with mom, Carolyn, is actively involved in ‘Partnership for Children.’ The cost for the event is $30, and all proceeds benefit the charity. The four-hour event will help kick off ‘Midnight Mayhem,’ marking the start of the 2001-02 basketball season at Auburn.
LATE NIGHT WITH ROY WILLIAMS
Once again Allen Field House, on the campus of the University of Kansas, will be packed with 16,000 Jayhawk fans. What began back in 1983 as a subdued event, with then-coach Larry Brown, has become one of the most raucous practice sessions in America.Unlike most midnight madness-type events, ‘Late Night,’ is highlighted by skits, lip-syncs and dance routines performed by the players themselves.
In 1989, Alonzo Jamison snapped the entire basketball goal support with a pre-game slam-dunk. In 1991, freshman Greg Ostertag lip-synced ‘Friends in Low Places’ by Garth Brooks, and in 1996, Scot Pollard had the house lights lowered and proposed to his girlfriend.
This season I’d like to see All-America candidate Drew Gooden take to center court on the piano. Gooden is quite talented in the music field, spending a lot of time in the recording studio.
NEW YORK CITY RELIEF AID
It’ll be a more somber atmosphere at Long Island University, located 3.2 miles from the where the World Trade Towers once stood. Members of the 88th Precinct in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Engine 207-Ladder 110 in Fort Greene will take part in basketball scrimmages with the Blackbirds. Both were pressed into service following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.Admission is free, but money raised throughout the evening will go to the families of local police and firefighters who were lost during the tragedy.
“We don't feel that madness is an appropriate word this year,” LIU director of athletics John Suarez says. “We've experienced the ultimate in madness at our front door. This is a night where we hope the police and firefighters can relax a little and have some fun with us.”
PIZZA ANYONE?
This might be my favorite and potentially the lengthiest of the opening-night events.At Western Michigan, the first 100 fans to make a free throw will win a free pizza courtesy of Papa John’s Pizza.
I’ve been sitting at press row when fans have been given the opportunity to make shots for prizes at halftime.
The idea of waiting for 100 people to make a free throw sounds like a ‘Snickers’ commercial: Not going anywhere for a while?
No question that the madness at midnight will take on many different looks on Friday evening, but according to Kentucky sports information director, Brooks Downing, UK has the best look: “Lefty [Driesell] invented it and we perfected it.”
FINAL SHOTS
The University of Arizona will include a celebrity scrimmage. Along with local radio and television talent, members of the Wildcats’ coaching staff, as well as former ‘Zona players will participate in the ‘Red-Blue’ game.On the ‘Blue’ roster is Fox Sports’ John Vasseur. Your colleagues will be expecting double figures, Mr. Vasseur.
And the quote of the week comes from the very charismatic Campbell coach, Billy Lee, who actually posed this question to me:
“Do you know if Yasser (ya sir) Arafat has a brother name ‘no sir’?
Angela Lento is a big supporter of the “Bobbi Olson Foundation” and would like to urge you to make a contribution. For more information Click Here
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