Basketball season doesn’t start for another month with the Gamecocks not taking the court for a regular season game until November, but that doesn’t mean fans can’t get a glimpse of this year’s squads early.

Hundreds of fans filed into Colonial Life Arena Friday night for the Tip-Off event for the men’s and women’s teams, marking the unofficial start to basketball season.

“I think it helps us to jumpstart basketball season,” women’s head coach Dawn Staley said. “I know all of our fans love to be around our teams and it’s truly helpful to bring some excitement into Colonial Life Arena.”

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Fans had a chance to spend some time around the players with both teams doing an autograph session before some on-court antics.

The two teams went head-to-head in a three-point shooting contest, played Family Feud against each other and each team was able to showcase a different drill; the women went through a normal shoot-around while the men put on a four-minute intrasquad scrimmage.

Staley and men’s coach Frank Martin also got a chance to interact with the crowd, poking fun at a few players and ultimately thanking them for coming out on a Friday night.

“They get to see these guys for who they are outside of a competitive environment,” Martin said. “These events are always great.”

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Players were also given an NBA-style entrance as well where they were able to dance or show off a little for the crowd with smoke machines to help enhance the experience.

For the players, it was a chance to be around fans they normally don’t get to see and talk with during games or off-the-court, plus it gave them a chance to thank the loyal ones that have supported the program for so long.

“We enjoyed it,” Hassani Gravett said. “Everybody came out and it was good to see all the faces that come and support us each and every game.”

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For Martin, he hopes this isn’t just a one-year event.

He wants preseason parties and events like Friday’s to become an annual thing the Gamecocks do before each season, similar to other programs across the country.

With such a great fan base, he said, it was a little disappointing to not have an event like this last year with a team coming off a Final Four berth and the women winning a national title.

He wants to see something like this continue and didn’t rule out a Miami-based performer like Pitbull or Luther Campbell coming out and singing saying, “all I got to do is ask.”

“I was disappointed this time last year. I was coming off a Final Four, the women are winning a national championship,” Martin said. “When the attendance numbers have increased like they have for both programs, at least in my time here, you have to have these events. It promotes the beginning of the season and, like I said earlier, generates some real interaction between fans and players. The stronger that bond and connection is, the more committed the fans are.”

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