Oct. 7, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
On Friday night of Homecoming Weekend (Oct. 16), both the Illinois State men's and women's basketball teams will begin preparation for their respective 2009-10 campaigns, as the programs will host their annual Redbird HoopFest at 7 p.m., inside historical Horton Field House.
Hoopfest will be held at Horton Field House for the second-consecutive year, as the venue served as the home court for the Redbirds from 1963-89.
The event, which is free to the public, will feature a three-point shooting contest, a dunk contest and intrasquad scrimmages by both teams. In the three-point contest, one men's basketball player and one women's basketball player will compete on the same team. The dunk contest will be judged by a panel of campus representatives, and in the scrimmages, each team will play against each other for 10 minutes.
One lucky fan will have the chance to win $10,000 in the Papa John's "Money Ball" shot, which will be attempted from half court. Another promotion includes the Alamo II "Hotshot," where the winner will take home a prize pack.
Following the conclusion of HoopFest, there will be live music outside Redbird Arena as part of the Homecoming bonfire where the 2009 Homecoming king and queen will be crowned.
Redbird HoopFest kicks off a three-day Homecoming athletics celebration. Cover band "Mike and Joe" will be performing in the east-tailgate lot prior to the Redbird football team's 2 p.m. game against Indiana State.
For more information on next week's Homecoming festivities, visit Illinois State's official Web site, IllinoisStateHomecoming.com.
