Norman North celebrated the beginning of basketball season with the annual midnight madness event on Friday, Nov. 16.

Although the name of the event was “midnight madness,” it was not held at midnight. Rather, it started at 8 pm and ended at 10 pm. The event was also a fundraiser for the rest of the season, and judging by how many people attended, it was a success.

“Midnight Madness event is a fundraiser for the Norman North boys and girls basketball booster club,” Amy Laubach, a parent who was selling t-shirts in front of the north gym, said about the event. “We’re very thankful this many people attended.”

The night began with the announcer stating the names of every player on both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. When a player’s name was called, they would walk through a tunnel made by the pom squad for the boys or the cheer squad for the girls. The player’s introduction also included a few facts about them and their college aspirations.

After both teams were announced, both teams went back to practicing, the boys and the girls each using half of the basketball court. The night was comparable to midnight madness for football, except the students did not have to leave due to curfew restrictions.

Both teams are set to be very good this year, with many starters returning to the court on both sides, including Shemar Smith, Jacie Evans, Jessica Evans, Josh Robinson, and more. We’ll have to wait and see how the Timberwolves fare this year in class 6A-I.