On Thursday, Oct. 24, at The Pete Hanna Center, the men’s and women’s basketball teams came together to host Dogs After Dark, an event for Samford fans to prepare and celebrate for the upcoming season.
“We just came off a historic run. We plan to repeat that and take pride in our fans coming out and supporting us,” Junior guard Julian Brown said.
At the beginning of the night, the men’s 2024 Southern Conference championship banner was officially hung in its spot in the rafters.
Dogs after Dark featured an array of events and challenges, including a three-point contest, a skills challenge and a dunk contest. The winners of these contests received prizes ranging from a Nintendo Switch to Air Pods to a Play Station 5. Head Coach Bucky McMillan wanted to give the fans a fun time to thank them for celebrating these teams.
“When I get to hang out on the court with Samford students, it is always fun.” McMillan said.
For the dunking contest, a celebrity judge panel included Galen Robinson and Izaiah Brockington of the Birmingham Squadron, Jim Dunaway, host of The Next Round Live, 13-year NBA veteran Eric Bledsoe and President Beck Taylor.
At the event, around 1500 fans filled the stands to support the bulldogs.
“You always hope for a good crowd, but when you walk out and the stands are full, it is such a great and cool opportunity for these kids to be in front of that many people,” head coach of the women’s team, Carly Kuhns, said.
With their cheering and overall excitement, fans showed that they are more than ready to take on that sixth-man role for another season.
“I love the crowd. We are known to have the best homecourt advantage and we started this season off with a bang before the season is even here,” McMillan said.
The huge crowd not only got the coaches excited but the players too.
“I just cannot wait to see everyone in the stands again like they were today,” Sophomore guard, Alonya Waldon said.
After the event, players were ready to finally show their fans all the work they had put in during the off-season.
“I think this season is going to be something special, and I am excited for people to see it,” Freshman guard, Claire Johnson said.
Despite most of the night being a fun celebration, McMillan still has one concern for this upcoming season.
“Every game is going to be a close one here at home, but we can overcome that together as a great team. With all our students, the whole university, if we have everyone rocking and rolling here at the Pete Hanna Center, we will be hard to beat,” McMillan said.
Go Bulldogs!
Fabulously written article! Go Bulldogs! As a mother of three Samford alums and one granddaughter presently attending Samford, I am definitely. Samford Bulldog fan! Cheers to a great upcoming season! Wishing the best for both the men’s and women’s teams! ❤️💙