“Welcome to the Finn” were the introductory words of men’s basketball head coach, Jay Wright. As he stood at center court, in a blue-plaid collared shirt, V’s up, mic in hand, he properly welcomed Nova Nation to their brand-new pavilion, their new home. 

Hoops Mania has proven to be a phenomenal event that nearly every student at Villanova University wants to be a part of. Including a showcase of both men’s and women’s basketball teams, the Villanova dance team, basketball alumni, dunk contests, banner hanging and ring ceremony, the event covered it all. Beyond the hype for the players themselves, the mechanics of the Pavilion and advanced technological capabilities captured the audience and resembled the feel of a modern professional arena. The blue and white lights shined down from many different places, while the film projection onto the court allowed for an incredible intro. In addition, there was smoke, confetti and even bracelets that lit up when triggered by the point of a controller. Overall, it was a magical event that really reminded the community of how tight and important we are when it comes to the successes of the team. 

I had the opportunity to collect student reactions from the remarkable event. My overall understanding is that it provided a source of pure entertainment to the students on a Friday night. Kids enjoyed it. People thought it was fun: they laughed, they danced, they cheered, they clapped, they stomped.

“I thought the overall atmosphere of Hoops Mania was what made it such a fun and special night,” sophomore Suzie Oler said. “Everyone was genuinely so excited and happy to be there cheering on their team. The crowd was filled with immense energy and pride for their school. Nova Nation is like one big family, and last night made me feel really proud to be a Wildcat.”

“Hoops Mania was really fun because you could tell how much everyone takes pride in the Villanova spirit,” freshman Katie Gilman said. “It was really just super exciting and I hope that there’s the same energy at all the basketball games that there was at the event.” 

Students were overall enticed by the uniqueness of the event and the energy in the building. “[The event was] really cool and different than anything I had been to before.” said Taylor Ferry. The sophomore said that the film projections onto the court were thrilling and added to the excitement. 

Overall, the reaction I got from people at the event was amazed, excited and impressed. We were all reminded of how closely knit our school is and the immense support behind the basketball programs.