Drover Madness once again did its job! USAO students, staff, faculty, and fans packed the gym Monday night to play fun games, win a few prizes, and meet the 2022-2023 basketball teams. Cornhole and tailgating kicked off the night with many students enjoying the sunshine during the cornhole tournament.

The cheerleaders started Drover Madness when they stormed the floor and performed a quick routine to get the crowd going! For more suspense the gym lights were flipped off and green and gold flood lights highlighted the men’s and women’s basketball teams as they were announced. As the players made their way to the center of the floor they tossed t-shirts to cheering fans!

To get the crowd involved (and laughing), several younger children came out onto the floor to play a basketball version of musical chairs. It’s your typical game until the music stops and then the contestants must run to one end of the floor and shoot a layup successfully before racing back to grab a chair. The final two contestants included a young girl with pink shark house shoes and a young boy with fancy sneakers and a basketball jersey. The young boy ended up winning, but it was a close call!

Knockout was next! This was where students, staff, and faculty challenged each other in a quick shooting game. The rules are simple: the first person in line will shoot and if they make it then they pass their ball to the next person in line, but if they miss then the second person in line has a chance to knock them out!

Another event was the 3-point challenge! Two men’s basketball players, Cade Allen and Logan Dolan, challenged two baseball players at one end of the floor. On the other end two women’s basketball players, Jordan Bloomfield and Maddie Crandall, played two women’s volleyball players. The basketball duos ended winning, and in the final challenge Allen and Dolan came up victorious! The game got both teams and the crowd on their feet!

The bat spin relay was another crowd pleaser! Two soccer boys and two softball ladies had to spin around a bat ten times and then race to the other end and successfully make a layup before returning and tagging their partner! The relay competitors were within steps of each other, but the soccer boys, Quentin Mantooth and Matthew Yokum, ended up winning by a hair!

The final game was Drover Dash! The goal is to dribble down the floor, make a layup, change into an oversized Drover uniform and shoes, race back down the floor, and finish with another layup. Two young boys attempted this challenge with one boy losing his pants in the process! Luckily it was his oversized basketball shorts!

Lastly, the men’s basketball team challenged each other with a dunk contest! The contest came down to Gerard Mukuntae and Samkelo Cele. In the three-round battle, Cele came out victorious and will have to protect his title at the next Drover Madness!

Dusty the Drover even made a special appearance at Drover Madness! This event definitely got Drover fans pumped up and ready for this season! The men’s team play their first home game October 29th and the women’s team play their first home game November 2nd.

Emily Loughridge is a second-year Communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.