Saluki fans get ready. The long wait to see the Salukis in action will be over when SIU Arena hosts Maroon Madness on Oct 12th at 7pm. These midnight madness type practices are always fun for the fans and this year's event will feature a dunk contest and a 3 point contest before the team scrimmage.
In yet another sign that this program has arrived on a national stage, an ESPN camera crew will be on hand to film part of the practice and broadcast it as part of their college hoops tipoff programming. A few years ago it was a big deal to get a Saluki game on a major network now there are ESPN cameras at pre-season practice... not bad.
In other news, Single Game tickets go on sale October 3rd. Season ticket holders get first crack at seats during the presale but there will be additional tickets available to the general public October 9th. The hottest tickets will be Indiana, Butler, Creighton, and the Bracketbuster matchup. If you're interested in seeing these games in person you should plan on ordering tickets ASAP.
Former Saluki Jamaal Tatum has received interest from the Atlanta Hawks but they appear to be covered at the guard spot with Acie Law, Salim Stoudamire, Tyronn Lue, and Speedy Claxton. It would probably take an injury to one of these players for JT to make the team or perhaps the Hawks could decide to keep him over a veteran guy like Anthony Johnson. For right now I'll stick to my prediction from back in April... JT will outwork his opponents like he always does but at this level he will have to prove himself by being successful in the NBA developmental league first. Then if an NBA team has a need for a backup PG at sometime during the 07-08 season JT could end up getting the call.
Troy Hudson has wrapped up an interesting summer by signing with the Golden State Warriors. Hudson will assume the backup PG role behind the spectacular but often injured Baron Davis. Coach Don Nelsons fun and gun offensive style should be a nice fit for Hudson. The Warriors look like a playoff team and if Hudson performs well he could add a couple years to his career in the NBA.
UPDATE: Torres Roundtree has announced that he will be attending SIU next year. Back in July we mentioned that Roundtree would likely take a few campus tours and then decide that SIU was the place to be, and he did just that. The '08 recruiting class is already one of the best in the Country and Lowery might not be done yet... Finally, we'll leave you with some Torres Roundtree highlights.
