Despite the glittery homecoming floats, Square Jam dominated the scene Friday night.
“When we came up with the idea four years ago, I thought it was thinking outside the box, which is something I’m glad we’re doing a lot more of,” Andy Kennedy, men’s basketball coach, said. “It works in conjunction with the homecoming parade, so people are already out. It’s an opportunity for them to see the guys and the girls.”
Square Jam featured a plethora of newcomers on a breezy night. There were seven newcomers on the men’s side and six newcomers on the women’s side.
Even though it is in the thick of football season, Kennedy said people need to know that basketball season is here and his players are ready.
“They’re still three weeks away from playing. But the guys are working hard, and this is a good acknowledgement of that,” Kennedy said. “I think they get excited about it.”
Junior forward Sebastian Saiz said he has attended the Square Jam every year since coming to Ole Miss.
“I came on my visit, and that was the first year they did it. I was here sitting on the baseline, and it’s fun to start from there and do it the next couple years,” Saiz said. “So, it’s always fun to be here.”
In his third year doing Square Jam, head women’s coach Matt Insell was excited for his players to experience an event like this and be part of it.
“In our first week of practice, the worst day of practice was today because they were all excited about Square Jam,” Insell said. “It’s fun for them. It was a fun environment.”
Freshman J.T Escobar of the men’s team and sophomore Shandricka Sessom of the women’s team formed a duo to kick off the event.
The three-point competition ended unexpectedly. Normally, a team or player wins the contest outright, but this year, the event ended in a tie between junior Sebastian Saiz and freshman Allisa Alston and senior Anthony Perez and freshman Torri Lewis.
The so-called “main event” of the night was the slam-dunk competition. Contestants junior Rasheed Brooks, freshman Terrance Davis and junior Sam Finley of the men’s team were center stage, hoping to electrify the crowd.
Finley and Davis advanced to the final round and struggled to get anything going, both missing their first attempted dunks. In the end, Terrance Davis did enough to come out with the championship.
“It was so fun. We got it to where people came out to support us,” sophomore Shandricka Sessom said. “It’s fun to just get acknowledged so the fans can get to know us, and they can approach us not only at the games but in the city and in public.”
The men’s and women’s teams open up the season on Nov. 13. Sessom and the women’s team play against Mississippi Valley State at 11 a.m., and Saiz and the men’s team open up against Northwestern State at 6 p.m.
