Dancing players, pumped up teams and the other finest spirit squads on campus were in full force Friday night at Breslin Center, for "Hometown Hoops," this year's midnight mania event. The event was the official start of the men's and women's 2004-2005 basketball seasons.

With a crowd of about 13,000, attendance was not limited to only college students, which was apparent as children, young adolescents and adult fans stood in lines to get autographs and pictures with their favorite hoops stars.

Pewamo resident Heather Koenigsknecht and a group of her friends came out to the event because they are "big State fans." In addition to cheering on the teams, Koenigsknecht was waiting to meet her favorite men's basketball player, senior guard Chris Hill.

"I'm in love with Chris Hill," the 16-year-old said. "He's all over my walls."

Dreams came true for some, while other were just excited to see what the teams have to offer this season.

Human resource management senior Steve Weathers came out to not only see the teams, but also to enjoy the band. Last year, he was a member of the Spartan Brass, the basketball pep band, and now he is excited to see how the men's team will perform in this season's play.

"I'm thrilled, I'm ecstatic," Weathers said. "Spartan hoops - we're going to win."

And that seemed to be the attitude of many, especially MSU men's head coach Tom Izzo, who drove out onto the court in a "cool school" bus, unloading with his wife and children. While his entrances in years before may have been grander, he quieted the crowd and shared his huge hopes and expectations for the season.

"Even though the entrance was small, I plan on getting these guys on the bus and riding it all the way to St. Louis," he said.

The theme of the night showed each of the players - men and women - growing up in photographs as the announcer shared their hometowns and distance traveled to become a Spartan. For some, the number was small, coming from cities around the state, but for others, like freshman center Idong Ibok who is from Lagos, Nigeria, home is further away.

Originally from Iron Mountain, Izzo reclaimed his hometown Friday night.

"My real hometown is right here in East Lansing," Izzo said. "My real family is the community, this student body, this administration. I hope to bring a championship this season."

Excited to begin her season as well, MSU women's head coach Joanne P. McCallie drove into the gym in a go-cart declaring the fans to "start your engines" for the upcoming season.

"We have a great team, a driven team," McCallie said. "This starts the party, and we can't wait."

The women's team showed their spirit by showcasing their dance skills individually as they were introduced and then performing a group dance. The men also entered, getting the crowd fired up by jumping up and down and showing some of their smooth moves to popular party songs.

The event was concluded with scrimmages by the women's team and then the men's team.

The women's team will play its first game at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28 at Breslin Center with the Green and White Exhibition game. The men start with an exhibition game against Grand Valley State at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 at Breslin.