Hoosier Hysteria: What Makes it Special?

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Written By: Ben Malcomson (@iuheartland on Twitter)

As memorable as Friday afternoon was with the announcement of Anthony Leal committing to the Indiana Hoosiers, some would say Thursday was equally as special. That was the day IU officially announce the date and time for this year’s Hoosier Hysteria event.

Sure, it is not to the excitement level as a game itself, but there is a lot of reasons that do make it special:

  • The Season is Near: To me, the announcement of the event is a way to signal to the fan base that the season is officially not so far away anymore. Each year, you can feel the excitement and anticipation reaching a boiling point. Hoosier Hysteria gives the fans, staff, players, and their families a chance to celebrate these young men and women. A chance to introduce themselves and a chance for the fans to reciprocate that.

  • Recruiting Tool: Like it or not - here is looking at you Coach Brian Tonsoni - Hysteria is a valuable tool used during recruiting. I know he knows that, but I couldn’t resist. With the advancements in technology, the eye-popping, heart-pounding visual display continues to one up itself the past several years. With the renovated locker rooms and players lounge, it becomes another layer of excitement to the recruits attending the event. Most of all, it is build up to the main event. The opportunity to sit out there amongst the fan base and feel that electric energy. That is where you, the fans, come in. You create that energy. It the is the sea of cream and crimson’s chance to show the current and possible future players support. To show them that basketball is different here in the state of Indiana. That it means more.

  • It’s the Little Things: It isn’t just about all the bells and wheels of the event. It is about arriving early and standing in line sunny, cloudy, rainy, or cold. It is fun to take in even the discomfort of the elements on this day because you know what comes later. I do love the fact that they moved the event up the past few years to accommodate families. Now, you can make a whole trip of it. Enjoy the event then leave there and check out the sights and sounds of Bloomington.

I just gave you three good reasons to attend. If you have never been, you need to attend. Mark your calendars, October 5th isn’t too far way, Hoosiers. See you there.

If that isn’t enough for you, check out some videos below to get you prepped:

The 2018-19 Indiana Basketball team gets introduced for the first time.

Men's Basketball Head Coach Archie Miller is introduced & addresses the crowd during his first Hoosier Hysteria.

On this edition of The Assembly Call, we provide instant reaction to the official kickoff the 2018-19 season -- Hoosier Hysteria. We discuss what stood out, in terms of the overall experience (Jerod was there in person) and in terms of individual performances in the scrimmage.

New technology for Hoosier Hysteria in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall - court projection.

Indiana Basketball is the #1 team in the country according to preseason polls and they have a top five player in the country in Cody Zeller. Their recruiting class is top 15 in the country and their fans are insane. Cody Zeller won the long range shooting contest and Victor Oladipo easily took the dunk contest.