Event organizers hold the silent auction while the basketball team takes a timeout during the scrimmage. Fans were able to bid on trips with the team during the timeout auctions. 
Photo by Allie Carson | News Editor

The annual basketball banquet, now rebranded as “Hoops and Howls,” gave Arkansas State basketball fans a first look at Coach Ryan Pannone’s first Red Wolf team. 

The event, held Thursday, Oct. 9, featured a courtside dinner, silent auction items and a scrimmage from the team. 

Brandon Baxter, A-State athletics host, said the event celebrated the Red Wolves.

“There is a brand-new energy inside A-State athletics and a brand-new vision,” Baxter said.

The entire men’s basketball team has a different look this season with new head coach Pannone, a new vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics in Chris Pezman and an entirely new roster and coaching staff. 

Pezman said the event now has a different format and setup since it’s been renamed Hoops and Howls.

“It’s something that we think is going to be a lot more interactive and hopefully a lot more enjoyable for the fans,” Pezman said. 

Pezman said he has seen the team develop over the course of the season and how the program will build off what they’ve done in years past under Pannone. 

“Ryan is somebody in the basketball business and the college business who has an incredible reputation,” Pezman said. “We’re very, very lucky to have him here to lead our program.”

Pannone started his speech by thanking everyone who showed up to support the team and those who will attend the games.

“Without you, what we do wouldn’t be possible,” Pannone said. “Our season runs from the support that you guys give us, and this is your team. This isn’t our team. This is the fans’ team. This is the community’s team, and we’ve tried to embrace it.” 

Matt Stolz, the voice of the Red Wolves, introduced the team and the scrimmage, the main event of Hoops and Howls.

“How cool is it that you not only get to meet this team tonight, but you actually get to see them play for the very first time? In just a minute, they’re going to take the floor,”  Stolz said. “But before that, this team has been working for months and months, getting ready for the start of the season, which is coming up on November 3, as they travel to Ohio for opening night.”

The scrimmage featured the Scarlett team facing off against the Black team. The matchup was very back and forth during the two 10-minute halves before the scrimmage ultimately ended 44-45 after the Black team got a buzzer-beater off to take the lead and bragging rights.

During timeouts, the silent auction was underway, auctioning off thousands of dollars worth of trips to the highest-bidding fans. 

Winnings included all-inclusive trips with the team to wherever they would be playing, whether in Little Rock or Pensacola for the conference championships. 

The event concluded with closing remarks from Pannone, who thanked fans for their support and players coming around to meet the attendees.

The home opener is an exhibition game against UT Martin on Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. before the season opener in Ohio on Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. for the MAC-SBC Challenge.

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