With one attempt left to solidify his crown as the champion of the dunk contest, senior men’s basketball forward Darius Carter brought the crowd to a roar Thursday night after coming down the lane and dunking two balls at once during this year’s Shocker Madness celebration at Charles Koch Arena.

Shocker Madness, the men and women’s basketball teams’ annual kickoff event, paid respects to last season’s successes before highlighting what fans had to look forward to this year.

“What I’m looking forward to is a great competitive season, and again, we’re going to continue to focus on excellence,” said Eric Sexton, director of athletics.

Sexton said the teams have a lot of things to look forward to this season.

The men’s basketball team started the night with a ceremony to present last year’s Missouri Valley Conference Championship rings. University President John Bardo and Sexton made the presentations.   

Men’s basketball players surprised Coach Gregg Marshall by presenting him with his eight different coach of the year awards, which was received with a standing ovation from the audience.

In the second half, rings were also given to the women’s team, with a special appearance by 2014 graduate Michelle Price, who was recognized for setting a record as the winningest player in the program’s history.

Following by the ring ceremony, the men’s players showed some friendly competition in a three-point and slam dunk contest.

A 20-minute running clock scrimmage divided the men’s players into two teams.

Among the black team were junior point guard Fred VanVleet, who led the team with eight points, along with teammate freshman center Rauno Nurger, who also scored eight points.

Nurger’s three-pointer scored the final points for the black team, bringing them to a total of 18 points for the game, with an assist from senior guard Tekele Cotton.

Baker broke the 18-point tie with a jumper made at 3:16, putting the yellow in the lead for the remainder of the game.

Freshman point guard Corey Henderson, Jr., brought the final point to the yellow team when he made a free throw with 40 seconds left in the game, leaving the yellow team victorious with a score of 25-18.

The scrimmage was tied three times and the teams scored 16 of39 field goals combined.

Carter, who played for the yellow team along with teammates Evan Wessel and Baker, led all scorers with 12 points total in the game.

Seven-foot center Tom “Bush” Wamukota, a junior transfer from Kilgore, said he is looking forward to a championship this year.

Wamukota said Shocker Madness gives the fans a chance to get to know the players.

“It means a lot to me, first of all, because they gave me a chance to come over here and be a part of a special program,” said. “That’s special to me.”

Zach Bush, a freshman forward, said he is looking forward to continuing with the past successes the team has had, as well as growing as a team.  

The women’s team finished off the night with a 10-minute running clock scrimmage against their male practice squad.

The Shockers took the game, beating their opponents 19-7. Sophomore guard Michaela Dapprich led her team, scoring five of the total points.

The “One Dream” team has returned from a second straight MVC regular season and tournament titles.

Head coach Jody Adams, who is entering her seventh year at WSU, finished the night’s events by thanking everyone for coming out and said she hopes the teams bring home a third championship.

The men play their first home exhibition game Nov. 8, against Northwood, Fla. The women will play their first exhibition game against Newman University Nov. 2.