National Park College will showcase its two new club basketball teams Monday in the NPC Wellness Center gymnasium.
The free event will begin at 3 p.m. and is open to the public. The Blue and White scrimmage will include coed competition between the men's and women's basketball teams.
"It is going to be a really fun environment and a chance for our athletes to get in touch with the student body, faculty and the staff," Jason Hudnell, dean of enrollment and coach of the men's team, said. "It is kind of a dress rehearsal for us before our first game on Nov. 6."
The college decided in the spring to add club sports, which do not participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, National Junior College Athletic Association or other sports affiliates. Nighthawk teams will adhere to the rules and regulations of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association.
Members of the men's team, women's team and the college's new cheerleading team were introduced to the board of trustees during their regular meeting on Wednesday. Hudnell said he hopes to introduce the teams to much of the rest of the campus community on Monday.
"Hopefully, we can capture a lot of the students that are still on campus because they will just be getting out of class," Hudnell said. "We can catch them before they go home for the day."
The basketball and cheer teams include graduates of Arkadelphia, Cutter Morning Star, Fountain Lake, Glen Rose, Hot Springs, Jessieville, Kirby, Lake Hamilton and Mountain Pine high schools. The men's roster also includes players from Bryant, Gravette, North Little Rock, Pea Ridge, Umpire and West Memphis.
"People are starting to notice that I am the coach now," Hudnell said. "They are wanting to know about the team. They want to know if we are going to be any good. They want to know who we are going to play. They are wanting to know if they can get schedule posters to put in their businesses.
"So, I think the community is really excited about having college basketball in Hot Springs."
The college took steps to make most of the Nighthawks' games available through live streams courtesy of XZero Sports. A test broadcast of Monday's scrimmage is planned to be available at http://www.xzerosports.com. Sports broadcast Mark Oliver will provide commentary.
The Nighthawks will open their season Nov. 6 with home games against Crowley's Ridge Academy at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The men's team has 16 games scheduled for the regular season and the women's team has 11 scheduled. Both teams will compete in the NIRSA Collegiate Club Regionals at the end of the season.
Local on 10/29/2017