PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The 2002-03 Providence College men's basketball team will hold a Late Night Madness extravaganza, which will include a practice that is open to the public, on Thursday, October 17 at Providence College's Alumni Hall.

This year's festivities will begin in Peterson Recreation Center at 6:00 p.m. with the pre-Late Night Madness Dinner. The team and the coaching staff will be introduced to the Friar faithful prior to heading to the court at 10:00 p.m. The emcee for the dinner will be the voice of the Friars John Rooke. Tickets for the dinner and cocktail hour are available by calling 401-865-2909.

The Late Night Madness festivities in Alumni Hall will begin at 9:00 p.m. as the PC Student Congress will host games and other entertainment to get the crowd ready for the team's introduction at 10:00 p.m. Some of the highlights of this year's event will be a shooting contest for the fans with a $10,000 grand prize, USAirways ticket giveaways and chances to win tickets to the BIG EAST Tournament. The general public is welcome to attend this portion of the evening free of charge. The doors to Alumni Hall will open at 8:45 p.m. and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

At 10:00 p.m., Head Coach Tim Welsh will lead the 2002-03 Friars onto the court where the team will perform several drills, including three-point shooting, a slam dunk competition and other skills tests. For more information on Late Night Madness, call 401-865-2272.

The Late Night Madness festivities traditionally have occurred at 12:01 a.m. of the first official day of practice. This season, the first official practice of the season will be held on Saturday, October 12. Due to the fact that the first day of practice falls on the first day of a three-day weekend, in which Columbus Day is celebrated on Monday and many students leave campus to go home, the festivities will be held on October 17.

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