Jeezy headlines Stegmania, commencement of UGA basketball season
On Friday night, the Stegman Coliseum’s walls rocked to the celebration of the commencement of the University of Georgia’s men's and women’s basketball 2023-24 season. This iteration of the “Stegmania” marks its fourth annual showcase, featuring a 3-point challenge, a dunk contest and a performance from enigmatic four-time Grammy nominee Jeezy.
Stegmania marks the fourth installment of the celebration and UGA basketball fans showed out in droves to reflect the return to basketball in the Athens area.
Students crowded the student section with collective anticipation and chatter as both Bulldog teams prepared for the night of festivities. They kicked off the night with the three-point contest, which saw the pairing of Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Noah Thomasson edge out the likes of Savannah Henderson and De’Mauri Flournoy.
Immediately after, the lights were dimmed and crowds quieted to witness this year’s installment of UGA’s very own dunk contest, which featured freshman guards Blue Cain and Lamariyon “Mari” Jordan, freshman forward Dylan James and senior forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe as participants.
After an impressive between-the-legs, behind-the-head dunk from Top 100 recruit Cain, the panel of judges voted him the winner amid roars from the crowd and his teammates.
Soon after, the crowds murmured in anticipation of the day’s headliner, platinum-selling rapper Jeezy. He walked in performing his hit “Soul Survivor” as the bleachers began to vibrate to the collective steps of the crowd.
“Definitely the energy we needed coming in,” said junior sports management student Mac Seibert. “Hype, [the event] got hype. The music, the sound, the people – even the players, man, it got hype and exciting for everybody.”
After closing the five-song set out with three-time platinum single “Put On,” Bulldog coaches Mike White and Katie Abrahamson-Henderson bid the students adieu and called on them to fill the seats for their respective season openers in November.
“It was pretty awesome,” said freshman Benjamin Perez. He remarked that the main reason he came to the event was to see Jeezy perform and score some UGA merch from the T-shirt toss tradition.
As students exited the coliseum, locals could rest assured that Stegmania fulfilled the need for a return of hoops to the football-dominated demographic.
