CSM hoops in the spotlight this Saturday

For some of the big, four-year basketball programs, the start of the season is highlighted by a “midnight madness” event — a celebration of the sport of basketball, with midnight being the first time teams can begin practice.

CSM didn’t and won’t have a midnight madness event — but the Bulldogs’ teams are doing something to celebrate the start of the season, and they’re hoping to get the Peninsula community involved, as well.

CSM men’s basketball coach Mike Marcial, along with longtime CSM women’s coach Michelle Warner, are putting on what they’re calling “Bulldog Madness,” with a number of events being held to generate interest in the respective programs Oct. 12 at the CSM gym starting at noon and running to 4 p.m. Golden State Warriors “hype man” Franco Finn will serve as master of ceremonies.

Admission is free and refreshments are available, as well.

“We been working together on it for the last couple of months,” Marcial said. “We want to do everything we possibly can to continue to open the door to the community and bring alumni back to campus.”

Marcial said both the men’s and women’s teams will be playing alumni games, along with a faculty exhibition game. Other activities include a 3-point shooting contest and a dunk contest — which could feature athletes from other CSM athletic programs.

The women’s team shouldn’t have any problems fielding an alumni team. Warner has been the Bulldogs’ head coach for more than 20 years, so she has plenty of talent from which to pull.

Marcial and the men’s basketball team might have little more trouble getting enough former players. Marcial helped resurrect the men’s program five years ago after a 40-year hiatus. A number of Marcial’s former players are still wrapping up their college careers and are not eligible to play in an alumni game.

But that won’t stop CSM from celebrating its basketball programs and they want the surrounding community to be part of the action.

“We’re trying to involve, as much as we can, with our community,” Marcial said.

The CSM men tip off the regular season Nov. 1 with a game against Orange Coast at Ohlone College-Fremont. The CSM women has its first game Nov. 9 at Folsom Lake College against Butte.

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The best part of being a high school sports reporter? The chance to see something I’ve never seen before.

A lot of times, those events happen during the baseball season. But I got a rare one last Friday night during Burlingame’s 43-17 win over Mountain View.

With the game still in the balance in the second quarter and the Panthers holding a 14-0 lead, Mountain View lined up for a 34-yard field goal attempt.

Initially, I thought the kick was blocked and I started to note what had transpired, when I heard the crowd noise start to crescendo. I looked up to the Mountain View quarterback, who was the holder on the kick attempt, scramble after the loose ball and look to make a pass.

Which he did. The ball was tipped a couple times before Burlingame’s Ravi Krishnan came down with an interception to finally finish the play and maintain the Panthers’ two-touchdown lead.

I asked head referee Mac Parfet about the ruling on the play and he said what the Spartans did was completely legal since the kick did not cross the line of scrimmage.

Late in the fourth quarter, with Burlingame comfortably ahead, Panthers lineman JJ Vea asked me if I noted his 4-yard tackle for loss on the first play of the game. He then informed me that the Spartans’ field goals attempt actually hit off the back of the helmet of the Mountain View snapper.

Just when I think I’ve seen it all ...

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While the demise of the Pac-12 has been discouraging, I will say this: I’ve seen more Stanford and Cal football this season than I’ve seen in the previous decade.

A lot of that stems from the fact that the Pac-12 Network had limited availability and the television provider I had (which I have since canceled because of signal issues) did not have the Pac-12 Network, thus I never watched.

But with Cal and Stanford now in the Atlantic Coast Conference, their games are more widely available. I never had a need a to watch the ACC Network previously, but now I do.

That, coupled with schedules against nationally recognized programs, Cal and Stanford football have experienced a rennaissance.

Cal, especially. Seems being released from the Pac-12 Network has raised the Golden Bears’ profile to highs not seen in a long time, as evidenced by ESPN’s wildly popular, pre-game Saturday show, “GameDay,” broadcasting from Berkeley for the first-time ever last Saturday ahead of Cal’s matchup with University of Miami, which came into the game ranked eighth in the country.

It was a 7:30 p.m. start, so most on the East Coast probably didn’t watch. Heck, I got to the fourth quarter and was fading, but with Cal having dominated Miami for most of three quarters and leading 35-18 early in the fourth, I remember thinking, “I can go to bed now. No way Cal can blow this.”

I woke up Sunday morning and looked up the result online. Oh my, what a Cal collapse — 39-38 Miami.