Hurricanes Hoopfest '08 Set for Saturday, October 18

CORAL GABLES – The University of Miami men’s and women’s basketball programs have announced that they will be holding Hurricanes Hoopfest ’08 at the BankUnited Center on Saturday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to noon.

During the festival, fans will be able to sit in the stands and watch the season’s first practice for both teams. Head coaches Katie Meier and Frank Haith will address the crowd and each will be joining their respective teams in an autograph session. Every fan in attendance will receive an exclusive Hoopfest poster and will have the first look at the BankUnited Center’s new court design.

The women’s basketball team brings in a top-25 recruiting class this season, which includes a total of five newcomers. Miami returns captain LaToya Cunningham, who is the top returning scorer from a year ago. Coach Meier’s squad will face an impressive ACC schedule that features eight teams that played in the 2007-08 postseason and six that advanced to the NCAA tournament.

The men, coming off a season where they advanced into the second round of the NCAA Tournament, heads into the upcoming season ranked as high as No. 8 in preseason polls. Coach Haith returns four starters and its top-five scorers from that NCAA Tournament team, including All-America candidate and 2007-08 All-ACC First Team selection Jack McClinton, who averaged a team-high 17.7 points per game for the season and 18.8 points per game in ACC play.

Fans will have the opportunity to select their seats for both the women’s and men’s basketball seasons. Sales account representatives will be in attendance and can assist with any ticket related questions that fans may have. Representatives will also begin taking deposits for season ticket packages.