Since he was hired in April to take over the men's basketball program at Lincoln, John Moseley has said he wants to make Jason Gym the toughest venue for opponents in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association to play in.
In order to do that, Moseley, along with women's coach Nicole Collier and the Lincoln administration, thought it would be a good idea to give the community a taste of what Lincoln basketball will be like this season.
And that's how Blue Madness was born.
"I don't really have any experience in here knowing what the lay of the land is and how tough this place can be to play in," Moseley said at the conclusion of the inagural event Wednesday night. "I've heard from some coaches in the league that say when certain games happen, Jason Gym is a really fun place to play and it's a really tough place for opponents to play.
"We've got to recreate that."
Jason Gym was at capacity during Blue Madness, which featured multiple skills challenges, a scrimmage for both teams and an around-the-world contest between Moseley, Collier and Lincoln president Kevin Rome.
"We're trying to tie together our community into what we're doing here and show our players that there's excitement," Collier said.
Getting fans to attend games throughout the season is a goal of the players, as well.
"We always want as many people as we can," Lincoln senior Josh Buie said. "We want to fill the stands every game and give them something to watch - bring the community back to Lincoln and bring Lincoln to the community. That's our goal."
Lincoln senior Kate Frazier had similar thoughts.
"We're really trying to merge the community and Lincoln together," she said. "We want to have the support from everybody."
So far, things have gone smooth for both programs as they prepare for their season openers.
"I think you're going to see a night-and-day different team as far as discipline - defensively and offensively," Collier said. "I think you're going to see a more up-tempo team. We're going to get out and run, we're going to extend the defense, we're going to pressure the ball."
Moseley believes his team is coming around, too.
"We know we still have a long way to go, but I've been really proud of these guys and the effort that they've put in to try to restore the glory of this once proud program," he said. "Overall, if we can get a constant work ethic in practice, then we're going to have a chance to make great strides.
"Our No. 1 goal is to come in here every day and get better."
Wednesday night's event, which also featured performances by the Lincoln band, cheerleading team and dance squad, allowed players from both programs to showcase their talents in front of an enthusiastic fan base.
The men's team put on a show from the beginning by throwing down dunk after dunk during opening warmups. Even Jeremy Jackson, a 5-foot-9 guard, showed off his jumping ability with a one-handed slam.
Hunter Yoakum and Kayton Cole both put on a shooting display during a 3-point contest. Yoakum knocked down 19 3's in a minute, while Cole hit all 15 of hers from 26 feet out.
"For them it was all about having fun," Moseley said. "I wanted to get through the night injury-free like most coaches in these situations. We had a very good practice prior to (the event) and then afterwards we just wanted the players to enjoy themselves."
While the players did have fun, they also got to use Blue Madness as a learning tool.
"It actually helps us with communicating on the court," Buie said. "Normally in practice it's just us, so you can talk in a regular, monotone voice and everyone can hear you. When you have fans in the stands, you've got to be a little louder."
The Lincoln men will kick off its season at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 14 against Minnesota-Duluth, while the women will play at 6 p.m. Nov. 15 against Ouachita Baptist. Both games will be played in Bolivar.
"We're excited to start our games," Frazier said, "and we are excited to see what kind of fan base we'll have whenever our games start."