Basketball season is upon us once again, but it seems like someone forgot to tell the athletics marketing department.

See, as any member of the department will tell you, Binghamton’s athletics program is rapidly growing and improving on many levels. Both of our soccer teams are playoff-bound once again, and our volleyball team, the defending conference champion, is sitting in first place in the America East; even our rebuilt wrestling program is developing from the ground up, and don’t forget our swim teams, which are also very well-constructed.

With all this unprecedented success this fall season, the department as a whole is going in the right direction. Now’s the time to sell these sports for what they are: a great opportunity to show off school spirit and have a great time.

Basketball is clearly the main draw, as hundreds of students fill the “BU Zoo” religiously to cheer on our team. Clearly, getting students excited about the upcoming season is important, and so now’s the perfect time to set up an awesome event to get everyone stoked.

The last few years, the Student Association has put together “Late Nite Madness,” an event which saw the teams get introduced by PA announcer Dave Simek, followed by some interactive games with the players and entertainment like a dunk contest. Two years ago the program featured some pretty sweet BMX bikers jumping over stuff.

The program, much like our basketball program itself, was not perfect by any means, but — much like our basketball program itself — we all loved it for what it was.

One problem that came up each of the last couple of years was the program’s funding. The athletics department refused to pay for it, leaving the SA — more specifically, the VPUP’s office — with the tab. With basketball gurus Jason Kupperman and Patrick Craig at the helm (in 2004 and 2005, respectively), the office underwent some financial stretches but still managed to pull it off.

But don’t blame newly elected VPUP Sandi Dube; when it came time to make a decision about Late Nite Madness, the money just wasn’t there, thanks to the debt left by previous VPUPs.

Athletics declined to chip in for another installment of Late Nite Madness; instead the marketing department came up with a new idea — “BU Bearcats Hoop Fest,” set for Saturday at 11 a.m., designed to involve the entire community rather than the student base that Madness targeted.

Diagnosis: lame. Students loved Late Nite Madness, and it was quickly becoming a tradition — not based around alcohol, Mr. Chancellor — that could have really become a part of Binghamton’s culture. If I’m going to pay an activity fee in my tuition, I’d like to see it spent on stuff that the STUDENTS enjoy. I love the Junior Bearcats and all, and the idea of “BU Bearcats Hoop Fest” is a good idea in theory, but nothing can replace Late Nite Madness.

I’m not blaming Dube, and I’m not blaming the marketing department. But let’s face the facts: for a campus supposedly suffering from apathy (I don’t necessarily agree with that sentiment, but that’s another column), Madness — a student-run event that focused on something many of us genuinely love — was the perfect answer, and now it’s gone.

I can only hope that our fans’ undying love for the team (and our Chuck Norris-like coach) carries over to the season itself.