Practices Begin Tonight for UCI Basketball Teams

The UC Irvine men’s and women’s basketball teams, both preparing for their first seasons under new head coaches, will open practice after midnight tonight in a public exhibition at the Bren Center.

Student competitions, including a three-point contest and a dunking contest, will precede the official opening of practice, which under NCAA rules is allowed to begin Oct. 15.

The contests start at 10:30 p.m., after the conclusion of an 8 p.m. women’s volleyball match against Pennsylvania, which has been moved from Crawford Hall to the Bren Center in conjunction with the other activities.

Rod Baker’s men’s team, which finished 11-19 last season in Bill Mulligan’s final season as coach, will scrimmage for about 15 minutes.