The ETSU men’s and women’s basketball teams will take the floor inside the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Complex on Thursday night to help usher in the new basketball seasons. The Blunanza event, in its third year, will begin with a free tailgating buffet for students at 5:30 p.m., followed by the event at 6:30 p.m.

The event is free and will consist of scrimmages from both men’s and women’s teams and a 3-point shooting competition highlighted by a dunk contest.

Senior De’Shaud Johnson will be returning to defend his dunk contest title, which was won with an array of dunks including one in which he jumped over a child.

Returning to the contest will be senior forward Justin Tubbs. The University of Alabama transfer was unable to compete in the event last year due to an ankle injury, but will definitely excite the crowd with his above-the-rim acrobatics this year. Tubbs won the event in its first year, with a 360-between-the-legs dunk.

This will be the first time students will be able to get a look at the teams, both coming off NCAA Tournament appearances and Atlantic Sun Championships.

The men enter the season looking for their third A-Sun championship while the women come into this season looking for their fourth championship.

The ETSU men’s team returns with their core, including four starters. Also rejoining the team will be Mike Smith, who was forced to red-shirt last year after having a stress fracture below his knee early in the season.

The women are welcoming five freshman. They lost the bulk of their roster, losing two of the best players in ETSU women’s history, Siarre Evans and TaRonda Wiles, to graduation. They will be led this year by senior guard Tara Davis and red-shirt senior forward Latisha Belcher. Belcher is returning for one last go, after battling chronic knee troubles throughout her career.

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