Practices Begin Tonight for UCI Basketball Teams

IRVINE —  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.