With a warm smile, Crispin took the ball and, while he signed it, made conversation with the boy.

Crispin then paused for a picture with the little Lions fan and with another smile, told the boy and his father to enjoy the rest of the night.

"I love doing this for them (the fans)," Crispin said. "We just want to show them a good time. Tonight is for the fans."

While the men's team signed autographs, the Lady Lions showed off their skills in their Blue-White scrimmage.

The Blue team beat the White 13-10. After that, the teams switched so the men's team could play. The White beat the Blue 35-24.

Between the scrimmages, Jon Crispin, Gyasi Cline-Heard and Nde Egekeze awed the crowd with a dunking contest.

"This is a lot of fun for us," Cline-Heard said. "We enjoy coming out here and showing off a bit because the season doesn't start for a few weeks."

The doors of the Jordan Center opened at 10 p.m. for fans to enjoy games, contests and the Late Night Dance Party broadcasts from WBHV-FM (103.1).

Before the teams took the floor at midnight, the crowd was treated to performances by the Penn State Blue Band, cheerleaders and the dance team.

Select fans were able to attempt shots for prizes such as Penn State hats, T-shirts and a free semester of books from the Student Book Store, 330 E. College Ave..

One fan had the chance to shoot a three-pointer for $1,000, but he missed the basket.

"I think it's great for the kids that come out here to cheer on Penn State basketball," Amber Czekai (sophomore-kinesiology) said. "It gives them a chance to meet the players."

At midnight, the official start of the season, both teams were introduced to fans. As the players came out, they threw souvenir basketballs to the crowd.

Four fans were selected from the crowd to participate in a shoot-out with members of the teams for Penn State men's and women's basketball season tickets. The winners were Blake Schonour (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) and Sean McCloskey (senior-journalism), and played with Joe Crispin, Brandon Watkins, Chrissy Falcone and Ashley Luke.

The 1999-2000 season will mark the opening of the student section at mid-court. Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley was supposed to officially open the section with a ceremonial cutting of the ribbon, but it never took place.

"I think it really helps us get motivated for the season," guard Lisa Shepherd said of the new section. "It's something to look forward to coming to our games. Hopefully we'll have a good student section this year with the new seating."