California senior guard Kamryn Koetting is no rookie when it comes to preparing for the first girls basketball practice of the season. She's had three years to master the art of late-night hoops.
During the morning, afternoon and early evening on Sunday leading up to the Pintos' version of Midnight Madness, which has been made popular by major college programs and symbolizes the start of basketball season, Koetting took four naps before arriving at the California gym around 11:45 p.m.
"I'm tired, but it's fun," she said moments before the clock hit midnight. "I'll probably be very tired (Monday morning)."
Pintos head coach Bobby Sangster, who began Midnight Madness at California eight years ago, set the play-clock in the gym to hit zero seconds when the real clock struck midnight. The Missouri State High School Activities Association allows basketball teams to officially start practice on Monday.
"Nobody gets on the court before us," Sangster joked. "A lot of my coaching friends look at me crazy like, "Wow, you're going to get up at midnight on a Sunday night before a long week and the first week of practice.' They really think I'm crazy."
Sangster is not aware of any other high schools in the area that begin practicing at midnight.
"I wanted to promote a college atmosphere, something that was unique and different," he said. "From the first time I mentioned anything about it (to school administrators), the response was always positive. I was able to put my stamp on the program and start this Midnight Madness."
While Sangster expects his players to take the practice seriously, he also wants them to enjoy themselves. The first practice, which is open to freshmen through seniors, only lasts for around 30 minutes.
"This is a fun event," he said. "We go through warm-ups and do some drills. The girls are required to do them right; it is officially our first practice. It's nothing major, but we wait until we're legal and we go."
Although waking up for school a few hours later can be difficult, California players have insisted that Sangster continue the Midnight Madness tradition. Sangster has never had a girl be tardy to her first class on Monday morning.
"They will not let me stop doing it," he said. "To put it bluntly, they look forward to it and they're excited about it. We have t-shirts printed up. It's all about the memories you make here and the time you spend here. We hope to give them a good experience."
Despite her four naps on Sunday, Koetting expected to be extremely tired when she arrived for school Monday morning.
"Yes, it's a struggle," she said. "We have to be here to check in with (Sangster) before school starts. I'll probably be walking in right as the bell is ringing."
California players are willing to trade off the negatives of the situation for the positive.
"I really like it. I think it gives us a boost to be ahead of everyone," senior forward Kelsey Roush said. "It shows that our coach is excited and he's ready to push us. He wants us to be the first ones on the court and show everyone what we're made of."
The Pintos are hoping to improve on last year's 17-9 record and second-place finish in the conference.
"It's a way to start off our season, so everyone is ready to get going," Koetting said. "It starts the season off on a good note."