UAlbany men's basketball gears up for annual Dunk-or-Treat event

ALBANY - When the University at Albany men's basketball program gets ready for its annual Dunk-or-Treat event, coach Dwayne Killings gets excited not just because it's a chance for his team to connect with the city the Great Danes call home, but because it signals that the tipoff of another season is just around the corner.

"Every year when we do it," Killings said, "it means that we're getting closer to college basketball season."

This year's Dunk-or-Treat event will take place Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at UAlbany's downtown campus, located at 135 Western Ave. It's the fifth straight year that Killings' program has put on the free, family-friendly Halloween event that features arts and crafts activities, food, music and, naturally, plenty of candy.

The event is put on in conjunction with multiple student and community organizations, and has become an annual highlight of the Great Danes' preseason activities.

"Last year, we had over 450 kids on the campus," Killings said. "I think it's super cool, because it's a neighborhood event. You get people walking there, you have a big, huge parking lot, you've got a bus stop. I think the community really embraces not only our program, but the student organizations and that part of campus."

With the Great Danes busy preparing for their season opener on Nov. 2 when Rhode Island College comes to Broadview Center, Killings credited other groups for doing much of the legwork that makes Dunk-or-Treat a fun annual event.

"We don't do all the work," he said. "Student organizations, the (UAlbany) Government & Community Relations department, they really help us in a lot of ways."

For the head coach, who is entering his sixth year with the Great Danes, events like Dunk-or-Treat are crucial to giving his program a connection with the surrounding community.

"It's our small, small way of trying to give back," Killings said.

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This article originally published at UAlbany men's basketball gears up for annual Dunk-or-Treat event.