Memphis basketball may not quite be back to where it was mid-2000s, but it is at least trending in that direction.

Several big stars were on hand and it was a night of fun and laughter- but a little competition thrown in.

The players got to have great entrances off the stage. The coaches showed a ton of personality (especially on the women’s side). Memphis rappers Tripstar, Big Homie G, Big30 and Moneybagg Yo gave a performance that got the crowd into it.

Memphis Madness was a rousing success with a lot of skill on display- on both the men’s and women’s teams.

The highlight of the night was Josh Minot winning the dunk contest with a nasty bounce between the legs dunk from the sideline.

On the women’s side, Madison Griggs put on a show in both the skills competition and the 3 point contest.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t miss women’s recruiting coordinator Abby Jump nearly winning the shooting challenge all by herself- draining a half court shot on the first try.

Former Tigers were in the house as Willie Kemp filled in for Alex Lomax and Robert Dozier was a judge in the dunk contest.

It’s really easy to overreact on nights like this- but the men’s team is going to be a challenge to guard at every spot on the floor. Duren and Bates both need to get stronger- which isn’t unexpected for freshmen.

On the women’s side, they look much better on their fundamentals. They really enjoy playing for one another. The intensity and energy are both complete turnarounds.

But all of that isn’t really that important. What’s important is that Memphis basketball has their swagger back. What people sometimes don’t understand is that Memphis is just built different. Imperfect, but so much fun.

Whether its the appearance of Moneybagg Yo, or Penny Hardaway entering in a Polaris Slingshot Memphis Madness was a rousing success by all accounts.