GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Gold celebrated its debut Thursday evening at its new home, Van Andel Arena.
To get the fans excited, the Gold hosted a free throw contest ahead of the game, where people could participate for the chance to win two season tickets.
FOX 17’s own Josh Berry participated in the contest, but sadly, he didn’t make the bucket.
Either way, it was a great opportunity to get inside and on the floor of Van Andel Arena.
“The basketball’s so good, and we’re really good once we get people in the building, so the challenge for us this year is to spread the word and let people know that we’re here at Van Andel,” Steve Jbara, Grand Rapids Gold president, told FOX 17. “We think, you know, we really just need a first date with people. We’ll get the second date. We just gotta get them here the first time, so things like this help to just draw people out.”
The Gold took on its in-state rival Thursday night, the Motor City Cruise with tipoff happening at 7 p.m.
If you missed the home opener, you’ll have plenty more opportunities to cheer for the Gold this season, including the next two home games: Sunday, November 13 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, November 15 at 7 p.m.
To see their full schedule or to buy tickets to a game, click here.