By: Jeff Eisenberg/ Yahoo Sports

Instead of taking a multiple-choice test or writing an essay as their biggest assignment of the semester, the five grad students in San Jose State professor Dr. Sonja Lilienthal’s sports marketing class have a slightly more interactive task.

They’re planning San Jose State’s Midnight Madness festivities.

Hoping to drum up interest in men’s and women’s basketball at a commuter school notorious for its apathy for sports, the San Jose State athletic department agreed to revive Midnight Madness and give Lilienthal’s class an opportunity to plan the event. Among the activities the students have planned for Friday night are a dunk contest, a meet-and-greet with players and coaches, and a game of “knockout” that will pit the players against fans with some fun prizes on the line.

“We’re trying to mirror pieces of NBA All-Star Weekend,” said Daniel Hackett, a first-year graduate student in Lilienthal’s class. “It’s meant to be an interactive, fun experience for the fans that provides some entertainment. We’re hoping that will translate into increased attendance and give the fans a better relationship with the team.”

Midnight Madness is the kickoff event not just for San Jose State basketball but also for the sports marketing class’ involvement in the program. Lilienthal’s students will continue to work throughout the season to plan a campaign to increase support for a men’s basketball program that averaged just 1,854 fans a game in 14 home games last season.

Although the Spartans are coming off a 14-17 season in which they finished sixth in the WAC, there’s reason to believe they could be competitive this season. In a year in which many of the WAC’s top teams are replacing their best players, San Jose State returns the league’s leading scorer, former Washington transfer Adrian Oliver, who averaged 22.5 points a game last year.

“The athletic department entrusting this project to us really means a lot to us,” Hackett said. “We’re really excited about working with them and making this a success for both our class and the department and we want this to be successful for the team and the community as a whole.”

Hackett isn’t certain how the class will be graded for planning Midnight Madness, but he thinks it will be based on a combination of participation and the success of the event.

Something that should help the class throughout the basketball season is that one of the five students is actually a member of the San Jose State basketball team. Fifth-year senior guard Justin Graham, the team’s second-leading returning scorer, is actually helping to plan an event that he will participate in on Friday.

“It’s terrific,” Hackett said. “He’s a great liaison and he provides that insider insight into what works and what doesn’t. He lets us know, ‘That will really energize us as a team’ or ‘That’s not going to do much for us.’ He’s got a great unique perspective.”