Thousands of fans cheered and screamed at the top of their lungs after an emphatic one-handed dunk from Thaddeus Young.

Hundreds of camera phones and digital cameras flashed throughout the stands after seeing Elton Brand touch the ball as a 76er. One fan even got Louis Williams to do a double take on the court after inviting him to his fraternity's party later that evening.

More than 2,000 eager fans were at the Bryce Jordan Center Friday night as the Philadelphia 76ers held an open practice. Fans watched the team conduct drills such as the three-man weave, scrimmage with four 10-minute quarters and participate in a T-shirt toss at the end of the practice.

"It's been amazing, especially since we are able to get so close to the team," Brian DiTullio (junior-telecommunications) said. "It was great seeing them up close."

While some fans simply enjoyed being in the same venue as their favorite players, others enjoyed the opportunity to interact with them.

Stan Borodyansky (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said his favorite part of the evening was getting to talk to head coach Maurice Cheeks and the other players on the sidelines because at times they would turn around and respond.

Borodyansky and his friends even tried to poke fun at assistant coach Aaron McKie during the scrimmage by shouting from the stands that they both attended the same high school.

"No, he was just kidding," McKie said. "They just knew the high school that I went to was all-black so that's how they gave themselves away right there. They were just kidding with

that and I was just having fun with them."

A group of female fans took trying to get a response from the players to the next level. Decked out in face paint, they brought signs bearing their phone and apartment numbers, hoping to hear back from one of the players.

According to Liz Gnias (junior-communication sciences and disorders), Willie Green and Williams seemed to be the most interested in their signs throughout the night.

"It was a blast," she said. "I love the Sixers and they're here at Penn State. They looked really good, in more ways than one."

The players argued nearly every other call from the referees, and the fans applauded every dunk and spectacular play as if it were the playoffs and not just a training camp scrimmage.

"It was a lot of fun, but while it was a lot of fun we got a lot of work done," Cheeks said. "I think we got a lot done because it was like a game situation. When you have a game situation, their minds are in the game more, although it was a fun scrimmage."

While the final score won't appear in the regular season standings, the black team (the first team starters including Andre Iguodala and Brand) defeated the white team (consisting of bench players such as Green and Williams), 100-87. Nevertheless, the scrimmage didn't stop fans from putting in their own predictions for the season.

"We are going to win the championship," Ben Patchen (junior-finance) said. "Thad looked like a stud. Elton Brand will go back to being a perennial all-star. I think we're awesome."