It was a weekend to remember for Darnell Mee.

The former Western Kentucky basketball standout entered the school’s athletic hall of fame Saturday, and Sunday he coached the semi-pro Bowling Green Bandits to a 132-100 victory over the Memphis Lions in their inaugural game at E.A. Diddle Arena.

An estimated 1,800 fans showed for the debut of the Bandits, who compete in the American Basketball Association.

“For it to be our first game, and them not knowing what to expect from us, I thought it was great,” Mee said. “I hope, going away from this, they’ll tell people they know how good the basketball was. We scored 132 points, and it wasn’t a really sloppy game where you could say, ‘They didn’t play any defense.’ I felt like we tried to defend, and they tried to defend. We were able to make plays and put points on the board.”

Mee played for the Hilltoppers from 1990-93 before he was selected with the 34th pick in the 1993 NBA draft by Golden State. He was traded to Denver and played two seasons with the Nuggets before playing abroad for nearly 15 more years.

Mee holds WKU’s all-time records for most steals in a game, season and career. He’s 23rd on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,253 points.

On Saturday, he was enshrined in WKU’s athletic hall of fame with three other inductees.

“You walk around the gym, and you see the guys in the rafters,” Mee said. “You walk in the (auxiliary) gym, and you see the pictures of guys on the wall. It’s an honor to be in the same club as those guys. … To understand the plaque on the wall will never be taken down – my son walks by, and he’ll be able to walk by from now until whenever and see that picture.”

Two former WKU players were listed on the Bandits’ roster – Mike Wells (2001-04) and Boris Siakam (2005-08) – but neither was in uniform Sunday. Siakam had to attend to a family issue, and Wells is dealing with an injury.

But the Bandits got big contributions from a slew of other players as they extended their lead through each 12-minute quarter.

Former Bowling Green High School guard Cornelius Bowman scored a game-high 18 points and made four 3-pointers. Five other BG players scored in double figures, led by forward Carlos Woodard’s 13 points.

The Bandits led 61-48 at halftime and at times flashed strong defensive pressure. The ABA utilizes the “3D rule,” which gives an additional point to the value of each field goal after the opposing team loses possession of the ball in the backcourt.

Bowling Green is ranked 18th in the ABA’s current power rankings.

“I think we could do some damage,” said Woodard, who played at the University of Pikeville. “Once we all come together and sync up like teams are supposed to, I think we’ve got a good chance to make a run.”

The players also praised Mee’s leadership, noting that it’s easy to respect a coach who’s played at the highest level.

“He’s knowledgeable about the game, and he has experience, so it’s good to have a coach that’s played and knows the game,” said guard Will Peters, who scored 10 points. “He helps us develop and be better players while we’re growing and coming together, so it’s great.”

The Bandits have 14 more home dates at Diddle Arena in the regular season, which continues through March 8.

Their next game is Saturday at the Chicago Steam. They return home at 4 p.m. Nov. 16 to host Indianapolis Naptown All-Stars.

“Bowling Green came out and showed us a little bit, but we hope that everybody that came goes back and tells their friends,” team CEO and President Matt Morris said. “We look for a bigger crowd the next few games, with everybody starting to get the word out. It was a great showing for a first night.”

The Bandits are working to give back in the community and will present support to a local cause at halftime of each game, Morris said.

There are contests for children and adults – including a shot contest with a $10,000 prize at halftime of every home game – and one high school will have its spirit groups featured at each game, Morris said.

Greenwood High School held that honor Sunday. The school’s cheerleaders and a cappella groups performed throughout, and GHS Principal Greg Dunn was a “celebrity player” for the Bandits. He entered the game in the final minutes.

There were plenty of extracurricular features, but the on-the-court product wasn’t too shabby either, Peters said.

“To come out and put on a good game for them in the first game was good to do,” he said. “With this win, I think they’ll keep supporting us, and we can keep going on and keep winning.”

— Follow Assistant Sports Editor Zach Greenwell on Twitter at twitter.com/zach_greenwell or visit bgdailynews.com.