Having completed my quest to see a game in all 50 states the night before, I had a cornucopia of choice for how to spend my Saturday. Four Alaska Anchorage Seawolves teams were in action, starting with the skiers slaloming in the FIS Nor-Am Cup at Alyeska Resort, about 40 miles south. A mild snowfall the day before had left road conditions less than ideal, so I decided to stay local and focus on the evening, which saw hockey taking on Minnesota State in the second of a back-to-back at 5:00, while both women's and men's basketball had a doubleheader against Seattle Pacific, starting at 5:15 at Alaska Airlines Center. But as I was looking at other sports in the area, I came across Rage City Roller Derby, a local league that had a match at 7:00. That set the evening: I would watch women's hoops, and then decide whether to stay for the men or scoot over to the roller derby before heading back to the airport for my overnight flight back to Seattle.
Alaska Airlines Center was opened in 2014 to replace Sullivan Arena for basketball and volleyball. It is a beautiful arena, especially with the sun shining on a winter's day. You can leave your car in Parking Structure 2 or 3 across Wellness Drive. As the arena is right next to a medical facility, take care not to park in their surface lots; you will likely be towed. Tickets at the door were $15 for general admission for the DH, $5 more than if I had bought in advance. Reserved seats are the middle three sections on each sideline and are the same price, at least in advance, but I preferred to sit alone as I spend a lot of time cursing the officials under my breath. I don't know why they bother with reserved seats if the price is the same, just make the whole seating bowl GA and save on ushers.
Inside, there is a large atrium with several large posters highlighting Seawolf athletics. The main gym is to the left in the photo below, with an auxiliary gym to the right.
Along the floor, tiles representing achievements are inlaid. The Seawolves play in Division II (except for hockey and gymnastics) and are members of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). The conference is also home to Simon Fraser University, the only Canadian school to participate in the NCAA. Even the referees have the Canadian flag on one of their sleeves.
On one side of the atrium, you can see several trophies representing conference titles. The school does well in conference, but has not won a national title, with the women's hoops team falling to Lubbock Christian in the 2016 final their best achievement.
The same Seawolf Hall of Fame found at the Sports Complex is on the other side of the atrium. This one is more accessible and I spent a bit of time reading about the inductees.
The seating bowl is typical, with all sections facing the floor directly. There was no plan to insert a hockey rink here, so the venue is most suitable for basketball.
There is also a balcony but it is closed for these games. Overall capacity is 5,000 and with attendance at 1,042 for the women's game, there was no need to open the balcony. I found this out as I got off the elevator at the 3rd floor and was told by a helpful staff member, who let me take a shot of the atrium below. A carpeted running track encircles the balcony and looks to be available when the venue is not hosting an event.
Above the balcony on the fourth floor is the Varsity Sports Grill, a great pregame spot for dinner. Beer is only $7 and you can sit by the window and watch the game far below. It is soundproof, so you cannot hear the whistles or PA announcer, which is a bit disconcerting. I remained here until the first timeout before moving down.
One thing to note in the grill is the plaque honouring the Seawolves greatest win, when they beat eventual champion Michigan in December 1988. They are still talking about it to this day.
The scoreboard was separated into two parts for some reason, possibly to allow the sound coming out of the speakers to be heard.
Concessions were similar to what I had seen the night before, with the reindeer dog the option of choice for visitors who want to try something new.
Overall, Alaska Airlines Center might be the best Division II basketball arena out there (It is interesting that UAA might also have the worst Division I rink). I mentioned in the previous post that Alaska college athletics are in danger of being shut down, and if that happens, this venue could become a white elephant.
The Game
The Seawolf women have dominated the GNAC for years and are in the process of doing so again, coming in with an 10-1 record, while Seattle Pacific was 5-6. This was a mismatch from the start, and although the Falcons were within 4 points in the second quarter, UAA finished the half on a 19-3 run to make the second half a study in ugly basketball, helped not a whit by the referees who called far too many fouls for my liking.
Both teams shot a very poor 33.3%, but SPU turned it over an incredible 26 times as they lost 69-49 in a game that had me wondering how people expect women's basketball to grow in popularity. I did not want to sit through another game like that, so I rushed to my car and drove across town to get to the roller derby, about which I will write in the next post.
Best,
Sean
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