The postponement of the Leafs-Kraken game on Sunday left limited options in terms of sporting events in the Seattle area. There were two choices: a junior hockey game in Everett at 4:00 and a women's basketball game at the University of Washington at 2:00. As much as I would have liked to see both, it was not logistically possible without leaving the basketball early or arriving late at the hockey, neither of which I was willing to do. As Sharpy had to drive back to Vancouver immediately after and I am chasing NCAA hoops venues, we decided on the earlier event, which also happened to be just a few minutes away from our hotel on the 1 Line.
We arrived about 30 minutes before tip and had a quick look at Husky Stadium, with the Husky statue out front. Just a few feet away are statues of long-time head coaches Don James (below) and Jim Owens; it was nice to see the football team so honoured. But we were here to see basketball, so without further ado, we walked another few feet to reach Alaska Airlines Arena.
This beautiful brick building opened in 1927 and was later named Hec Edmundson Pavilion in honour of the school's long-time basketball and track coach. Although the naming rights have been sold since 2000 (Bank of America had them for a decade before Alaska Airlines took over), the official name still includes Hec Edmundson Pavilion and most fans refer to it by this name, or Hec Ed for short.
Interestingly, the event we were here to see did not feature the Huskies at all. This was the middle game of the Husky Classic, a three-team tournament with Eastern Washington and Nevada also participating. The lady Huskies had beaten EWU the day before, and would play Nevada on Monday, but this game featured the two guest schools. As an aside, the word classic is overused in sports; there was nothing classic about this tournament, featuring teams ranked 105, 202, and 309 in the nation.
Without the home Huskies playing, this was not a popular contest, but even then tickets were $15. Sharpy and I forked over the cash (or credit card as the venue is cashless) and entered to an empty concourse. It is quite the contrast with the new carpeting inside such an old venue.
A quick tour revealed a logo very similar to that of the reigning Grey Cup champions. I guess there are only so many ways to stylize the letter W.
More advertising. I am not sure what "Bow down. Rise above" means.
There are a few seemingly random Hall of Fame classes along one wall, with pictures of Husky Stadium from past years below that. It seems like they don't induct a new class every year, so these were the most recent. It is interesting to see future pros like Mark Brunell and Nate Robinson next to those who were successful at the college level but were unable to turn pro because their sport provides limited opportunities to do so.
There is also a museum, but it was closed on this day. Inside, you can see the 1991 National Championship Trophy in the foreground; the Huskies were split winners with Miami that year.
We continued around the concourse and were happy to find the concession stand below. As this would be the last game we would see together in some time, we decided to have one final beer. From what I could tell, we were the only ones to do so.
Inside, the seating bowl is typical for basketball, with two levels and four sides, though there are corner seats on the upper level. On one side of the lower level are benches, which are presumably for the students when the Huskies are playing; the other side is chairbacks. It was general admission and we sat close, though not courtside lest an errant pass spill our beer.
The upper deck is a mixture, with seven rows of chairbacks, then five rows of wooden benches. Above that are plastic benches. It is an unusual setup that I have not seen elsewhere, and it does make for interesting photos. Note the stats board hanging in the picture below, another rarity to have it in this location.
All of the bench seats in the upper level have cushions, even the very top row. In addition, this row has a very narrow path in front of the bench, making it a bit of a challenge to navigate. You cannot walk normally in front of the bench, you must sidle as if on a ledge. I can't imagine what this is like when it is sold out.
Here is the view from the top row. You can see the Seattle skyline on the court below. I appreciate these touches on the college courts, which are usually free of advertising. Purchasing the naming rights gets you around that restriction.
At the west end are six arched windows that are original to the building. They were painted over for years, but uncovered when the facility underwent a massive renovation in 1999. This renovation also removed 20 support pillars that had rendered many seats to be of the obstructed view variety.
At the other end are the accomplishments of both the women's and men's teams that use Hec Ed. Men's basketball's best showing was in 1953 when they finished third, losing to Kansas in the semifinals and beating LSU in the third place game. The women made the Final Four in 2016, where they lost to Syracuse, who were then destroyed by UConn in what is the last title for those Huskies.
Overall, I was glad to get inside here and have an easy time of touring. Attendance was announced at 908 but as you can see, that was a slight exaggeration. I enjoy getting to see a venue when it is mostly empty and that was certainly the case here. And to be honest, the game wasn't that bad after all. At least until the end.
The Game
Nevada (Mountain West) were considered the visitors and fell behind to the Eagles (Big Sky) early, only to end the first quarter on a 9-1 run to take a 17-13 lead. The second quarter was almost identical, with the Wolf Pack taking it 16-13.
Things reversed in the third quarter with EWU going on a 12-5 spurt to tie the game at 44, and we went to the final frame with the Eagles on top 49-48.
The one-point lead was still in place with 7 minutes to go when Nevada's Audrey Roden hit a trey and was fouled on the play. She made the charity shot, and when EWU missed a three, Roden came right back and hit a jumper. Another couple of misses by the Eagles were followed by Nevada's Da'Ja Hamilton sinking a two-pointer and the Wolf Pack lead was suddenly 7. Two minutes later, it was a 13-point bulge as EWU could not hit and Nevada could not miss. With time running out, it was obvious that the game was decided, but then something odd happened. In the final minute, three timeouts were called. Yes three! With 44 seconds left and down 10, EWU called time. Then with 15 ticks to go and up by 9, Nevada called time! Why? To make matters worse, coming out of the time out, EWU immediately fouled. Again, why? But wait, after Hamilton made the two free throws, the Eagles again signaled for a time out. Yes, down 11 with 13 seconds to go, the coach felt that something just had to be said. Is there an 11-point line I don't know about? Basketball is already overcoached, and women's hoops is mostly unwatchable (today's combined shooting stats: 40-115 (35%) and 11/42 (26%) from long range), so why make it even more so?
Anyway, Nevada prevailed 71-60 in a game that took about five minutes longer than it should have. Roden was the star with 18 points on 6-11 shooting, including 4-6 from beyond the arc and it was her four-point play that was the turning point. Her mother was sitting in front of us and rightfully proud.
Notes
This was the first neutral-site women's basketball game I have ever seen, and very likely the last. I hope to be back to see the men play as this visit doesn't count on my list of 388 active NCAA hoops home venues.
There was an interesting connection between all three schools: Nevada's Nia Alexander has a sister Alliyah who plays for Eastern Washington (though she wasn't dressed); their mother Dianne starred for Washington in the early 1990s and of course, she was in the crowd.
Washington won the tournament by beating Nevada 58-42 on Monday afternoon, so the teams finished in their expected order.
Best,
Sean
No comments:
Post a Comment