I awoke Saturday to some annoying news: Amtrak had cancelled our train to Seattle at the last minute and offered no rebooking options. Fortunately, one-way car rentals were very cheap, so I booked one and drove to the Emerald City, arriving before the first NFL playoff game of the day. We were staying near Climate Pledge Arena, where the Leafs would be playing on Sunday but had to get across town to the Capitol Hill area, where the Seattle Redhawks were hosting Grand Canyon Saturday night. It is about an hour walk, but we turned it into a playoff pub crawl, stopping at three bars along the way, with the last one being The Chieftain, so named because the university's athletic teams used to be known as the Chieftains. We also passed over I-5, a highway I drove many times when I lived in Vancouver. Seattle's population has increased by almost 50% since 1992 and it shows with the traffic.
The Redhawks are one of those teams that split their basketball games between two venues and the one with the biggest difference in capacity between them. Their secondary venue is Climate Pledge Arena, which holds 18,300 while their on-campus home, Redhawk Center, can only fit 999 fans. I should have researched this fact in advance, because when Sharpy and I showed up, there weren't many tickets left and the box office people had trouble finding a pair for us. Fortunately, they succeeded and we got a couple of general admission tickets (no stubs sadly) for $25 each.
It was dark and wet when we arrived and I just followed fans up a ramp and into the building, never seeing the outside. Inside, the building is quite small, but there are a few interesting features on the single concourse, including a collage with the university's precise coordinates.
There are two entrances to the gym and next to the far entrance is a collection of cartoons highlighting the history of the Redhawks. Elgin Baylor played here and put SU "on the map".
Along the corridor between the two entrances is a detailed Hall of Fame that is worth studying. I should note that it can get very crowded along here and so you might want to wait until after the game to read through the entries.
The 1957-58 team featured Baylor and went to the national championship game, losing 84-72 to Kentucky, who were coached by Adolph Rupp.
There is a small downstairs area that seems reserved for season ticket holders, but I snuck in and found the basketball from those 1958 finals, surrounded by several more recent trophies.
There is also a hall down here where you can see conference champions over the years.
Inside the arena, banners are above the far side, with the rightmost one declaring them the WAC champions, though that was a shared regular-season title and they did not win the tournament. In fact, they haven't been to March Madness since 1969, though they spent nearly three decades in lower divisions and NAIA.
Many players from those earlier years are honoured with retired jerseys that are hanging behind the far basket.
There are three sections on each side with 8 rows of seats. Some of the sections are general admission, while others are reserved. I really like the court design with the Seattle skyline and mountains along one side.
Sharpy and I found seats and settled in for what should have been a good game. Grand Canyon, coached by Bryce Drew, was visiting at 17-1 and on a 14-game winning streak, while Seattle was 10-8 and 3-4 in WAC play. Sadly, the refs ruined things from the get-go. They called 29 fouls in the first half, which was incredibly frustrating to watch as every little infraction was whistled. I was livid and started screaming (politely) at them, but they were not moved. At the break, GCU led 44-42, with 29 points coming from 41 free throw attempts.
I was so irate that I left my seat at halftime and wandered around taking pictures. Rather than return to the seat, I stood in the corner by the entrance (view below) as the second half started.
Amazingly, nobody asked me to leave and I was able to stay here for the entire half. This completely changed my mood, and although the referees continued to call everything (24 more fouls in the second half for a total of 53), I was jubilant as I watched the teams battle, with six ties and nine lead changes in the half.
Knotted at 67 with 7:45 to go, the Lopes scored seven straight over two minutes, highlighted by a trey from Tyon Grant-Foster (reaching in above), who is certainly missing out on some NIL opportunities with Foster Grant. The Redhawks fought back and took a 78-77 lead on a three from John Christofolis. Naturally, a foul was called and GCU's Gabe McGlothan made both shots to make it 79-78 with 2:22 remaining.
After a couple of wasted possessions, Cameron Tyson (shooting a freebie above) came down the court and drained a three to give the home side a two-point lead. McGlothan missed a jumper and Seattle then took 30 seconds off the clock before Kobe Williamson laid one in to make it 83-79 with 1:05 to go. After Grant-Foster missed a three, Josh Baker grabbed the offensive board, only to have his layup blocked by Williamson. With just 39 seconds left, GCU had to foul and Paris Dawson made both shots to extend the lead to six. Grant-Foster missed two more threes and Seattle had held on for the upset, with the final 86-79. The teams combined for 54 free throws on 78 attempts.
It was a thrilling finish and the students stormed the court (normal fans were not allowed to do so). Instead, Sharpy and I returned to The Chieftain to celebrate with some other fans.
Notes
Attendance was exactly 1,000, or one over capacity. I guess I was that extra fan.
Update: Seattle won the CBI two months later, beating High Point in the final.
Best,
Sean
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