Rich Sheriff is right. There is no bad seat in the arena that he runs and which is named for his father, Stan, the man who built the facility that instantly became one of the best things going at the University of Hawaii — and still is, after 20 years.
Yes, there are a lot of things to complain about at UH, but the Stan Sheriff Center is rarely among them. The only one I can recall is a fan wishing garlic fries were available at a concession stand for a matinee game.
Although it doesn’t get filled to its 10,300-seat capacity as often as it used to when things were going better for the UH court sports, it’s the best venue of its kind in the Big West Conference.
It was also more than adequate when the Rainbow Warriors and Wahine competed in the Western Athletic Conference and other leagues.
Heck, it was good enough for the Los Angeles Lakers — and that was when they were still at the top of the NBA.
I’ve seen several hundred events at the SSC over the years, most from press row, some from the cheap seats. Here are the ones that stand out most:
Sept. 6, 2013: Hawaii defeats Santa Clara in four sets, making Dave Shoji the winningest all-time coach in women’s NCAA Division I volleyball with 1,107 victories.
Dec. 25, 2012: No. 3 Arizona beats No. 17 San Diego State 68-67 in the championship final of the Diamond Head Classic, as Nick Johnson comes out of nowhere to block a shot at the rim.
Dec. 9, 2011: It could have been — some say should have been — a final four match. But it was in the third round of the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament and USC edges Hawaii in five games.
Nov. 19, 2005: UH beats Michigan State 84-62 in the men’s basketball season opener … one of the biggest wins of Riley Wallace’s coaching career.
Oct. 12, 2003: The Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 107-89 in a preseason exhibition. Kobe Bryant did not play, but there was plenty of star power from Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton and Karl Malone.
Feb. 22, 2002: Carl English scores 28 points and Predrag Savovic 27 as Hawaii edges WAC rival Tulsa 86-85 in front of a full house "whiteout" crowd.
Dec. 30, 1997: Alika Smith and Anthony Carter lead Hawaii to a 76-67 win over No. 2 Kansas in the final of the Rainbow Classic. Smith and the Jayhawks’ Paul Pierce both score 22 points.
Nov. 28, 1997: Bobby Knight eschews the team bus and instead walks back to his Waikiki hotel after UH beats his Indiana team 82-65.
1995 and 1996: The UH men’s volleyball team lights up the arena with unprecedented talent and popularity, players headlined by Yuval Katz attaining rockstar status.
Feb. 16, 1995: UH guard Tes Whitlock hits a buzzer bomb to give the Rainbows a 73-70 win over BYU.
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads
