Greg Hansen column: Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of McKale Center, whose 'personality' — once questioned — has grown as the building has become the preeminent venue for West Coast college basketball.
Greg Hansen On the morning of the first basketball game played at McKale Center, UA coach Fred Snowden and his staff still occupied their cramped offices at Bear Down Gym. In a chaotic rush to complete the new arena before the 1972-73 season ended, the coaches’ phones at McKale had not yet been installed.
“The old girl has given way to McKale Center, a mod, suave, slick and shiny monument to the latest in basketball arena construction,” the Arizona Republic reported. “McKale lacks only one thing Bear Down had – a personality.”On the night of Jan. 28, 1999, as Arizona attempted to upset No. 3 Stanford, hundreds of pumped-up students pushed their way to the edge of the court. The ZonaZoo was officially still a few years away, yet security personnel were nonetheless overwhelmed.
“A thousand people gathered around Snowden and my dad for the coaches show after that game,” remembers Tucson businessman Evan Adelstein, whose father, Gene Adelstein, was the UA’s longtime radio and TV basketball analyst. Twenty-seven coaches who have been inducted into either the NABC or Naismith basketball halls of fame have coached at McKale, from Tara VanDerveer and John Wooden to Bob Knight, Jud Heathcote, Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo, Bill Self and Don Haskins.Damon Stoudamire became an All-American at Point Guard U in 1995, and his cousin, Salim, beat UCLA with a last-second 25-footer — the “Joyful Jumper” — 10 years later.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
Photos: 50 years of McKale Center at the University of ArizonaMcKale Memorial Center on the University of Arizona campus is the home of Arizona Wildcats basketball, gymnastics and volleyball. Construction began in 1971. Bear Down Gym, built in 1928, was not suited to handle the crowds and the needs of…
Les mer »
50 at 50: Counting down McKale Center's most memorable moments (Nos. 50-41)We're counting down the 50 most memorable moments at McKale Center, which turns 50 on Feb. 1, 2023.
Les mer »
50 at 50: Counting down McKale Center's most memorable moments (Nos. 40-31)We're counting down the 50 most memorable moments at McKale Center, which turns 50 on Feb. 1, 2023.
Les mer »
50 at 50: Counting down McKale Center's most memorable moments (Nos. 20-11)Counting down the 50 most memorable moments at McKale Center, which turns 50 on Feb. 1, 2023.
Les mer »
50 at 50: Counting down McKale Center's most memorable moments (Nos. 10-1)As McKale Center celebrates its 50th birthday, we conclude our countdown of its 50 most memorable moments with Nos. 10-1:
Les mer »
Windows, Time and the Things to Come in Mia Hansen-Løve’s FilmsWith her new film One Fine Morning, Mia Hansen-Love's jagged understanding of commitment continues to be emphasized by her intensive study of time's passage. annarosemary explains:
Les mer »