Oahu Day Two - 45th Annual Rainbow Classic Opening Night

Being the total tourist I was going to the Stan Sheriff Center, I had to snap a shot of the building I was entering for the first time. The Stan Sheriff Center. I asked the ticket person to give me the best seat I could get, and she told me the lower bowl wasn't for sale, so I ended up with...



That seat assignment would get me this kind of view:


Okay, well it wasn't the greatest view in the world, and there were a lot of empty seats on the bottom, which were filled up for the Hawaii game, but it was a blessing in disguise. More on that toward the end.

George Washington was taking on the Vermont Catamounts in the first game. As I was trying to find my seat way up high, I ran into a George Washington Athletics person who was selling George Washington Gear.


I was thinking of grabbing one of those Colonials hats (same color as a cheesehead), but I don't think I have enough room in my bag to take it home. I stuffed my bag to the max with some of my new shirts, because I never like to underpack. Maybe I'll just get a shirt. Anyway, to the games.

Vermont 83, George Washington 72

Vermont controlled the game early, thanks to great play from Senior Colin McIntosh. He finished with 14 points, but the rest of the team kicked into gear, especially in the second half. Mike Timboli hit a few clutch three's, Marqus Blakely had a double-double, and Maurice Joseph led the team with 18 points. Rob Diggs led all scorers and rebounders with 25 and 14. Too bad he didn't have much help until it was too late.



Hawaii was getting ready for Colorado State in the nightcap. My seat was actually right next to a few season ticket holders. One of the guys' names was Doug. I don't remember the other. But they asked me if I knew the person that usually sits there. I said no, so she must have sold her season ticket for that game because she wasn't going to make it. Either way, they were joined by a Syracuse alum who sat behind us and his son, who is going to Syracuse right now. We chatted a lot about famous Syracuse announcing alums, like our own Mike Tirico, Marv Albert, and others.

What I didn't know is that the son once competed in the halftime challenge, where you have a rack of basketballs at half court, and you have to make as many shots as you can in a certain amount of time. He won $500 in that game years ago. So, I was fortunate to sit next to some long time season ticket holders who made the experience for me enjoyable.

Colorado State 74, Hawaii 58

The first half wasn't the most well played for Hawaii, with some sloppy point guard play from Kareem Nitoto, foul trouble from Sasha Parghalava, and Rod Flemings and Bill Amis taking a little while to get going. But some Colorado State turnovers and missed opportunities on their own end kept Hawaii in the game, and the Warriors lead by two at the break.



At halftime, they have the Jack in a Box blimp fly throughout the center and drop prizes to the loudest sections in the arena. It didn't come by us. To be honest, the people I was sitting with really didn't care. But, two rows behind us, there were these "Valley Girl" like college chicks (some were cute) who were making a bunch of noise, but they were the only ones. They also had the afore mentioned halftime contest hosted by Oahu radio personality Billy V.

The second half was all Colorado State. I was impressed with Jessie Carr, a Freshman guard out of the state of Nebraska, who I would describe as a pain in the neck to guard, and he picked apart Hawaii's defense in the second half. He only had 9 points, but his 4 assists may have been more important. Add to that Hawaii shooting 26% in the second half (6-23 from the field) and Colorado State ran away with it.

One more thing to note. During a media timeout late in the 2nd half, a UH-Hilo student was in attendance for a chance to win some big prizes ( don't remember what they were giving away). He had 45 seconds to hit a layup, free throw, three pointer, and a halfcourt shot. He struggled from the charity stripe before hitting one and then took a small while before he hit his three-pointer. In Saint Martin-esque style, he got the ball at half court with about 2 seconds left, threw it up, and banked it in! The whole crowd went nuts! Too bad the team couldn't feed off of that. Sign him up, coach!

So back to the guys I ended up sitting next to. They left with about a minute left to go in the game. Some were leaving with 6 minutes left when the media time out happened. Before they left, they asked me how long I was staying, and I told them I would be here until Monday morning. They left me with two free tickets for today's doubleheader (Buffalo/Pepperdine and Colorado/Coppin State) right in the same section, just a row higher.



Only problem is...I need to find someone who wants the other ticket or at least wants to go with me! I came on this trip on my own, so if you're reading, you're on Oahu, and you wanna go, send me an email!

Quickly, my thoughts on the rest of the sports world:

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- New England is going to put the pressure on the Miami Dolphins to win against the Jets. New England is winning in Buffalo and most likely will hold on with 3 minutes left to go. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans are spoiling the Bears chances of getting into the playoffs, and of course, I predicted that on Friday. And oh by the way, Detroit is doing their very best to get their first win of the year against Green Bay. Uh oh.

- Ben Rothleisberger is suffering from a concussion today. Luckily for Steelers fans, the Steelers have a bye in the first round of the postseason.

- Bill Parcells could go back to coaching. I'm not surprised. It all depends on whether Wayne Huizenga sells his share of his team. Part of the contract Parcells agreed to. Gotta imagine there would be a few teams interested in his services if that takes place.

Back tonight or Monday with the final Oahu trip blog!