Return to College Basketball
Last night, I returned to my alma mater, UC Irvine, to watch the Anteaters take on the Pepperdine Waves in a non-conference basketball game at the Bren Center.
It was as if I had never left.
Nearly 20 years ago, I left the University for a position with the Los Angeles Dodgers. I left with a heavy heart since I loved my student days at UCI and always enjoyed working there after graduation.
For all of those years, first as an intern, then assistant sports information director and finally as the school’s first Director of Sports Marketing and Promotions, I tried to create an atmosphere where people wanted to be.
College basketball has always showed the most potential. Make no mistake, UCI has blossomed in sports over the years. In 2008-09, the school had two number one ranked teams in the country, at the same time no less in Baseball and Volleyball. Volleyball has won a national championship and baseball has come close.
Basketball is still looking for its first trip to the NCAA tournament. That is a long wait since the school started playing basketball in the 1960′s. Oh, they have come close, three times if my memory serves me correctly and I was there for two of the three times.
In 1988, a Bill Mulligan coached team reached the conference finals, after shocking UNLV in the conference tournament , but came up short against Utah State.
In 1994, right after I moved to Israel, the Anteaters again reached the finals even though they were seeded last in the tournament but New Mexico State would not cooperate and the team was shutout again.
Finally, in 2008, against Cal State Fullerton, the total local teams battled for an automatic NCAA bid and as I sat watching, I went home disappointed yet again.
I was hoping to see more fans in the house, for last night’s game vs. Pepperdine but my return to college basketball felt as I had never left. Maybe 1,200 people dotted the Bren center for this game played so close to Christmas.
The students were missing, the fans sat on their hands for the most part and you could clearly hear the coaches yelling at their places.
Still, it was good to be home. And, get a win.
