Men's Basketball Learns of Pearl Harbor Classic Field
May 26, 1998
CORVALLIS, Ore. - CORVALLIS, Ore. - Brigham Young University of Hawaii Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach Ken Wagner announced Tuesday the participants and pairings for the inaugural Pearl Harbor Classic. The mens basketball tournament will be held Dec. 21-23 on the BYUH campus in Laie, Haw.
Oregon State is one of eight teams selected for the three-game tournament. The Beavers are joined by the host BYU-Hawaii Seasiders, Alabama Crimson Tide, Weber State Wildcats, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, Michigan State Spartans, and Pepperdine Waves.
The Beavers will open play Dec. 21 in the last game of the opening round (10 p.m. PST) against the host Seasiders. The Seasiders posted a 17-9 record and lost in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament last season. The school is moving up to NCAA Division II for the 1998-99 season and will participate in the PacWest Conference.
The rest of the opening round includes Michigan State (22-8 in 1997-98, "Sweet 16") playing Pepperdine (17-10, 2nd in WCC) at 11 a.m. PST; Texas Tech (13-14, tied-10th in Big 12) vs. Tulsa (19-12, 3rd in Pacific of WAC) at 1 p.m.; Alabama (15-16, 4th in West of SEC) vs. Weber State (14-13, 2nd in Big Sky) at 8 p.m.
Oregon State was 13-17 in 1997-98 and finished tied for ninth in the Pacific-10 Conference with a record of 3-15. The Beavers played in a three-day tournament last season in Hawaii, capturing the title of the Hawaii-Hilo Holiday Shootout.
The Pearl Harbor Classic will honor the veterans who served the United States of America at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. A wreath-laying ceremony will be held at Pearl Harbor Dec. 20 with each team representing a Naval Battleship that was docked in Pearl Harbor at the time of the Japanese attack.
"BYU-Hawaii wants to give something more to the teams than just the chance to play basketball games," Wagner concluded.
