Maui 2011

[oldnavy]

Not sure where they play now, but if it the same gym they played in back in the 90s, then it is indeed a high school gym. The Lahaina Lunas used to battle my Seabury Hall Spartans back when I lived there.

I would always go to the Maui invitational as a little guy. Best memory: getting an autograph from Grant Hill after one of the games. That is in contrast to going up to Magic Johnson one year that he was in attendance. And asking "Sir, may I please have your autograph" and getting a negative response. As I dropped my head and walked away, I took a moment to look back only to see him taking fan pictures with two beautiful women. Grant: 1, Magic: 0.

Not a high school. If I remember it correctly it is the Lahaina Civic Center or something like that. Not a fancy place by any standard, but not shabby either. GREAT forum to watch games.

[CEF1959]

No video, but here's a story from 2001 with a good photo of Dahntay putting things right against Ball State.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../sp/sp03a.html

[tecumseh]

Not a high school. If I remember it correctly it is the Lahaina Civic Center or something like that. Not a fancy place by any standard, but not shabby either. GREAT forum to watch games.

On Wiki they say it only seats 2,400 that is high school like and definite on the bucket list of sports watching. I mean Allen Fieldhouse seats 16,000 and Cameron seats almost 10,000 and Georgetown well the Verizon Center is a 20,000 seat place so it is extremely intimate by major college basketball watching standards.

2011 is bad for me though

[dolver]

Not a high school. If I remember it correctly it is the Lahaina Civic Center or something like that. Not a fancy place by any standard, but not shabby either. GREAT forum to watch games.

Sorry, it is the Lahaina Civic Center, but it is where Lahainaluna High School plays all of its games, so it is basically viewed as a high school court. Again, that at least was the case years ago.

[ACCBBallFan]

Chaminade, Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Virginia, Washington, Wichita State is a very good Maui field for Nov 22-24 2010 also

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebask...;pageContainer

[oldnavy]

Chaminade, Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Virginia, Washington, Wichita State is a very good Maui field for Nov 22-24 2010 also

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebask...;pageContainer

The field for this tournament is usually very good. The year I went it was UNC, ND, Texas, Oregon, Chaminade, Alabama, St Joes, and Indiana. They try to get a rep from the ACC, SEC, Big East, Big Ten, Pac 10, Big 12, a mid-major plus the home school.

Not sure who will be there with Duke. I have heard Tenn, and maybe Gonzaga? Anyone know the field?

[tecumseh]

At least that is what some Tenn website is saying not sure who else is rumored but they make it seem like a poorly kept secret

[Nugget]

The consensus I've seen from various schools' sites is:

Duke
Kansas
Tennessee
Georgetown
Michigan
Butler
Chaminade, and
either Memphis or a Pac 10 school

[burnspbesq]

We were indeed there in 2001, and the dunk you're remembering may have been against Ball St., not Miami of Ohio.

It was 2001, and it was against Ball State, and it was ridiculous. I was there, surrounded by drunken Ball State fans. Sure shut them up.

[burnspbesq]

If you love college basketball, you have to go to Maui once. It's like going to Wrigley or Anfield; it's a quasi-religious experience. You just have to do it.

[tecumseh]

I guess that makes it onto the bucket list in no order
1) Maui
2) Final Four
3) Cameron Indoor.
4-10 ???

[Andy7207]

Yipes. I was way off. Clearly not as a vivid a memory as I thought. Come to think of it, I think I was on a flight home from Duke for Thanksgiving during that game and was only able to watch highlights.

I usually go to goduke.com and check the season archive for that stuff. I knew it was a red-colored jersey mid-major and I trusted my memory much more than I should have. Obviously, as a 2004 graduate, I should have known that Dahntay wouldn't have been there in November 2003. I still can't find video of the dunk.

http://www.dukeblueplanet.com/retro-duke.asp

You have to scroll down to "Dahntay Jones flies high in Maui"

[left_hook_lacey]

I went to the Maui in 2008, the year UNC won it. My wife and I treated ourselves to the trip for our 20th annv. First let me say that it is by far the most fun I have ever had on a vacation. Even though I was surrounded by UNC fans for the most part, I had a blast.

Details; The Convention Center they play in is little bigger than the size of Cameron without the upper level. It really is not much bigger than a high school gym. Our seats were on the next to top row, and we were eye level with the goal.

The access to the players is unbelievable. We stayed in the same hotel that Oregon and Notre Dame stayed in. I physically bumped into Mike Brey coming around a corner. I was the only person on the elevator with ND point guard Tory Jackson who was in full uniform heading to the Texas game in which he guarded TJ Abrams. We chatted a little on the ride. I got to hold the Oregon Nike special addition shoe made for the tournament while having a snack in the hotel bar late one night. A group of Oregon players and parents were in there and I just asked one of the kids to see the shoe he was carrying. And perhaps the neatest thing was when I was snorkeling, I found myself surrounded by several very large bodies, who I suspected to be either ND or Oregon players, but who turned out the be the Tarheel team. They had come down the beach to snorkel by the cliffs at our hotel's beach. I got to kid Ty Lawson about not jumping off the cliff into the water while his girlfriend climbed up the rocks to take the plunge. He told me she was "crazy". I actually spoke to Roy Williams while he was on the beach watching Deon Thompson try to get out of the water, but was struggling due to the wave action. I asked if he was worried that some of them might get hurt, and he said something along the lines that he had told a couple of them they could not climb the cliff, but that the kids needed to be kids. It was actually a pretty quick, but pleasant exchange. And lastly, I had a nice long talk with Luke Harangody's mom and dad at the pool. Found out that Luke had really wanted to go to Indiana (his dad and brother had played football there), but Luke was snubbed by Mike Davis until his senior year, so he went to ND.

All that and you are in Hawaii. Amazing trip. Oh, during the Indiana/Chaminade game, I actually sat court side in a folding chair that was reserved for a VIP Indiana fan who did not show up. Chaminade almost upset IU in that game so it was really cool to be that close. Had a few conversations with some of the refs during pre-games, and talked to Jay Bilas, Sean McDonough, and Bill Rafferty a couple of time as well.

Sorry for the rambling post, but I wanted to give you guys a snapshot of what a GREAT time it was, and that was without Duke being there. Needless to say, I am going back in 2011 and picking the hotel that the devils are staying in this time!! There was a pre-tourny meet and greet banquet that you could purchase which was great for getting autographs and pictures, but we didn’t attend that one. You could still get autographs after the games when players came out of the gym to get on the bus. I will say this, Hansbrough was the rudest of the UNC players, the rest were very cordial, but Tyler was not. He brushed by everyone including the cutest little kids to get out of there. I was not impressed with him in that setting.

Wow, great post. Are you a travel agent in your retirement? Either way, you have me sold on this trip. I'm definitely looking into it. Thanks!

[oldnavy]

Wow, great post. Are you a travel agent in your retirement? Either way, you have me sold on this trip. I'm definitely looking into it. Thanks!

Go if you can, it is a great trip! I am definitely going back next November.

[Duvall]

The consensus I've seen from various schools' sites is:

Duke
Kansas
Tennessee
Georgetown
Michigan
Butler
Chaminade, and
either Memphis or a Pac 10 school

Looks like Butler got replaced with a small community college from California. Field appears to be Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Michigan, Georgetown, Tennessee, Memphis and Chaminade. Should be a fun tournament.

[94duke]

The field should be announced today:

http://twitter.com/EASportsMauiInv

(for "future" reference)
http://www.mauiinvitational.com/teams/fieldsfuture.asp

[El_Diablo]

It's official: http://twitter.com/EASportsMauiInv

"The 2011 participating teams are...Duke, Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee, UCLA and host Chaminade." 2 minutes ago via web

"It has the potential to be the strongest field in tournament history." 2 minutes ago via web

[JasonEvans]

It's official: http://twitter.com/EASportsMauiInv

"The 2011 participating teams are...Duke, Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee, UCLA and host Chaminade." 2 minutes ago via web

"It has the potential to be the strongest field in tournament history." 2 minutes ago via web

Sick field.

I wonder how the brackets will be done. It is very possible we will miss out on a big matchup and get Chaminade in the opening game. I wold imagine they would try to put Duke and Kansas on opposite sides with an eye toward them playing in the championship.

--Jason "that is brutal field-- a fine test for us!" Evans

[Duvall]

Sick field.

I wonder how the brackets will be done. It is very possible we will miss out on a big matchup and get Chaminade in the opening game. I wold imagine they would try to put Duke and Kansas on opposite sides with an eye toward them playing in the championship.

--Jason "that is brutal field-- a fine test for us!" Evans

Big names make for an exciting tournament, but I'm not sure that we can call the field brutal just yet. Chaminade is Chaminade, UCLA is rebuilding and may or may not be finished by then, Michigan and Tennessee may be breaking in new coaches by the fall of 2011. Kansas, Georgetown and Memphis should be more than solid, though.

Still, it would be nice to get in another game against the Wear twins. Two was just not enough.

[Duke of Nashville]

I remember the dunk vividly. Do not recall the reenactment from K, nor the tourney. It was definitely fall of 2001 so it had to be Maui like u say.

I would bet that dunk is on U-Tube. He came from the right hand baseline and threw down a very Grant Hill-esque dunk. Definitely a wow moment.

Here is a link to the greatest Dunk's of Duke's History according to Duke Blue Planet. You'll have to click on Duke Dunk's at the bottom of the video selection.Dahntay's Dunk is about a quarter of the way through...with Coach K's reaction. The team was Ball State.