Thursday, August 5, 1999

UH considers
courtside seating
for basketball

Athletic Director Yoshida
says the sale of eight seats might
mean relocating members
of the media

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

Following the course taken by some other programs in the Western Athletic Conference, Hawaii Athletic Director Hugh Yoshida said he wants to sell courtside seating to the public at Rainbow men's basketball games played at Stan Sheriff Center.

That will necessitate relocating some members of the media covering games from the eight seats Yoshida wants to put on sale.

"We are looking at what the costs would be and some of the amenities that would come with that," said Yoshida. "This doesn't impact the general public. It's courtside seats on media row that will not displace any fans per se."

Yoshida said he currently has no plans to sell any more than eight media seats.

He said the print media will still have "some seats at courtside" but couldn't say exactly where. "Those are details we still have to work on."

Nor would Yoshida say where KFVE, which pays more than $1 million to televise Rainbow games, or radio station KCCN will be situated under the new arrangement.

He said he will try to make satisfactory accommodations.

"But everything is premature," said Yoshida, who insisted even the pricing for such courtside seating has not been determined.

He indicated the seats could be sold in sets of season tickets for several thousand dollars a set.

"Our fans deserve the best seats in the house, and those are the best seats in the house," said basketball coach Riley Wallace.

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