Stan Sheriff Center
 

The Stan Sheriff Center opened in 1994 and celebrates its 10th anniversary this academic year. The center, named after the man who lobbied for its construction-– former UH athletics director Stan Sheriff, has served as the home of the University of Hawai‘i men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams and has played host to a number of memories in the last decade.

Many highlights have come within just the last few years. The men’s basketball team won 24 straight home games between 2001 and 2003, the longest streak for the program in the SSC and just two short of the school record. Meanwhile, the women’s basketball team hosted the program’s first-ever postseason game in the arena in 2001.

The SSC is also home of the most dominating volleyball teams in the land. The men’s and women’s volleyball teams have smashed nearly every attendance record since playing at the SSC en route to four NCAA Championship appearances (women, 1996, 2000, ’02 and ’03; and men, 1995 and 1996). UH’s impressive fan support have lured both the 1997 men’s and the 1999 women’s NCAA volleyball championships before the arena housed the 2004 Men’s Volleyball NCAA Championships this past spring. The SSC can hold 10,300 fans, which makes it one of the largest facilities in the Western Athletic Conference.

The SSC also plays host to many non-UH events. High school state championships and musical concerts are regularly held at the UH arena. The world champion Los Angeles Lakers have conducted several preseason camps at the SSC. National television audiences tuned-in to see NBA and WNBA stars suit up for Team USA in a stop before the 2000 Summer Olympics. The SSC even drew the attention of international audiences as host of the 1998 Miss Universe Pageant.

This past spring, USA gymnastics hosted the Pacific Alliance Championships at the Stan Sheriff Center. Teams from Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the United States competed in the three-day event.

The SSC is one of the most visible buildings on the UH campus. The arena stands 113-feet tall and is capped by an aluminum dome. The two concourse levels combined cover a total of 187,000 square feet. Kauahikaua and Chun of Honolulu and Heery Architects of Atlanta designed the SSC.

The dome roof of the SSC is designed to hold over 100,000 pounds of scoreboard, speakers, catwalks, divider drapes, and a 104-foot by 130-foot rigging grid. The catwalk itself can support nearly 145,000 pounds of light- and sound-rigging equipment.

In 1998, the SSC saw its first phase of renovations. The renovations included four home locker rooms, three visitor locker rooms, an official’s locker room, a player lounge and rest area, a full-size training facility, equipment and laundry room, three hospitality rooms, three classrooms, an interview room, and a teaching lab. A new scoreboard is also on the horizon.

The SSC is also home to the new Edwin S.N. Wong Hospitality Suite, named after longtime supporter, the late Ed Wong.

The Alexander C. Waterhouse Physiology, Research and Training Facility is housed on the ground-floor level of the SSC. Over 400 student-athletes train in the 10,000-square-foot weight training and conditioning center. The facility was named after Alec Waterhouse, who is described as the “Patron Saint” of UH football.

Rich Sheriff, the youngest son of Stan, has been managing the SSC since its opening and is assisted by Russ Gima and Brett Holm. Students provide a vital work- force in the arena with more than two dozen employed for the operation of various events.