Each week, RTC columnist Judson Harten will profile some of the week’s biggest upcoming games by taking a look back at some relevant history relating to the match-ups. This is Back And Forth.
Before the days of ESPN “24 Hours of Hoops” marathon, the true, unofficial kickoff to the college basketball season could be summed up in one word: Maui. With each passing year, it seems as if there are more and more great tournaments with a number of excellent teams in them. But to most college basketball fans who came of age in the past two decades, there’s one tournament that stands out, the one that signifies that college basketball season is indeed really here: The EA Sports Maui Invitational.
Remember this guy? Back in 2002, Indiana freshman phenom Bracey Wright, who is now playing professionally in Israel, exploded in Maui. (el Periodico/ Angel de Castro)
From its humble beginnings with NAIA school Chaminade’s titanic upset of #1 Virginia in 1984 to Duke’s five titles in five tries, from Ball State’s Cinderella run to the title game in 2001 to the dominant performances of future National Champions in 2004 (North Carolina) and 2010 (UConn), there’s always something memorable from the action taking place in the Lahaina Civic Center.
Let’s look back on some of the best runs in Maui, shall we?
2002: The Bracey Wright Show — This Maui Invitational turned out to be one of the better events in recent history. After dispatching UMass by 13 points, the national runners-up hung on against Gonzaga by a single point before beating Virginia for the title. But the Hoosiers wouldn’t have gotten there without freshman Bracey Wright carrying them. The freshman guard garnered tournament MVP honors (just the second freshman to capture the award to that point) by averaging 15.6 PPG for the tournament, including 21 in the title game. Incidentally, Wright now makes him home in nearby Honolulu.
2003: Hawai’i’s lone appearance — It was somewhat of a down year for Maui in 2003, with the likes of San Diego State (14-16), Central Michigan (6-24) and Santa Clara (16-16) all taking part. But that didn’t mean that the event wasn’t able to provide its fair share of storylines. Home state team Hawai’i made it all the way to the finals, thanks to wins over the Broncs and Chaminade in an all-Rainbow State affair, before falling to Dayton in the title game. Hawai’i went 21-12 that season, the only year they’ve ever participated in the event.
2005: Morrison carries Gonzaga to Maui finals — Against a loaded Maui field, Gonzaga and Adam Morrison proved that the #8 national ranking and corresponding praise they took to Hawai’i was well earned. The Bulldogs beat #23 Maryland and #12 Michigan State in the first two rounds – the latter in a 109-106, triple-overtime thriller — with Morrison and his awesome mustache averaging 34.0 PPG, including 43 points against the Spartans. In the finals, a close 65-63 loss to preseason #2/#3 UConn, “The ‘Stache” was held to only 18 points on his way to tournament MVP honors.
2010: UConn previews the postseason — Looking back on it, none of us should have been surprised by UConn’s run to the 2011 national championship. We all saw the precursor to it in November, but we just didn’t realize it at the time. Kemba Walker made that three-game stretch into his own personal highlight reel (no seriously, you’ll see below) and helped the Huskies to the trophy in Maui. In a field that included #11 Washington, #9 Kentucky and #2 Michigan State (the last two of which the Huskies beat on consecutive days), UConn won the first three of 14 tournament games that the team would win that season. Walker, foreshadowing his superb March, played phenomenally, scoring 29 points in the finals against the Wildcats en route to tournament MVP honors.
2011: Duke wins Maui title no. 5 — To steal a line from Jon Rothstein: Death, taxes, Duke in Maui. It’s difficult to find a team with as much success in early tournaments than Duke has had in Maui. Five times the Blue Devils have entered the Lahaina Civic Center and five times they’ve left the event with the trophy. In their latest conquest, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith guided coach Mike Krzyzewski’s squad to the win, beating Tennessee, Michigan and finally Kansas to reach the pinnacle. While this Duke team wasn’t necessarily buoyed by any one player in particular, “The White Raven” Ryan Kelly was named tournament MVP although it was Tyler Thornton who stole the show.
So what exactly will the 2014 version of the Maui Invitational hold for us this season? Who knows. But that’s what makes it fun. Isn’t that right, Rotnei Clarke?