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Stephens Center competes with game Wednesday, Nov 23, 2005 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Writing about the Navy-Arkansas Little Rock basketball game is impossible without including the tightly woven circumstances. Jack Stephens ties the schools together and the late Little Rock businessman-philanthropist is the reason the match was made for Tuesday night. Without that link, it would have been only the opening game in a new arena - a fine and dandy place which should be perfectly cozy for a UALR crowd. Stephens, who died July 23 at the age of 81, provided more than $22 million for the $25 million arena that bears his name. The youngest of six children, Stephens attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy as a member of the Class of 1947. Two years ago, he gave $10 million to the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation to support renovation of Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Because of that gift, the largest ever to the Naval Academy, the field at the stadium is Jack Stephens Field. Patterned after the intimate facility at Gonzaga, the UALR arena seats 5,600 and more than 70 percent of those are between the baselines. Prior to the game, there was a brief video tribute to Stephens on the nifty scoreboards. Before the public address man recognized members of the Stephens family in attendance, an enthusiastic UALR coach Steve Shields did so on his own, applauding and pointing to their suite with a heartfelt thanks. New is always nice, but this is much more - from the ground-up Nike shoes that cushion the floor to the personalized plaques above each locker in the home dressing room to the superb practice facility. In the small theater with the giant TV, one entire wall is a dry-erase board, a perk for Shields who loves to share his wisdom through the written word. Even though Shields does not have a starter returning from last year, he will put a good product on the floor. His first team won 17, his second did one better, and his third begins with Zack Wright. A junior, Wright scored in double figures 17 times last year and averaged 11.1 points per game. Wright missed two free throws during a second-half drought Tuesday night, but bounced in two for 47-40, persuaded a runner to fall, and got into the lane for another basket and 51-40. Wright's two free throws with 2:19 to play should have secured the victory, but the Trojans got sloppy, Navy made a couple of 3s, and it was 57-55 with 53.8 seconds to play. UALR turned it over to Wright who made two more free throws with 31.1 to play and one more with 6.9 left in the 61-57 victory. When it was over, Shields grabbed the mike, thanked the fans, and asked them to give his team a chance, promising that they would improve. Short-handed because of injuries to three players, Shields used only eight players and four of the starters played 34 minutes or more. Wright put in a game-high 39 minutes and finished with a team-best 17 points. Maybe the Trojans were pressing, but their shooting was a horrendous 7-of-25 during the first 16 minutes and they trailed 19-15. At that point, Shields shed his coat and the Trojans made 5-of-6 for a 30-25 halftime lead. On Tuesday night, about 475 student tickets were unsold, partly because the Thanksgiving break had begun, and it may be the students who encourage the crowd to participate instead of spectate. It was announced that all other tickets were sold. However, some of the season ticket holders did not show. Considering the population in the Little Rock area, every game should be a sellout and that might be the case when word gets out about the product and the place. ----- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media Group's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
