BYU-Hawaii wins friends
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A recent basketball tournament hosted by BYU-Hawaii would probably befuddle the world of win-at-any-cost sports pundits. The object of the first Asia-Pacific Basketball Classic, held Nov. 15-16 on the campus in Laie, Hawaii, was not to win. It was to build friendships and bridges with other universities in the region.
"The competition took a backseat to the relationship building and to the excitement of being able to support the team from your homeland," said Rob Wakefield, director of University Communications at BYU-Hawaii. "It created a very good atmosphere. Every coach told us they had a great time and the team really enjoyed it and would love to come back."
Participating in what university officials hope is an annual event were BYU-Hawaii (which won the tournament); Kinki University from Osaka, Japan; Shanghai Jiao Tong University from China; and the Fiji National Team (which won the 2002 Oceanic Games).
Each university had students cheering for its team. There are 130 students on campus from Japan, Brother Wakefield said. There are 100 from Hong Kong, which is part of China. There is a Fijian community in Laie. And there are Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese and Fijian clubs on campus.
"When the Japanese team came, the Japanese Club met them at the airport," Brother Wakefield said. "When the team practiced, the club went out and saw the practice and had the Kinki players teach the [university] fight song."
Of the classic, Fiji Coach Mike Whippy, who is a Church member, said: "This was the chance of a lifetime for the Fijian players to come and enjoy and witness the beauties of Hawaii. There is no doubt that what the players saw, felt and experienced, whether on or off the court, had clearly surpassed their expectations."
Speaking of the event, BYU-Hawaii President Eric Shumway said he believes that the tournament did what it intended to do. "It aligns the mission of the university with athletics," he said.
One immediate positive result of the tournament, Brother Wakefield said, was that BYU-Hawaii's basketball team has been invited to China for a 20-day trip during which they will play five games with local teams.
E-mail: julied@desnews.com
