Haas Pavilion

May 27th, 2023

Mar 26th, 2023

Feb 28th, 2023

Feb 16th, 2023

We had a blast at the Cal vs USC women's basketball game on Sunday, February 19, 2023. I noticed a Cal women's basketball poster in my nine-year-old niece's bedroom last year and my sister said the girls (my nieces, the other is seven) have been going to Cal games and have become fans. I thought that was cute and also awesome since I'm a big college basketball fan myself. As one of my friends said to me, their fandom for Cal women's basketball is organic. I love it and was excited for the opportunity to attend a Cal game with them. Also, I like visiting stadiums and arenas and had never been to Haas Pavilion before, so I was looking forward to checking it out.A few quick thoughts and takeaways from the Haas:- It was warm/hot inside. Did they not run the AC? If so, was it broken?- It's showing its age, but I think many college basketball arenas are.- Steep views, even when you're sitting close to the court.- $14 per adult ticket and $12 per senior/youth ticket, general admission is a great value for power conference women's basketball in the Bay Area.For perspective, I've attended college basketball games regularly since the late 90s. First, Wake Forest (season tickets). Then, Georgia Tech (student section then season tickets; just completed my 18th year as a season ticket holder). I've also attended my fair share of road games. For example, this season (2022-23), I watched Tech play at the Dean E Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (UNC), PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina (NC State), and the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (Wake). All ACC schools. So, I had several examples in which to compare the Haas facilities, atmosphere, and overall gameday experience. This is only the second Pac-12 basketball venue I've been to (the first was UCLA's Pauley Pavilion).To elaborate upon the above, I was kind of surprised at how warm it was inside the arena, especially since this is a Power Five conference arena (higher expectations). We sat in Section 15, Row J, so we were in the upper (hotter) level. Then again, this is California and the Bay Area and I guess it's not uncommon to not run AC, especially in the winter, and to conserve energy.Haas felt a bit dated, but I've also felt that with some of the aforementioned arenas. College basketball attendance is past its prime, I think. Also, I'm admittedly "spoiled" by Georgia Tech's home arena, McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, which is relatively modern (renovated in 2012). Haas was last renovated in 1999. A lot of college basketball arenas have modernized over the last two decades in terms of things like extra big screens and various amenities. Some have more of an NBA feel. Of course, there's nothing wrong with playing in a historic venue (e.g., Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium) and Haas has a bit of that historic and very collegiate feel. I was thoroughly entertained by the flag wavers who ran out onto either side of the court during timeouts. They wore rugby polo shirts in Berkeley Blue and California Gold.Unless you're sitting courtside, you're elevated and separated from the floor. Georgia Tech's old Alexander Memorial Coliseum used to be like that too, kind of (not all the way around). Same with PNC Arena. It's not my preference because I feel higher up and further away from the action. Haas has a seating capacity of 11,858, which is more than I expected. The arena had somewhat of an intimate feel to it, which I think is great for college basketball. Haas is currently in the middle of the Pac-12 when it comes to seating capacity. It's the sixth biggest out of 12 arenas.When we first checked out the upper level, we ran right into Cal's mascot, Oski the Bear. Having never seen Oski before, I thought he was an usher or someone cosplaying as the Cal Golden Bear. Oops.We got food and drink from the "Bear Cave" concession stand on the upper level. All-beef hot dogs, soft pretzels, and nachos with cheese were $7 each. Popcorn, served in Cal-themed boxes, was $5 per box. Fountain drinks, including lemonade (which my oldest niece got), were $8 in a souvenir cup (we got a couple of those) and $5 in a regular cup. Dasani bottled water, $5. Everything was par for the course. Standard fare, nothing special. We ended up throwing away a pretzel because it was so plain and bland (not salted). The pretzel is the only thing I don't recommend. The hot dogs were A-OK. Just like other sporting venues, you dress the dogs yourself. I pumped ketchup, mustard, and relish on mine.The court at Haas Pavilion is named Pete Newell Court after the coach who led Cal to the 1959 NCAA championship. Two of the retired numbers on the men's side who I'm familiar with are NBA All-Stars Kevin Johnson (1983-87) and Jason Kidd (1992-94). Both played for the Phoenix Suns and Kidd eventually won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Steph Curry recently attended the Cal vs Stanford women's game on January 8, 2023.
Mar 5th, 2023