Every Monday, GoSwords.com will publish "This Week in 'Swords History presented by Big City Diner" which looks back at significant events and some of the memorable games that helped shape Chaminade University Athletics into what it is today.
Dec. 29, 1990: Men's Basketball Resumes Rivalry vs. UH Hilo
When then-athletics director Mike Vasconsellos announced that Chaminade University would be leaving the NAIA for the NCAA in early 1989, the remaining District 29 programs enacted a scheduling boycott of all Chaminade sports.
Arne Alig (courtesy Hawai'i Tribune Herald)
The impact was felt most in men's basketball which had a long-standing rivalry particularly with the University of Hawai'i Hilo which dated back to the mid-1970s.
The boycott was lifted a year later with volleyball but men's basketball was still on the banned list. That changed in 1990 when UH Hilo broke rank by not only inviting Chaminade to its Big Island Invitational, but also scheduled them as an opponent in the round-robin tournament.
The contest, which was played on Dec. 29, was the 'Swords' first foray against a former D-29 rival since defeating BYU-Hawai'i on Feb. 28, 1989,
Merv Lopes' final game as head coach.
The game itself was a typical Silverswords-Vulcans battle and naturally went down to the wire. Tied at 67, the 'Swords got a huge break when UH Hilo missed the potential game-winning free throws in the waning seconds of regulation.
Chaminade took advantage of the late Christmas gift in overtime when
Arne Alig hit a jumper with 4 seconds remaining to lift the 'Swords to the 73-71 victory.
Hall of Famer
George Gilmore led the way with a game-high 25 points for the 'Swords while Alig and
Brent Scrouten each added 13.
The basketball scheduling boycott by the remaining Hawai'i schools ended for the 1991-92 season.
