Here's the latest press release from the organizers of the Pete Newell Challenge. We'll be there, and we look forward to meeting our Left Coast friends!
Ticket sales for the fourth-annual Pete Newell Challenge, presented by TiVo, are off to a fast start. Seats in the lower level of The Arena in Oakland are selling quickly, though there are good seats still left in most price categories. The Dec. 21 doubleheader includes a marquee matchup between preseason top-ranked Duke and defending Pac-10 co-champion Stanford at 6 p.m., followed by GeorgiaÂled by former UCLA coach Jim Harrick--against Cal. Two years ago, at the second Pete Newell Challenge, the largest crowd in California college basketball historyÂ19,674Âsaw Cal knock off North Carolina, and Stanford beat Temple, at The Arena in Oakland. Given this yearÂs stellar lineup of teams, that mark figures to be threatened. Tickets for the event, which honors Hall of Fame coach and Bay Area icon Pete Newell, are available through all Tickets.com outlets in the Bay Area, and at The Arena in Oakland box office. Prices range from $15 to $55, with a limited number of premium seats available for $100. A ceremony honoring the 40-year anniversary of the gold-medal-winning 1960 U.S. Olympic basketball team, coached by Newell, will also take place during the evening.
Fans can purchase tickets by logging on to www.tickets.com; by visiting any Wherehouse or Tu Musica music store in the Bay Area; through select locations, including Gottschalks, SolariÂs or RaleyÂs stores, or by calling any of the following Tickets.com numbers: (510/925) 762-2277, (415/650) 478-2277, (916/530) 766-2277, (408) 998-2277, (707) 546-2277, (800) 225-2277 (Central Valley and outside California). The Arena in Oakland box office is located at 7000 Coliseum Way. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday. Or phone: (510) 569-2121.
PRESS CONFERENCE: A press conference featuring all four head coaches in this yearÂs Pete Newell ChallengeÂMike Krzyzewski (Duke), Mike Montgomery (Stanford), Jim Harrick (Georgia) and Ben Braun (Cal), plus Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell--will be held at noon on Dec. 20 at The Arena in Oakland