{"id":6649,"date":"2019-11-30T09:15:06","date_gmt":"2019-11-30T17:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/?p=50000000768"},"modified":"2019-11-30T11:17:46","modified_gmt":"2019-11-30T19:17:46","slug":"25-for-25-the-top-25-events-in-25-years-of-the-walter-pyramid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/25-for-25-the-top-25-events-in-25-years-of-the-walter-pyramid","title":{"rendered":"25 for 25: The top 25 events in 25 years of the Walter Pyramid"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

There is an ancient Arab proverb: \u201cMan fears time, but time fears the pyramids.\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s poetic explanation about how these triangular peaked structures continue to stand the test of time\u2014particularly those which survived thousands of years in the Egyptian desert. It\u2019s been a mere 25 years since the sleek, corrugated cobalt of the Walter Pyramid, rising 18 stories above the Cal State University Long Beach campus, first opened its doors to the public\u2014a 71-64 victory by the LBSU men’s basketball team over Detroit Mercy\u2014but its impact has already been significant and impressive.<\/p>\n

As a point of reference for cars traveling the 405 Freeway, or flights coming into Long Beach Airport, \u201cit speaks to people in the community like a beacon,\u201d Cal State Long Beach athletic director Andy Fee said this week. \u201cI believe it\u2019s the landmark for our city, not just the campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an inspiration for artistic interpretation, illustrator Jordan Lance, who graduated from the CSULB art program in 2015, believes it belongs with a series he was once commissioned<\/a> to do on the city\u2019s prominent touchstones, along with the Breakers Hotel, Villa Riviera, the International Tower and the Queen Mary.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a great symbol for such a unique place as Long Beach,” Lance said.<\/p>\n

Don Gibbs and the Neilson Construction Company of San Diego fashioned the unique space-frame structure that uses 18,000 steel tubes measuring out to more than 25 miles. It remains the only \u201ctrue\u201d pyramid-style facility in the U.S. that\u2019s primarily a sports-and-entertainment venue. The only thing comparable was The Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tenn., former home University of Memphis and the NBA\u2019s Memphis Grizzles. It has since been converted to a Bass Pro Shops megastore.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t be baited into thinking this is just another odd-looking sports venue.\u00a0Built for $22 million with 345 feet on each side of the square base, the home of the 49ers\u2019 men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball and volleyball teams can accommodate three full basketball courts and nine volleyball courts when the unique seating platform sections are hydraulically positioned up.<\/p>\n

The capacity listed at 4,200 can also accommodate nearly twice as much if need be, as a state-of-the-art conference center, The Pointe is used for workshops, seminars, academic lectures and public speaking events. Nearly 200,000 people pass through the Pyramid\u2019s doors each year.<\/p>\n

Outside, it\u2019s a thing of wonder, on the inside we wondered: what are the most amazing moments in the quarter century history of this pointed palace?<\/p>\n

Amidst the championship banners and retired numbers hanging from the rafters, from the night it opened with a nationally-televised Long Beach State men\u2019s basketball game, to the 49ers men\u2019s volleyball team clinching a national title on its home floor just months ago, we ranked the top 25 happenings in the 25-year history of the Walter Pyramid.<\/p>\n

1. May 4, 2019:<\/strong> The Long Beach State\u2019s men\u2019s volleyball team captures its second straight national title on its home court, outlasting Hawaii 23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-23, to finish 28-2 behind tournament MVP, TJ DeFalco. \u201cEven for someone who is relatively new in this arena\u2019s existence, this was absolutely tremendous,\u201d said Fee. \u201cI\u2019ve spoken with so many people who\u2019ve been coming here for the last 25 years and saw some amazing teams\u2014Brian Gimmillaro with Misty May in women\u2019s volleyball, Caspar Ware playing basketball\u2014to compete for a national title is special in itself. To do it on your home floor is more special. Then to win it, that\u2019s beyond special. There was so much energy that weekend, a real sense of pride in the city that the rest of the nation and the world could see on ESPN.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Long Beach State’s men’s volleyball team won its second straight NCAA championship inside the Walter Pyramid. Photo by Stephen Dachman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. July 13, 1996:<\/strong> Kobe Bryant makes his Lakers debut during the Southern California Summer Pro League, a league that included NBA teams stocked with recent draft picks or undrafted players trying to make their mark. The SCSPL had its home at the Pyramid from 1994 to 2007 and included a team fielded in 2001 by Magic Johnson with football players Terrell Owens and Tony Gonzalez. The 17-year-old Bryant scores 27 points in 26 minutes during a 123-113 loss to Detroit. Pistons coach Alvin Gentry said: \u201cI don’t want to compare anyone to Michael Jordan, but I\u2019ll call [Bryant] Jordanesque. I have never seen a better player his age at his position.\u201d Two weeks later, Bryant signs a $3.65 million deal. He averages 25 points a game in the SPL with teammate Derek Fisher.<\/p>\n

3. Nov. 30, 1994:<\/strong> The Pyramid’s opening night sees the Long Beach State men\u2019s basketball team coached by Seth Greenberg take on Detroit Mercy before a standing-room-only crowd of 5,021 as well as an ESPN audience. The 49ers win, 71-64, behind future NBA players James Cotton and Juaquin Hawkins. The facility will officially be renamed the Walter Pyramid in honor of donors Mike and Arline Walter on March 5, 2005. Mike Walter was the dean of Long Beach State\u2019s College of Business Administration from 1993 to 2000.<\/p>\n

4. Nov. 16, 2012:<\/strong> An attendance record of 6,912 is set as the 49ers men\u2019s basketball team takes on No. 11 North Carolina. The 49ers trailed by one at the half and took several leads in the second half, but the Tar Heels prevail 78-63 to snap a 23-game Pyramid win streak for Long Beach State.<\/p>\n

5. Dec. 3, 1998:<\/strong> The 49ers women\u2019s volleyball team, featuring All-American Misty May, opens the NCAA tournament with a perfect 15-0, 15-0, 15-0 sweep of Southern, marking the only time a school held an opponent scoreless in an NCAA tournament match. They would advance to the Final Four after a three-set win over Texas on Dec. 11, eventually winning the title over Penn State.<\/p>\n

\"mistymay\"
Long Beach State legend Misty May went on to Olympic success.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6. Dec. 14, 1994:<\/strong> The first NCAA tournament game in the facility gives the defending champion Long Beach State women\u2019s volleyball team, seeded-second in the Northwest Regional, a place to record a 15-10, 15-6, 15-8 win over Montana behind 17 kills from Brita Schwerm.<\/p>\n

7. Sept. 1, 2001:<\/strong> Long Beach State\u2019s third-ranked women\u2019s volleyball team upends No. 1 and defending national champion Nebraska 30-26, 28-30, 31-9, 30-25 to snap the Cornhuskers\u2019 36-match win streak. The early season matchup drew 4,940 fans.<\/p>\n

8. Nov. 22, 2008:<\/strong> The first fall homecoming game is also the first time the 49ers men\u2019s basketball team has what it calls its \u201cFab Four\u201d together\u2014Casper Ware, Larry Anderson, T.J. Robinson and Eugene Phelps\u2014who went on to win two Big West titles. Long Beach State rallies from a 23-point deficit with 11 minutes left to win 73-69 in overtime against a Weber State team featuring Damian Lillard.<\/p>\n

9. Jan. 28, 2012:<\/strong> Before a then-record 5,649 without expanded seating, the 49ers men\u2019s basketball team improves to 9-0 in the Big West behind James Ennis (19 points), Larry Anderson (16 points), Casper Ware (11 points, five assists) and T.J. Robinson (10 points, nine rebounds) by beating Cal State Fullerton 75-61. The 49ers win the conference title and gain an NCAA Tournament appearance.<\/p>\n

10. June 8, 1997:<\/strong> The Dalai Lama delivers a 40-minute speech before some 5,000 Vietnamese expatriates from Orange County. The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader said: \u201cWe both remain in other countries as refugees. But on this Earth, in these modern times, democracy and freedom is almost like an unstoppable force\u2026 I feel that definitely there will be a change.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

11. Feb. 3, 2018:<\/strong> Gabe Levin\u2019s 45 points in a double-OT, 105-104 loss to UC Davis, ties the 49ers men\u2019s single-game record set by Long Beach State legend Ed Ratleff in 1970.<\/p>\n

12. Nov. 7, 1998:<\/strong> The 49ers women\u2019s national championship volleyball team, destined to be an undefeated national champion, sets a then-Pyramid attendance record of 5,118 with a 15-9, 15-5, 15-6 win over rival UC Santa Barbara behind 12 digs by Misty May.<\/p>\n

13. Feb. 24, 1996:<\/strong> The 49ers men\u2019s basketball team finishes 17-11 overall and clinches the Big West regular-season title at 12-6 with a 105-86 win over San Jose State, its first championship at the Pyramid.<\/p>\n

14. Sept. 29, 2016:<\/strong> Candace Parker scores 30 points and Nneka Ogwumike adds 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Sparks win the opener of the best-of-five WNBA semifinal series against the Chicago Sky. The game was moved from Staples Center to the Pyramid because of a conflict with a Los Angeles Kings hockey game. Before the contest, Magic Johnson helped WNBA president Lisa Borders present Ogwumike with the WNBA regular-season MVP award. The Sparks play several WNBA playoff games at the Pyramid over the years, including Sept. 22, 2019, Game 3 of their WNBA semifinal series against the Connecticut Sun.<\/p>\n

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LA\u2019s Alana Beard battles for the jump ball as the Sparks take on The Connecticut Suns Sunday, September 21, 2019 in Long Beach. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

15. Nov. 30, 1995:<\/strong> The Long Beach State women\u2019s volleyball team, ranked 16th in the nation with setter Misty May, opens the NCAA tournament with a three-set win over Colorado State as the host school for the eight-team Mountain Regional.<\/p>\n

16. Dec. 19, 2013:<\/strong> Mike Caffey\u2019s driving layup in the closing seconds secures a 72-71 win over USC for the 49ers men\u2019s basketball team, improving their mark to 3-1 against the Trojans at the Pyramid. UCLA has never played Long Beach State in the Pyramid.<\/p>\n

17. Jan. 18, 1995:<\/strong> The first Long Beach State women\u2019s basketball game at the Pyramid is an 85-67 win over Cal State Northridge.<\/p>\n

18. Jan. 25, 1995:<\/strong> The first Long Beach State men\u2019s volleyball match at the Pyramid is a 17-15, 6-15, 15-10, 15-9 win over Princeton.<\/p>\n

19. Nov. 2, 1997:<\/strong> No. 2 Long Beach State, featuring All-American Misty May, records a three-set win over No. 14 Hawaii before 5,015 fans in a season that would lead to another national title, causing head coach Brian Gimmillaro to say to the L.A. Times: \u201cI loved the Gold Mine, but the Pyramid is heaven.\u201d This is right in the middle of a 57-consecutive match win streak.<\/p>\n

20. March 11, 1998:<\/strong> The women\u2019s pro basketball Long Beach Stringrays of the American Basketball League, knock off the Columbus Quest 71-61 in the second game of the championship best-of-five series at the Pyramid. The Stingrays, who finish 26-18 led by center Yolanda Griffith, last only one season.<\/p>\n

21. May 4, 2003:<\/strong> BYU is upset by Lewis University in the NCAA men\u2019s volleyball championship, but the small school located in the\u00a0 Chicago suburbs, does not go down as the first non-Division I program to win the title when the NCAA Committee on Infractions takes its away and vacates the title. The Pyramid is also host of the 2001 NCAA championship where BYU defeats UCLA.<\/p>\n

22. Oct. 15, 2004:<\/strong> Then-senator Hillary Clinton delivers a speech before the upcoming presidential election.<\/p>\n

23. March 23, 2019:<\/strong> The 19th annual U.S. Sumo Open, the largest and longest-running sumo event in the world outside of Japan takes place featuring more than 50 wrestlers.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The 19th annual U.S. Sumo Open, returns to Long Beach’s Walter Pyramid for the sixth straight year, Saturday, March 23. Photo by Dustin Snipes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

24. May 2001:<\/strong> The Pyramid is used for the first time to stage the CIF Southern Section boy\u2019s basketball title games. Bishop Montgomery wins the III AA division behind brothers Derrick and Errick Craven, who went on to star at USC.<\/p>\n

25. June 9, 2019:<\/strong> The Southern California Special Olympics celebrates its 50th year with the annual Summer Games, with the opening ceremonies outside the Pyramid and several sports competed inside. The event is led by Bill Shumard, president and CEO of Special Olympics Southern California, who is a former Cal State University Long Beach athletic director and alum. In 2007, Special Olympics of Southern California moved its headquarters to Long Beach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is an ancient Arab proverb: \u201cMan fears time, but time fears the pyramids.\u201d It’s poetic explanation about how these triangular peaked structures continue to stand the test of time\u2014particularly those which survived thousands of years in the Egyptian desert. It\u2019s been a mere 25 years since the sleek, corrugated cobalt of the Walter Pyramid, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":16455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[545],"class_list":["post-6649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6649"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=6649"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}