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The inaugural National University Bill Walton Classic unveiled a trainload of history Saturday at Pechanga Arena San Diego to celebrate the legacy of the local basketball legend from Helix High School in La Mesa.
The event featured a men and women’s college doubleheader. In the opening men’s contest, San Diego State University defeated the University of Colorado, 77-66, while UC San Diego edged the University of San Diego, 90-88, in overtime in the women’s nightcap.
The men’s game attracted a raucous decidedly pro-Aztec crowd of 3,423 while the women’s game attracted much less.
But the focus was on Walton’s enduring legacy in his beloved hometown. Walton’s free spirit personality was thoroughly celebrated with tie-dye warm-ups and appropriately themed fan gear.
The venue today is not altogether much different from when Walton led the Highlanders to San Diego Section championship titles in 1969 an 1970. Included in the run was a 49-game unbeaten streak that launched the future UCLA star to two NCAA championships (1972 and 1973) with the Bruins under equally legendary coach John Wooden and an eventual 14-year career in the NBA with two additional championships (1977 with the Portland Trailblazers and 1986 with the Boston Celtics).
Helix finished 29-2 in 1968-69 and 33-0 in 1969-70. The Scotties finished with the No. 1 state rankings in 1970, NO. 3 in the nation.
Walton was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1972 and scored a championship record 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting from the field with 13 rebounds in an 87-66 win over Memphis State to earn his second consecutive Final Four Most Outstanding Player award.
The Sports Arena hosted the 1975 NCAA Final Four tournament. Wooden retired immediately after the Bruins’ 92-85 victory over Kentucky to cap a storied career filled with 10 national championships.
Both Walton and Wooden are immortalized with panels in the venue’s outer concourse.
“This arena is awesome,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said. “These arenas have such character and history behind them. I shared some of that history with our team at practice, so you know the atmosphere was great, and obviously honoring Bill Walton was something that we were honored to do and honored to be asked to do because of how influential he was to San Diego and this community.
“Having spent 13 years in the Pac-12 with him, he was kind of the media mouthpiece for the Pac-12 for those 13 years. My memory of him is our shoot-arounds and just his joy and the excitement and the energy that he brought.
“You know, a lot of guys who have done TV for years and years. They say I won’t go to the shoot around. I’ll talk to the SID. I’ll get my information from the notes. Bill wasn’t that way. Bill would be at your shoot-around. He talked to your players. He talked to your coaches. He really, you know, everybody says Bill liked to talk, and he did. But he was also a very good listener, and he did his homework, and so just as a professional, I always respected him for that.”
The event was more than just two college basketball games. The event featured the unveiling of the Bill Walton Foundation through generous gifts from SDSU coach emeritus Steve Fisher and current Aztec coach Brian Dutcher.
Several of Walton’s Helix teammates were on hand to pay personal tributes at center court.
Helix High bagpipes set the stage during pregame festivities. Walton set the stage during his lifetime: selfless, team-first, making the world a better place.
Josh Frojelin contributed to this story.
Women’s Game: UC San Diego 90, University of San Diego 88 (OT)
