For basketball enthusiasts, the courts at Rieber Hall are more
than a place to play a pick-up game ““ they are a location
where stress is relieved, friendships are forged and champions are
made.
But due to the university’s efforts to accommodate more
students in the future through the construction of additional
residence halls, the courts will soon be gone.
The basketball courts next to Rieber Hall will be torn down in
mid-December to make room for the construction of a new residence
hall, Rieber North.
UCLA Housing Director Michael Foraker said he had strong
reservations about removing the popular facility, but the need to
accommodate a growing student body compelled the university to
proceed with the construction of the new buildings.
“It was a hard decision,” he said. “It was
felt it is more important to have beds for the students than these
three courts.”
The Rieber North residence hall displacing the courts will
provide 630 additional bed spaces and two new dining boutiques,
which will offer Mexican and Asian cuisine. Housing officials
expect construction of the new facilities to be complete by 2005 or
2006.
These expansions will help the university meet its goal of
“providing housing for all students,” said Office of
Residential Life Assistant Director Rob Kadota.
UCLA currently guarantees two years of university housing for
all entering freshmen and one year for all transfer students.
Housing Services hopes that within 10 years, it will increase those
numbers to four years for freshmen and two years for transfers.
For students who frequent the courts, however, the news of the
the basketball courts impending destruction is difficult to
accept.
“Housing’s great and all, but you need to have
basketball,” said Roger Cheng, a second-year political
science graduate student.
Cheng, who has played basketball at the Rieber courts for the
past seven years, said he was disappointed he will never be able to
show his future children the place he amassed so many memories.
“I dunked for the first time (at Rieber Courts),” he
said. “It sucks that I will not be able to show my kids the
place I first dunked.”
Others, such as first-year undeclared student Steve Alejandro,
said they fear the construction will reduce the amount of
basketball they play.
“I may go to Wooden Center sometimes but not as often as I
would here,” he said. “The courts at Rieber are a lot
more convenient.”
Students raised an additional concern that the closure of the
Rieber Courts will increase traffic at the basketball courts at
Wooden Center. These courts are already busy during peak hours,
often requiring a wait of 30 to 45 minutes before play.
However, Wooden Center manger Dennis Koehne said the effects of
the construction at Rieber will be offset by the reopening of the
Student Activities Center.
Previously called the Men’s Gym, the center recently
underwent a $38 million renovation, during which its facilities
were repaired and seismically refurbished.
The Student Activities Center will provide three additional
courts for student use when it is fully reopened at the end of
December.
Koehne predicts that students will be pleased with the new
facilities.
“They are pretty darned fine courts,” he said.
But before embracing the new recreational facilities, some
students decided to honor an old friend.
On Dec. 2, “The LAST EVER 3 on 3 Basketball
Tournament” was held on the Rieber courts.
“We thought it would be a great way to relieve some stress
and say goodbye to the courts,” said Saxon Construction
Representative Nathan Blum, who helped organize the event.
With free Chinese food, music and an inflatable “bounce
house” offering an alternative source of amusement for
non-basketball afficionados, the event presented students with one
last opportunity to use the courts.
Judette Tobes, a 2003 UCLA graduate working as a Saxon Suites
assistant resident director, looked back nostalgically at time
spent at the courts.
“I remember coming here to watch my friends play before
dinner,” she said. “It’s sad to see it
go.”
Amid the trees and buildings on the Hill, the Rieber courts
await their demise. New buildings will rise, new students will
enroll, and the three courts largely will be forgotten.
But for some students, the charm of the courts always will be
remembered as an integral part of their college experiences.
“My memories here have been so fond,” Cheng said.
“I will really miss (the courts).”