Students who have ever wanted to play basketball on the hallowed court in Pauley Pavilion may get their last chance today.
Tonight marks the UCLA Rally Committee’s third annual Pauley Pavilion Lock-In ““ the last one for the foreseeable future, as sporting events are relocating after this year due to stadium construction.
“As a student, it’s a rare opportunity to get inside Pauley not for a sporting event, but for your own fun, where you can play basketball on the court that Kevin Love (and other former Bruins) played basketball,” said Matt Murphy, Lock-In chair for Rally Committee and a fourth-year political science student.
The lock-in takes the place of the usual camp-out, when students spend the night at Drake Stadium to get priority numbers for floor seats for the next day’s game.
“This will be a lot cooler (than the camp-outs) because there’s stuff going on, (like) the basketball tournament. … It won’t be as cold, and it’s cool to get to sleep in the legendary Pauley Pavilion,” said Kelly Kaine, a second-year mathematics student, who has camped out twice and plans to attend the lock-in with her friends.
Students will participate in activities including a basketball tournament, dodgeball and a half-court shot competition. The lock-in will also feature music and entertainment.
To encourage students from the Hill to attend, the Rally Committee will award the dorm floor with the most attendees a pizza party, said Ryan Fainstein, membership chair for Rally Committee and a fourth-year business economics student.
“We’ve won a lot of national championships because of that building, and it’s going to be renovated, so this is one last change to have the freedom to do what you want, whether that’s to play basketball or play dodgeball,” Murphy said.
Students do not need a ticket to the game or a Den pass to attend the lock-in. However, students should arrive at Gate 10 at 10 p.m., and must remember to wear white-soled tennis shoes and bring their BruinCard. Priority numbers to sit in the student section in Pauley Pavilion for the game against Oregon State University will be distributed to participants Saturday at 6:30 a.m.