Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center The Home of Blackbirds Basketball Men’s Basketball 2008-09 Long Island University 90 Long Island Blackbirds • 2008-09 Men’s Basketball • www.liuathletics.com Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center The Home of Blackbirds Basketball The Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center opened in January 2006. The $45 million, 112,000 square foot structure was the largest building project in Long Island University’s history. The WRAC features a 2,500-seat basketball arena, an NCAA regulation-size swimming pool and a state-of-the-art fi tness center and weight room. In addition, two tennis courts and a 2008-09 Long Island University running track sit atop the roof. The WRAC also features a wellness center that is geared toward a growing Brooklyn community. Cardiac rehabilitation, orthopedic therapy and asthma education services are available. The pool also features a hydraulic fl oor for aqua therapy. The facility also serves as a venue for community civic and social events. For the past two years, the WRAC has hosted the VH1 Celebrity Hip-Hop Basketball Classic. Men’s Basketball Long Island Blackbirds • 2008-09 Men’s Basketball • www.liuathletics.com 91 Athletics Hall of Fame LIU Athletics Hall of Fame The Long Island University Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 2000. In total, 60 individuals and two teams have been enshrined, including the 1967-68 squad and 20 individuals representing men’s basketball, the most represented team in the Hall. “This institution has one of the longest and proudest traditions of excellence that is unparalleled by most universities in the country,” director of athletics John Suarez noted in February of that year. “We believed it was time to recognize those who have given so much to Blackbirds athletics.” The members are chosen from a committee comprised of current and former administrators. The inductees receive a replica placque of the permanent version which is displayed on the Wall of Fame, located in Founders Hall, adjacent to the Arnold & Marie Schwartz Athletic Center. TThehe 22008008 LIULIU AthleticsAthletics HHallall ofof FameFame cclasslass includedincluded tthehe pposthumousosthumous iinductionnduction ooff HHankank BBeenderseenders. Hank Beenders is the latest men’s basketball inductee, joining the Hall of Fame in 2008. Beenders was a standout for the early LIU basketball teams coached by Clair Bee. During his three-year career from 1939-42 the Blackbirds posted a 69-9 record and went to three National Invitation Tournaments. With Beenders at the center position, the 1940-41 squad posted a 25-2 and captured the last of LIU’s NIT championships. He captained the 1941-42 team to a 25-3 mark and later spent three seasons playing professionally in the Basketball Association of America, which later became the NBA. The 1967-68 men’s basketball team was the fi rst team inducted into the LIU Hall of Fame. The squad enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in the Blackbirds’ storied history, racing out to a 20-0 start and climbing to the No. 1 small college ranking by both the Associated Press and United Press International. The Blackbirds dropped a late-season contest to Saint Peter’s, but still earned an invitation to the NIT. Under the guidance of head coach Roy Rubin and led by All-Americans Larry Newbold and Luther Green, the Blackbirds defeated Bradley, 80-77, in the opening round before dropping a 62-60 decision to Notre Dame in the quarterfi nals. The Blackbirds fi nished the season with a 22-2 record and are the last LIU basketball team to win a game in a national postseason tournament. Hall of Fame Inductees The 2000 Class The 2002 Class The 2006 Class Roslyn Beck/Administrator, Educator, Coach Thuy Bonagura/Softball Fateen Abdul-Baaith/Track & Field Clair Bee/Coach, Administrator and Educator Barry Leibowitz/Men’s Basketball Frank Giannone/Baseball Jules Bender/Men’s Basketball Larry Newbold/Men’s Basketball Jerry Donner/Former Administrator Sal Campisi/Baseball Saverio “Pic” Picariello/Men’s Basketball Walter Jones/Men’s Basketball Denise Eigner/Women’s Basketball Gary Rosenthal/Men’s Soccer and Administrator Arnold ‘Arnie’ Ramirez/Men’s Soccer Lorna Forde-Mitchell/Track & Field Jeanette Saunds/Women’s Basketball Richard ‘Dick’ Holub/Men’s Basketball Dolly King/Men’s Basketball and Football Charles “Doc” Turner/Athletic Trainer Ray Klivecka/Men’s Soccer Steve Turner/Athletic Trainer The 2007 Class Buck Lai/Administrator, Educator and Coach Maicol Antelo/Men’s Soccer Dov Markus/Men’s Soccer The 2003 Class Jineea Butler/Women’s Basketball Ossie Schectman/Men’s Basketball Luther Green/Men’s Basketball Tisha Franklin/Track & Field Men’s Basketball Ron Jabusch/Men’s Soccer Art Hillhouse/Men’s Basketball The 2001 Class Natalie Jufer/Softball Hans-Peter Rietz/Men’s Soccer Ted Childs/Trainer & Administrator Gerry Klivecka/Men’s Soccer 1967-68 Men’s Basketball Team Richard Chinapoo/Men’s Soccer Marius Russo/Baseball and Men’s Basketball Kim Cori/Softball The 2008 Class Albie Grant/Men’s Basketball The 2004 Class 1966 Men’s Soccer Team Clair Isicson/Track & Field Carlo Tramontozzi/Men’s Soccer Hank Beenders/Men’s Basketball George Kalafatis/Baseball Si Lobello/Men’s Basketball Terri Claudio/Softball Joe Machnik/Men’s Soccer Margaret Nolan/Track & Field Mike Couch/Baseball Herbert Raubenheimer/Men’s Basketball Mike Gansell/Men’s Tennis Roy Rubin/Men’s Basketball and Administrator The 2005 Class Tommy Thompson/Softball and Administrator Irv Torgoff/Men’s Basketball Jim Apicella/Baseball Maria Vago/Women’s Tennis Roger Chavez/Men’s Soccer Riley Clarida/Men’s Basketball Ben “Red” Kramer/Men’s Basketball Mickey Kydes/Men’s Soccer Lesley Renninger/Softball 2008-09 Long Island University 92 Long Island Blackbirds • 2008-09 Men’s Basketball • www.liuathletics.com Arnold & Marie Schwartz Athletic Center/Paramount Theatre The Long Island men’s basketball team moved into its new home at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center in 2006, leaving behind the historic confi nes of the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Athletic Center. The Schwartz Center was always a topic of conversation for visiting basketball teams, the press corps who covered the Blackbirds and the fans and alumni who cheered for LIU from the stands. The unique setting was home for the Blackbirds for over 42 years and was as much a part of the program’s history as the players who competed on the fl oor. The ornate and hallowed interior of the cozy 1,000-seat gymnasium was fi rst home to the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. The LIU’s first game in the Paramount was an 85-56 win over Paramount was a glittering showcase for the Pace on Nov. 30, 1963. stars of the stage, screen and Hollywood’s celluloid epics from 1928-1962. The original edifi ce remains, but has been modifi ed to suit the athletic, recreational, educational and social needs of the students and staff of LIU’s Brooklyn Campus and the members of the surrounding community. The Paramount existed as a 4,200-seat theater for 35 years after openings its doors on Nov. 24, 1928. Until the lights on the 10-story sign along Flatbush Avenue extension dimmed in Aug. 1962 it housed shows of stage and screen featuring some of the biggest entertainment stars of the day. Such show biz immortals as Mae West, Bing Crosby, Eddie Cantor, Rudy Vallee, Little Richard, Fred Waring and Ginger Rogers appeared on the Paramount’s stage during its heyday. In the 1950’s, Alan Freed’s rock and roll shows whipped young fans into a frenzy. Another attraction of the Paramount is its original 1928 Wurlitzer pipe organ, which provided background music for the silent fi lms shown on the screen and also played calming interludes between shows. The only other organ of its kind in New York City is in Radio City Music Hall and the Wurlitzer has attracted several prominent guest organists to LIU over the years, including Eddie Layton who played organ for the New York Yankees and Madison Square Garden. The organ still produces marvelous sounds which rock the rafters and concerts are still assembled by the Theatre Organ Society of New York, which helps Eddie Layton, who was the organist maintain the Wurlitzer. at Yankee Stadium, often played the Wurlitzer at LIU basketball games. The Paramount was converted to a gymnasium in 1963 and became the home of the Blackbirds basketball squads until early 2006. After the Paramount closed its doors, workmen transformed the orchestra section into the basketball court. The lights fi rst shined on the court on Nov. 30, 1963 as the men’s squad recorded a memorable 85-56 victory over Pace College. A renovation and expansion of the gymnasium took place during the summer of 1975 when the Charles Hayden Foundation offered LIU a challenge grant. Through contributions from the Brooklyn business community, loyal alumni of the Brooklyn Campus, LIU’s student and a generous gift from its 2008-09 Long Island University namesake, the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Fund for Education and Health Research, the renovations were made possible. In the ensuing years the gymnasium underwent elegant decorating and cosmetic revival for dinners to raise funds for scholarships at the University. Under the leadership of current Director of Athletics John Suarez, the Schwartz Center became the friendly confi nes for the men’s and women’s basketball teams at LIU. The unique interior features an overhanging scoreboard and accompanying message centers along the baseline corners. An adjacent lounge area, known as the Hall of Mirrors, also underwent renovations with the installation of new carpeting and polishing of the three-story wall mirrors. The upgrades made in the later years recaptured the opulence and splendor that made the Paramount a palace and feast for the eyes.