When I used to be a sports writer in Anchorage, I covered the UAA basketball teams regularly. I went to games twice a week and did occasional side stories about players. It was always my favorite sport to cover, mostly because I grew up loving basketball, but also because the facility was the best for covering a game.

For local high school sports, I often found myself freezing on the sideline of a football field or sitting in a dusty corner of a gym. At UAA basketball games, though, I had a designated media seat with an easy time finding places to plug in my laptop or my phone. UAA games were organized and professional.

Just after I retired from sports writing, UAA built a new arena for the basketball team. That was close to 10 years ago, but I’ve never been to a game. That changes tonight, as I will take my nephew to see the Seawolves take on the Grizzlies of Adams State. Do I care who wins? No.

I do care what the arena is like. I’m curious to see the upgrade from the old gym. I’ve heard it is a huge improvement. I bet they even have a press box. This time, I’ll be sitting in some good seats across from the UAA bench. I figure my eight-year-old nephew will like having a good view of the team.

Seats were all $10 no matter where you sat, so I don’t expect this to be a packed house. I had to call the box office to find out where I should sit, since price didn’t give me any clues.

The game is one of those pre-season variety things that likely will be a blow out in favor of UAA, but win or lose, the game doesn’t mean much. It’s more about the environment and judging whether this arena is a nice place to hang out and watch a game. If so, I may go back for more.