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Warrior fans enjoyed the trip, too

The Hawaii basketball team was not alone on its long journey to Asia in August.

About a dozen Hawaii fans were also on the “Warriors to Asia” tour. Like the players and coaches, the fans had a memorable two weeks.

“There’s two parts to this trip … the basketball games and the touring,” said Kona Smith, one of the fans on the tour. “Climbing the Great Wall was something I always dreamed of doing and I did it. I got to the top, and am very pleased about that. Bought a T-shirt to commemorate it.”

The fans got to walk alongside the basketball team on some of the sightseeing ventures, and they also stayed at the same hotels. The fans also received courtside seats at most of the exhibition games.

“Actually, I think it was a bargain,” Smith said of the overall value of the trip.

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And below is a video interview with Stanford Yuen, one of the Hawaii fans on the trip.

At one of the exhibition games in China, the Hawaii fans received seats behind the basket (it was the only game that they did not get to sit at courtside). But Yuen somehow “talked” his way into a midcourt seat in the VIP section.

Yuen is not fluent in Chinese, but he managed to convince a security guard to give him a seat behind several dignitaries, including a mayor.

It was actually a deserved break for Yuen, who went through some stressful times early in the trip. His wife fell while walking along the street in Dongguan, China, and hurt her mouth. She had to return to Hawaii the next day for dental surgery.

Stanford Yuen remained on the trip, and gave his wife daily phone updates.

3 Comments

  1. That’s great. Looks like everybody enjoyed themselves on this trip. Too bad Stanford’s wife had to fly back home, though. Thanks for the video.

  2. Great videos! Mahalo! I’m planning to be a walkon for the U.H. men’s basketball team!

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