Several years ago, the USS Midway Museum was approached by the Hall of Champions, a San Diego sports museum, about the prospect of hosting a basketball game on its ship. The Midway passed on the opportunity.

The museum was approached again last year in preparation for last year’s Carrier Classic that ultimately took place aboard the USS Carl Vinson. Again, the ship passed up the opportunity.

This year, the museum — which opened in 2004 — accepted a chance to host a game.

“Before, we were still young,” USS Midway Marketing Director Scott McGaugh said. “We didn’t think we were ready. This year, especially being a veterans’ benefit, we thought it made sense for the Midway and for the city of San Diego.”

No. 9 Syracuse will take on No. 20 San Diego State on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Battle on the Midway, aboard the USS Midway on the San Diego waterfront. The event joins the Carrier Classic in Charleston, S.C., and the Navy-Marine Corps Classic in Jacksonville, Fla., as early-season games to be held on U.S. Navy ships.

Last season, North Carolina played Michigan State in the Carrier Classic, which was held aboard the USS Carl Vinson. In the days leading up to the game, players from both teams met with military service men and women who served on the ship, which was deploying for active duty later in the month.

“The guys were just so impressed how young they were, being their peer age group,” said UNC Associate Athletic Director for Communications Steve Kirschner. “Our guys get to go to school and play basketball and they’re talking to men and women the same age whose job it is to defend the United States.”

Kirschner said the biggest thrill for the Tar Heels came when President Barack Obama addressed the team in the locker room before the game.

Now Syracuse gets the opportunity to play in the same setting.

For the Battle on the Midway to become a reality, a joint effort was required — between SU and San Diego State, the USS Midway, event promoter Syndicus Entertainment, contractor Greg Herreman Productions and other organizations.

Early this year, after Syndicus had worked with the Midway to book the ship for the event, the San Diego Sports Commission — which offered to help organize the event — approached San Diego State about the possibility of playing in the game. Being a major local school, the Aztecs seemed the logical choice, especially considering the school’s relationship with the military, SDSU Senior Associate Athletic Director John David Wicker said.

“We do a lot of things with the military,” Wicker said. “There’s a huge military presence in the area, and it’s exciting to be able to do something to highlight that.”

With San Diego State on board, it needed to find a worthy opponent. SDSU’s basketball program has been on the rise in recent years, and Wicker saw an opportunity to gain the team early-season exposure nationally.

A chance meeting drew Syracuse to the forefront of discussion. At the 2012 Final Four, SU Deputy Athletics Director Renee Baumgartner ran into SDSC Board of Trustees Chairman Pat Kilkenny at a meeting.

Kilkenny knew Baumgartner from his days as Oregon’s athletic director when Baumgartner served as an administrator and the Ducks’ head women’s golf coach.

Baumgartner said Kilkenny’s group was intrigued at the prospect of Syracuse playing in the game, but not too optimistic.

“They were like, ‘(Jim Boeheim) never goes west of the Mississippi,’” Baumgartner said.

But Baumgartner was interested enough to run the idea by the Syracuse head coach, who liked it. Syracuse was in and the planning began.

In addition to playing the game, Syracuse will spend Thursday morning at a San Diego-area hospital meeting and serving homeless veterans. The military focus makes the event unique, Baumgartner said.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our student-athletes,” Baumgartner said. “The chance to go play on a ship, and right after Veterans Day. It’s more than just a basketball game.”

Compared to a standard game on a normal court, the event requires extensive setup. McGaugh estimates that he and his staff spent thousands of hours planning the event with Syndicus and other organizers, leading to a 10-day setup process that started last Tuesday.

Greg Herreman Productions, a small San Diego-area business, was contracted to handle infrastructure for the event. The company has been on site since last Tuesday, constructing necessary components such as the stands, floor, baskets and scaffolding, Wicker said. The total capacity for spectators is 5,400.

The Midway crew, made up of about 150 employees and active volunteers, has been moving materials from the ground to the flight deck over the past week.

For McGaugh, it has been no small feat.

“Everything has had to be loaded onto the flight deck, 50 feet off the pier,” McGaugh said last Wednesday. “There are hundreds of people on the flight deck right now. It’s basically converting a four-acre asphalt flight deck into a 6,000-seat stadium.”

Still, the museum has remained operational during the setup process, welcoming between 1,000 and 3,000 guests per day, McGaugh said.

Although non-school-affiliated groups have handled construction and setup, San Diego State and Syracuse remain in charge of running the event on game day, Wicker said.

Each school was given an allotment of tickets to sell to its donor base, and the schools are working together to sell remaining tickets, Wicker said. As of last Friday, all $150 tickets were sold out, with some $500 seats remaining that were discounted to $250.

Despite the challenges, those involved agree the reward is worth the effort.

With the history of the Midway — the first ship to be commissioned after World War II, active in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm — McGaugh feels the ship is a worthy choice for this once-in-a-lifetime event.

McGaugh also said nearly 200,000 sailors served on the Midway, with the average age being 19, making a collegiate sport matchup seem just right.

“We are beyond thrilled,” McGaugh said. “I’ve seen few events that have generated more pride and enthusiasm. The stars aligned with the right organizers, teams and schools. It’s a perfect fit.”

Published on November 7, 2012 at 5:53 am

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