NCAA Division II Location Honolulu, HI | Athletic director Bill Villa Varsity teams 10 | |
University Chaminade University of Honolulu Conference Pacific West Conference | ||
The Chaminade Silverswords are the 10 varsity athletic teams that represent Chaminade University of Honolulu, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Silverswords compete as members of the Pacific West Conference. Chaminade University of Honolulu's team name is the "Silverswords," a reference to a Hawaiian plant prized for its beauty and ability to withstand harsh conditions.
Maui Invitational
Chaminade hosts the annual men's tournament, the Maui Invitational Tournament. They are the only team that competes in the tournament that is not a NCAA Division I basketball program.
In 1982, Chaminade, then a member of the NAIA, defeated Virginia in what is considered the biggest upset in college basketball history. Virginia, which featured Ralph Sampson and Rick Carlisle, was the top-ranked team in NCAA Division I basketball entering the game after posting victories against Georgetown (with Patrick Ewing) and Phi Slama Jama of Houston. But in the Blaisdell Arena, the 3,500 fans in attendance — most of whom had come to see the nation's #1 team — witnessed the historic 77–72 upset. Many newspapers reportedly checked sources several times to make sure the story was right — that 800-student NAIA Chaminade had actually defeated the NCAA's top-ranked Cavaliers.
In 2012, Chaminade defeated the University of Texas in the opening round of the invitational. Their current record in the invitational is 7-78. Former Texas coach Rick Barnes is on the losing end of 2 (28.6%) of Chaminade's 7 invitational wins as he also lost in 1991 as the coach of Providence.