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OGDEN — There are many great names in the history of Weber State basketball: Dick Motta, Phil Johnson and Damian Lillard, just to name a few.
Few names, however, elicit the emotional passion like that of Harold “The Show” Arceneaux. Arceneaux, who played at Weber State from 1998-00, is one of those NCAA Tournament legends, like Valpo's Bryce Drew.
It was The Show who lit the entire country on fire March 11, 1999, when he scored 36 points in a first-round upset over North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament. The moment gave him eternal fame and elevated him to an almost mythical legend in Ogden.
Arceneaux and teammate Eddie “The Thrill” Gill will be inducted into the Weber State Hall of Fame this weekend, and their induction has caused many to remember the impact the two players had on the image of Weber State as a university at large.
“It was one of the best teams we ever had, and you could argue probably the two best players that ever played together at Weber State on the same team,” said former Weber State SID Brad Larsen. “There’s people still today you run into (that say) ‘Weber State? Oh, Harold “The Show” Arceneaux.’ It’s incredible how many people remember that and remember his nickname.”
Arceneaux and Gill represented the best of an era for Weber State, and the entire run was orchestrated by former Wildcat coach Ron Abegglen, who also coached Weber State to an upset of Michigan State in the 1995 NCAA Tournament, and assistant Guy Beech, who coached both players while he was the head coach at College of Eastern Utah in Price.
Arceneaux and Gill immediately leaped onto the scene with “The Show” earning Big Sky Conference MVP honors in 1999 and setting a then-Big Sky record for points in a season with 713 (since broken by Lillard). Gill won the Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year award in 1999, and recorded the only triple-double in Weber State history in 2000.
While both players praised Abegglen’s role in their development, Gill was pointed in his comments of appreciation for the coach.
“The opportunity that was given to us by Coach ‘A’ (Abegglen) — he kind of let us go,” Gill said. “He instilled us with all of the confidence in the world, and had a great system in place. We were always able to play through mistakes.”
On the night after Weber State upset North Carolina, it appeared the world was at Arceneaux's fingertips. Suddenly a national media darling, NBA draft analysts and scouts wowed at his feats against a Tar Heels squad that featured future NBA star Brendan Haywood.
Still, Arceneaux decided to forgo the NBA Draft and return to Weber State.
He said he has had no regrets over his decision to stay at Weber State.
“I’m one of those people that tries not to live in the past,” said Arceneaux, who currently is a player/coach for a team in Mexico. “One course of life leads to something else, and maybe if I leave, something else happens. I’m in a good place. I’m happy. I don’t regret anything.”
In surprise to some, it was Gill who ended up having a decent NBA career. While playing for seven teams in his seven-year career, Gill gained notoriety for scoring the 8,000,000th NBA point while playing for the New Jersey Nets. He also played on the Indiana Pacers team that was involved in the infamous “Malice in the Palace” incident, made famous for players jumping into the stands to brawl with Detroit Pistons fans.
Gill said he looks back on his NBA career with fondness — even the brawl.
“The fight stands out unfortunately,” he said. “The best part of the brawl was the next night I played 48 minutes because we were down to six players. Obviously, the brawl sticks out because it was a game-changer for a number of reasons.”
Arceneaux ended up playing professional basketball, however, it has happened on continents and locations all over the globe, most recently in Mexico. Arceneaux said that, in a way, the experience of having to go all over the world made him a stronger person and allowed for many notable memories.
“I grew up poor in the projects, so to get an opportunity to see the world and experience things, it’s been a blessing for me,” he said. “I’m happy, totally, with everything.”
In the end though, Arceneaux and Gill noted how they enjoyed being able to come back to Weber State and be honored for their legacy as leaders of one of the great Cinderella stories in NCAA Tournament history.
“It was something I never really thought about, to be honest with you,” Gill said. “I think I’ll really grasp it all in probably 10-20 years from now. Knowing what the (Weber State) Hall of Fame means, that’s a select group that you’re now a part of.”
