Post by PantherU on Mar 8, 2010 10:04:42 GMT -6
The only thing we really have the best of is the size of the school and the amount of programs offered, which covers a wide variety of students.
Of the other things, nope. In fact, I'll rank them for you.
FACILITIES
1. Butler - Hinkle is their home and practice facility. The history, the fact that it's a great gym, they've got the trump card for now.
2. Wright State - The Nutter Center is a very good arena, but what puts them up here is their practice facility. The Setzer Pavilion is a practice facility that would be around the top 50 in the country. It was built in 2005, so take a look at the difference between Biancardi and Brownell and tell me that it's like night and day. Their Pavilion doesn't win them anything, but it's an amazing recruiting tool and allows private practices for basketball.
3. Green Bay - Resch Center is similar to the Nutter Center, save for it's smaller (not small enough). They, like Wright State, have the Kress Center, which is a boon for recruiting and does a wonderful job as their practice facility. The problem is that unlike Setzer, the Kress is shared with the students, and practically anyone can come and watch practice (I did when we were up there for the women's final last year). My personal favorite part is the empty trophy cases that line the hallway.
4. Cleveland State - The Wolstein Center is good enough to host NCAA Tournament action, and the court just needs fans for it to be rocking. They practice in the building at a different, smaller room with a court, which allows for private practices and more intimate place for instruction.
5. Detroit - Calihan Hall is, in my mind, the arena that everyone forgets. It's got all the quirky little nuances that make it unique - from the first 10 row bleachers leading to the arena seating to the small hallways and big concourse to the trophy and hall of fame wall to the Titan Club - and I love it. It's old and could use a facelift, but it's a hell of an arena.
6. Youngstown State - The Beeghly Center is a hell of an on-campus arena. We, obviously, want something much better, but for the level of facility they have, they're underachieving (personally, I think it's the town itself). YSU practices on their home court, which is not terrible and allows for private practices.
7. Milwaukee - The U.S. Cellular Arena has some of the best sightlines in the league, has a ton of history (that it doesn't recognize), and is a great place to watch a basketball game. It's marked down for its sterile atmosphere, generic dressings (slowly but surely getting better), and downtown location. I'm sorry, but it's rare for a big time program to play off campus unless they're the only show in town. The Pavilion is a great facility, but really for men's basketball this just includes offices, locker rooms, and weight training facilities. The real problem with the Klotsche Center is the shared practice space. One of the worst things for the program is to show a recruit their place of practice. First you have to dodge the track runners, get over the noise of the ping of baseball bats, duck from a volleyball, and make sure you're at the right basketball practice because the women are on the other court. I'm not kidding when I say all of these have taken place in the KC Arena at the same time roughly 80% of the time I go to practice.
8. Valparaiso - The ARC is the practice and home facility for the Crusaders. It's on-campus, but it's outdated in many ways.
9. UIC - The on-campus Pavilion is an OK place to watch a basketball game, and with a full crowd would definitely be rockin. The problem is it's severely outdated, the seating configuration is absolutely stupid because it accommodates for a hockey team that they got rid of a long time ago, and their version of the Panther Pit pushes the scoreboard and banners far from the court. They also have an easy fix like us - bigger banners - that they should really do.
10. Loyola - Luckily for the Ramblers, they are moving forward with plans to renovate the Gentile Center into a real arena, so things could be looking up.
Of the other things, nope. In fact, I'll rank them for you.
FACILITIES
1. Butler - Hinkle is their home and practice facility. The history, the fact that it's a great gym, they've got the trump card for now.
2. Wright State - The Nutter Center is a very good arena, but what puts them up here is their practice facility. The Setzer Pavilion is a practice facility that would be around the top 50 in the country. It was built in 2005, so take a look at the difference between Biancardi and Brownell and tell me that it's like night and day. Their Pavilion doesn't win them anything, but it's an amazing recruiting tool and allows private practices for basketball.
3. Green Bay - Resch Center is similar to the Nutter Center, save for it's smaller (not small enough). They, like Wright State, have the Kress Center, which is a boon for recruiting and does a wonderful job as their practice facility. The problem is that unlike Setzer, the Kress is shared with the students, and practically anyone can come and watch practice (I did when we were up there for the women's final last year). My personal favorite part is the empty trophy cases that line the hallway.
4. Cleveland State - The Wolstein Center is good enough to host NCAA Tournament action, and the court just needs fans for it to be rocking. They practice in the building at a different, smaller room with a court, which allows for private practices and more intimate place for instruction.
5. Detroit - Calihan Hall is, in my mind, the arena that everyone forgets. It's got all the quirky little nuances that make it unique - from the first 10 row bleachers leading to the arena seating to the small hallways and big concourse to the trophy and hall of fame wall to the Titan Club - and I love it. It's old and could use a facelift, but it's a hell of an arena.
6. Youngstown State - The Beeghly Center is a hell of an on-campus arena. We, obviously, want something much better, but for the level of facility they have, they're underachieving (personally, I think it's the town itself). YSU practices on their home court, which is not terrible and allows for private practices.
7. Milwaukee - The U.S. Cellular Arena has some of the best sightlines in the league, has a ton of history (that it doesn't recognize), and is a great place to watch a basketball game. It's marked down for its sterile atmosphere, generic dressings (slowly but surely getting better), and downtown location. I'm sorry, but it's rare for a big time program to play off campus unless they're the only show in town. The Pavilion is a great facility, but really for men's basketball this just includes offices, locker rooms, and weight training facilities. The real problem with the Klotsche Center is the shared practice space. One of the worst things for the program is to show a recruit their place of practice. First you have to dodge the track runners, get over the noise of the ping of baseball bats, duck from a volleyball, and make sure you're at the right basketball practice because the women are on the other court. I'm not kidding when I say all of these have taken place in the KC Arena at the same time roughly 80% of the time I go to practice.
8. Valparaiso - The ARC is the practice and home facility for the Crusaders. It's on-campus, but it's outdated in many ways.
9. UIC - The on-campus Pavilion is an OK place to watch a basketball game, and with a full crowd would definitely be rockin. The problem is it's severely outdated, the seating configuration is absolutely stupid because it accommodates for a hockey team that they got rid of a long time ago, and their version of the Panther Pit pushes the scoreboard and banners far from the court. They also have an easy fix like us - bigger banners - that they should really do.
10. Loyola - Luckily for the Ramblers, they are moving forward with plans to renovate the Gentile Center into a real arena, so things could be looking up.
