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Post by PantherU on Mar 10, 2013 10:50:23 GMT -6
I think the university needs to see where it's die-hards stand. If you don't have the time to write out why you think the Panthers should play in a certain place, please at least vote. If you can share your thoughts, please do.
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Post by JG Panthers on Mar 10, 2013 11:36:34 GMT -6
I would actually prefer basketball to be on campus as well. Having an arena and basketball program that is integrated with the university and student body has a positive effect on both school spirit and more specifically, student attendance at games. Give me a renovated Klotsche Center and new practice facility and you've got facilities that give your athletic program some upward mobility...
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Post by Hack on Mar 10, 2013 12:01:59 GMT -6
Other. Multi-purpose facility in the North Avenue area.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2013 12:11:39 GMT -6
I agree with Hack. Otherwise I am all for a renovated Klotsche that seats 5,000 - 6,000 w/ box seats.
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Post by Pantherholic on Mar 10, 2013 13:13:03 GMT -6
Hack's other is my #1 but the Cell is #2. The Gentile Center still looks like a HS gym. The Cell is far from perfect but its still WAY than a renovated HS gym.
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mwu
Sophomore
I am U-Dub U-M
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Post by mwu on Mar 10, 2013 13:24:48 GMT -6
My vote is for my Thesis project, otherwise the Cell. Loyola made so many mistakes in their project I don't know how any one would want such project for our school.
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Post by Pantherholic on Mar 10, 2013 14:54:08 GMT -6
My vote is for my Thesis project, otherwise the Cell. Loyola made so many mistakes in their project I don't know how any one would want such project for our school. By all means send it to her. You've got nothing to lose. a.braun@neu.edu |
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Lutzow10
Freshman
MILWAUKEE PROUD - PANTHER STRONG
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Post by Lutzow10 on Mar 10, 2013 17:05:18 GMT -6
I think a gentile project doesn't give us the room to grow and expand as an athletic program. If we ever got to a butler status we would be stuck in a gym that is far to small and not to the caliber we need. I think we go big or go home.
I like jimmy's plan for a great practice facility and naming rights at the cell/renting the cell.
But if we do build something we should shoot higher than the gentile.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2013 17:37:05 GMT -6
"Gym size doesn't matter," said Gonzaga.
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Post by Spirit of Bruce on Mar 10, 2013 17:42:35 GMT -6
"Gym size doesn't matter," said Gonzaga. Gonzaga is in Spokane freaking Washington, and is the only ticket in town. Hardly a valid comparison. |
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Post by PantherU on Mar 10, 2013 17:43:46 GMT -6
"Gym size doesn't matter," said Gonzaga. For those who aren't aware, what Freak is referring to is Gonzaga's new McCarthey Gym built in 2004 at about 6,000 seats. In hindsight, they wish they built it at 8,000. |
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Post by Spirit of Bruce on Mar 10, 2013 17:53:33 GMT -6
"Gym size doesn't matter," said Gonzaga. For those who aren't aware, what Freak is referring to is Gonzaga's new McCarthey Gym built in 2004 at about 6,000 seats. In hindsight, they wish they built it at 8,000. That's a case in point why I laugh at anyone who backs the 5000-6000 seat facility idea. It is grossly shortsighted. |
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Post by panther9193 on Mar 10, 2013 18:38:36 GMT -6
I vote for a return to the Cell. The alternative would be to build a 7000+ seat arena near downtown or North Ave. I would hope that the return to campus this year to draw more students to the games can be declared a failure as it didn't draw many additional students and drove away many non-students. A Loyola style renovation of the Klotsche Center is in the wrong place and is thinking too small. Since the rest of the university wants to spread out and engage with the community (Innovation Park, Freshwater Sciences, etc.), why would you not want to engage the community and "hide" athletics (especially Men's Basketball) on campus? A plan toward one of those goals would be a good start. It takes a vision.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2013 20:37:36 GMT -6
Where does it say Gonzaga wishes they had a bigger arena? For larger drawing games they just drive 7 minutes to a 12,000 seat facility. The same arrangement could happen for us.
You guys are living a daydream playing pretend AD.
When I went to school we played in the KC and lost to Notre Dame at the buzzer on a missed basket. Our record had nothing to do with where we played.
Its also funny you guys really think that gym size matters in recruiting. Talent follows coaching and proven winners -- not facilities.
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Post by PantherU on Mar 10, 2013 23:54:15 GMT -6
Where does it say Gonzaga wishes they had a bigger arena? For larger drawing games they just drive 7 minutes to a 12,000 seat facility. The same arrangement could happen for us. You guys are living a daydream playing pretend AD. When I went to school we played in the KC and lost to Notre Dame at the buzzer on a missed basket. Our record had nothing to do with where we played. Its also funny you guys really think that gym size matters in recruiting. Talent follows coaching and proven winners -- not facilities. I'm thinking about selling tickets. We lost 1,000 season-ticket holders between last season and this. Most of those who responded to questions of why they didn't renew said it had a lot to do with the arena. What I'm wondering is this: if the definition of our campus is expanding - not just to North Avenue and the dorms but to the Schools of Public Health, Freshwater Sciences, and Innovation Park, then why is our men's basketball program tethered to the footprint? Wouldn't playing downtown, off-campus, espouse the spirit of taking ourselves to our community? It's not just the distance, but the lack of amenities. Parking is a non-issue at either the Arena or the Klotsche (despite what people late to the discussion may think), but the amenities are not. To have the kinds of entertainment and restaurant options available for fans to be compelled to buy tickets, the university would have to spend upwards of $50 million. This, forgetting the fact that the Klotsche Center is packed in behind several buildings on campus and would be hidden even more with a basketball practice facility of any size in front of it. Not to mention the construction cost of such a renovation, not just the money but the time and resources, would cripple the building itself for a year. To get more capacity the floor has to go down or the roof has to go up - the former being significantly cheaper and practical, as the court configured now would cause seats to be remarkably steep - and the cost to Rec Sports of going down in the floor is to shut down the entire building for a year while construction is on. It's not just the "media" room but classrooms, equipment rooms, racquetball courts, locker rooms and the pool that would all need to be shut down. Essentially students would have to cram the entirety of Rec Sports into Engelmann Gym. You talk about the wonderful 2002-03 season, how the Klotsche was our home and it didn't stop us from going to the tournament. Well, the first thing Bruce Pearl did was petition the university to make the Arena our home, because he knew sustained success would need to be in a home that could fit us. Theoretically, being at the Klotsche Center should have been a tough ticket - we averaged well over the KC's capacity in 2010-11 and 2011-12 - but we only filled the Klotsche halfway. Why? Because people don't want to be back on campus. And we can do the song and dance and "play AD" and decide we're going to make Joe Rice's thesis come to reality, but that project would be well out of our price range. Our options are limited by our financial base. We can spend $26 million-plus renovating the Klotsche Center to be basically what it is but with 5-6,000 seats, or we can spend a lot less money making the Arena a permanent home whether we own it or not. Say we've got $40 million in hand, and that money is going to only basketball. We have two options: spend it by fixing our most pressing issues - practice space and a permanent home game arena - and locking ourselves in our current lot for the future, or answering those problems while keeping the next 30 years in mind. The unfortunate fact is a Klotsche renovation would be obsolete by the time it's built. It would come nowhere near the gold standard of $227 million at Oregon. A $15 million practice facility is nice, best in the conference, but it pales in comparison to most major-conference arenas. Take that money and invest in a plan that will guarantee we're recruiting exclusively from the top 100 every year if the coach so chooses. A plan that will make those who have played their hand depressed that they didn't come late to the party. A plan that ensures Milwaukee Basketball takes a seat to no one. That's what I'm offering, a plan for today, tomorrow and ten years from now. |
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