Please please PLEASE keep your games at the Rec Hall. The atmosphere was electric tonight, night and day compared to the BJC. That is what college basketball is all about.
To my Penn State basketball friends…
- Thread starter HailToPitt725
- Start date
The problem is they have a $50 million paperweight sitting at the other end of campus.
That's what happens when they accept state money to build something.
Not so with the ice rink that is a first class facility for basically one purpose.
Need some wealthy alums to step up and build a first class basketball only facility. And then use the paperweight for concerts and other events that can use it.
For those that enjoyed us playing in Rec Hall last night. There are very poor concession options. There are very poor lavatory for men and abysmal ones for women. Parking is a nightmare.
Finally, when PSU was in discussions to join the B1G, it was agreed that PSU would build a new BB facility within a specified period of time.
Finally, when PSU was in discussions to join the B1G, it was agreed that PSU would build a new BB facility within a specified period of time.
I was pretty sure there was some sort of contingency for a bigger basketball arena. Thanks for the confirmation.
The place is a gem to be sure, and was a hellhole back in the day for opponents but the logistics just don't lend Rec Hall to be more than the occasional one-off game.
What I would do:
Friday through Sunday BBall games at BJC.
Monday through Thursday BBall games at Rec Hall.
Friday through Sunday BBall games at BJC.
Monday through Thursday BBall games at Rec Hall.
A big part of Home Court Advantage goes beyond crowds, and gets to things like familiarity, shooting lines, etc. I'd be good with playing once/year in Rec Hall for a special game, but even though it might mean good crowds, I'd still be looking at playing almost everything at the BJC until I win Powerball and help fund the new arena.
I have been saying this for a while. Villanova used this approach during their national championship runs and still utilizes it today. I believe St. John’s does as well. Unless Penn State is contractually obligated to play their Big Ten games in the BJC, Penn State should tell the conference to stuff it and we’ll play where we want to play.
Last edited:
Yep. Plus Duke stays in Cameron which is similar to Rec Hall instead of building a bigger arena like when Carolina left Carmichael auditorium for the Dean Dome.
Penn State has the largest alumni base on this planet. And there are quite a few that "have hit the jackpot" with their careers. And it's pretty likely that more than a few of them are basketball fans. What needs to happen is for one of them needs to get the ball rolling in conjunction with the PSU Athletic Director and the BOT with a base plan of how much it would cost for what might make sense. Say a 8k - 10k basketball only facility on campus or in close proximity to campus. And that initial wealthy alum or small group of alums that pledges a reasonable amount, say 20-25% of the initial cost estimate, have to shake the trees of the alumni they each know along with the AD doing the same.
If the AD is all in on wasting $100's of millions on Beaver Stadium that really won't increase attendance or improve the PSU football teams status and playoff chances, what is $150-$250 to really bring the PSU basketball program to an even footing in the B10?
2016 Ol Miss 9,500 seats, 96.5 Million
2022 Baylor 7500 seats, $185 Million
Baylor's new arena 'contemporary fieldhouse'
A rendering of Baylor's Foster Pavilion shows a tight seating bowl with videoboards filling the end zones. (Courtesy AECOM) Project part of mixed-use development tied to Baylor campus The design of Baylor University’s new basketball arena combines a historic fieldhouse vibe with a crisp modern...
venuesnow.com
‘An innovative deal’: How Texas got a $300 million basketball arena at no cost to taxpayers, boosters
The new Moody Center will be open to the public this week, and the University of Texas-owned arena was built at no costs to the taxpayers, boosters.
www.statesman.com
New Alabama basketball arena proposal details, capacity
Alabama AD Greg Byrne presented a plan to build a new basketball/gtmnastics arena
How AD Greg Byrne said a higher price tag will affect new Alabama basketball arena
A new arena was proposed a year ago for Alabama basketball, but inflation has greatly increased the price tag. Here's the latest from Greg Byrne.
www.tuscaloosanews.com
Concessions and restrooms can be fixed with a minor remodel. You have to be willing to invest in your product. As for parking, you have some garages close by that you can charge a premium, and all others will need to be bussed from the parking lots. Not a big deal.
I remember when there was a huge male lav in West Halls. Likely it served Rec Hall and the old Beav location.
People with money to burn are usually seniors. If PSU wants generous donations then the most productive thing they can do is put back the Paterno statue and rename the stadium Joe Paterno Stadium.Penn State has the largest alumni base on this planet. And there are quite a few that "have hit the jackpot" with their careers. And it's pretty likely that more than a few of them are basketball fans. What needs to happen is for one of them needs to get the ball rolling in conjunction with the PSU Athletic Director and the BOT with a base plan of how much it would cost for what might make sense. Say a 8k - 10k basketball only facility on campus or in close proximity to campus. And that initial wealthy alum or small group of alums that pledges a reasonable amount, say 20-25% of the initial cost estimate, have to shake the trees of the alumni they each know along with the AD doing the same.
If the AD is all in on wasting $100's of millions on Beaver Stadium that really won't increase attendance or improve the PSU football teams status and playoff chances, what is $150-$250 to really bring the PSU basketball program to an even footing in the B10?
2016 Ol Miss 9,500 seats, 96.5 Million
2022 Baylor 7500 seats, $185 Million
Look what UT did:Baylor's new arena 'contemporary fieldhouse'
A rendering of Baylor's Foster Pavilion shows a tight seating bowl with videoboards filling the end zones. (Courtesy AECOM) Project part of mixed-use development tied to Baylor campus The design of Baylor University’s new basketball arena combines a historic fieldhouse vibe with a crisp modern...
What Bama is contemplating (183 million and climbing for 10k seats):‘An innovative deal’: How Texas got a $300 million basketball arena at no cost to taxpayers, boosters
The new Moody Center will be open to the public this week, and the University of Texas-owned arena was built at no costs to the taxpayers, boosters.www.statesman.com
New Alabama basketball arena proposal details, capacity
Alabama AD Greg Byrne presented a plan to build a new basketball/gtmnastics arenawww.al.com
How AD Greg Byrne said a higher price tag will affect new Alabama basketball arena
A new arena was proposed a year ago for Alabama basketball, but inflation has greatly increased the price tag. Here's the latest from Greg Byrne.www.tuscaloosanews.com
While I would love to see this happen, I just don't see anyone with Pegula money stepping up to lead this charge.. I think we are stuck with the current BJC,with maybe some minor enhancements until after the proposed/planned Beaver Stadium improvements are done.Penn State has the largest alumni base on this planet. And there are quite a few that "have hit the jackpot" with their careers. And it's pretty likely that more than a few of them are basketball fans. What needs to happen is for one of them needs to get the ball rolling in conjunction with the PSU Athletic Director and the BOT with a base plan of how much it would cost for what might make sense. Say a 8k - 10k basketball only facility on campus or in close proximity to campus. And that initial wealthy alum or small group of alums that pledges a reasonable amount, say 20-25% of the initial cost estimate, have to shake the trees of the alumni they each know along with the AD doing the same.
If the AD is all in on wasting $100's of millions on Beaver Stadium that really won't increase attendance or improve the PSU football teams status and playoff chances, what is $150-$250 to really bring the PSU basketball program to an even footing in the B10?
2016 Ol Miss 9,500 seats, 96.5 Million
2022 Baylor 7500 seats, $185 Million
Look what UT did:Baylor's new arena 'contemporary fieldhouse'
A rendering of Baylor's Foster Pavilion shows a tight seating bowl with videoboards filling the end zones. (Courtesy AECOM) Project part of mixed-use development tied to Baylor campus The design of Baylor University’s new basketball arena combines a historic fieldhouse vibe with a crisp modern...
What Bama is contemplating (183 million and climbing for 10k seats):‘An innovative deal’: How Texas got a $300 million basketball arena at no cost to taxpayers, boosters
The new Moody Center will be open to the public this week, and the University of Texas-owned arena was built at no costs to the taxpayers, boosters.www.statesman.com
New Alabama basketball arena proposal details, capacity
Alabama AD Greg Byrne presented a plan to build a new basketball/gtmnastics arenaHow AD Greg Byrne said a higher price tag will affect new Alabama basketball arena
A new arena was proposed a year ago for Alabama basketball, but inflation has greatly increased the price tag. Here's the latest from Greg Byrne.www.tuscaloosanews.com
As such, we have a conscious choice to make. Continue to play all of our games in the mausoleum that is the BJC or utilize Rec Hall for the lower attended weeknight games where Rec Hall clearly gives us a home court advantage.
This is my thinking as well. Duke has made Cameron an almost impossible ticket to get. They have created demand, by limiting supply making it hard to get tickets for even early season, non conference games. Duke also probably makes more revenue per game than Penn State does when drawing 12,000 to the BJC, due to higher per ticket prices.
Clearly when it comes to basketball, Penn State is not Duke. I do think Penn State could create demand and make Rec Hall weeknight games against a top 25 opponent like Illinois a tough ticket. Every game at Rec Hall would be a sellout. What recruit wouldn't want to play in Wednesday night atmosphere?
I agree. They need to do something different to build the program. That starts with recruiting and starting to pull off a few upsets to be seen as an up and coming program.
I can only imagine the difference of taking a recruit to a game in a half empty BJC with a dead atmosphere compared to a Rec Hall game. They need to try and create a buzz around the program. Get the reputation of Rec Hall being a snake pit with great atmosphere and fun place to watch a game. That kind of atmosphere will draw in fans and recruits better than the BJC.
Take advantage of everything you can to move the program in a better direction. The way things are now has not been working over the past 30+ years.
That’s a nice find. I didn’t realize that about OSU’s building.
The older architecture kept fans closer to the field/ court and just seems to have better atmospheres than current construction, (which makes me a little concerned over the Beav’s new plans). Places like Rec Hall, Cameron, the Palestra, Allen Fieldhouse at Kansas, Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler just seem to have much better atmospheres than the current BJC NBA arena type construction.
A difference between those places isn't as much when they were built, but what they were built for...these buildings that are built for multi-purpose events, hockey, etc. aren't ever going to have as good of an atmosphere for basketball. But build an arena specifically for hoops, and you can get everyone right on top of the floor, put more seats on the sides vs ends/corners, etc.
However, I wasn't even thrilled with the Rec Hall build-out on Wednesday...why so many dead rows behind the benches? And why push students to the ends rather than give them the great seats again? I guess it's mostly about $, but these students missed out on those great mid-court seats and being right on the court that I got at Rec Hall.
Unfortunately, I don't, so my idea may not be realistic. I know PSU has to pay to use the BJC and I am assuming Rec Hall just costs maintenance and utilities. PSU may have some requirement to hold so many events at the BJC as part of the deal to get it built in the first place. It could also complicate season ticket sales. I just know an empty, quiet BJC becomes a near capacity, up close to the enemy force with the same sized crowd at Rec Hall. We rarely fill up the BJC for BBall games during the week anyway.
I like the idea of playing weekday games at Rec Hall. As for tickets, I'd separate the ticket sales. Sell separate season tickets to Rec Hall and BJC. I'm sure lots of people who can make weekend games can't make weekday games and don't like paying for games they can't see. Separate packages might also be more affordable for people who can only make it to weekend games. I'm sure local hotels would like this too so long as their prices aren't in the stratosphere.
Nothing is simple at PSU. It’s always a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
That’s not a bad idea. I’d love to see the numbers run on which would be better- staying with the current set up or the split you suggest.
That’s a great idea and might even fill BJC too. Rec Hall season ticket holders are also likely to be BJC season ticket holders because those who can attend Rec Hall are likely local diehards who could easily also make it to the BJC. But the BJC-only season ticket holders might be longer-distance fans who might otherwise not be buying season tickets because it’s too many games and too inconvenient during the week, but 8 or so games on the weekend is so much more appealing.
Yes, PSU owns the BJC, but MBB and WBB must pay (even if it is paper transfer) to rent every foot of space used by ICA that includes such space as coaches offices, South Gym, training/locker room facilities, etc.
That's just an accounting ruse that allows the University to take ICA money and use it elsewhere.
But had ICA been the ones to build the facility, then wouldn’t they be paying off loans, maintenance costs, etc? Doesn’t seem like a big deal to me.
It is possible, but you can't fix that it's too big and the rise of the stands is too flat. It'll always be cavernous for weeknight games. I've wondered if they could slide the floor toward one end, raise the floor and have like 20 rows of sliding bleachers at the open end for student seating and curtain off the open end.
How about this? Take out the stands, build a smaller set of stands steeper and in the 12-14000 range that is offset within the building.
Say it is 3/4 the size of current layout. Use that 1/4 for other uses such as IM sports, or training facilities. Maybe office or classroom space. Could even make it adaptable for huge events such as Thon or NCAA regional events.
If PSU really wanted to get creative, you could mimic the Saitama Super Arena and make one of the end sections movable so that the arena can expand/contract based on the game.
There ya go!If PSU really wanted to get creative, you could mimic the Saitama Super Arena and make one of the end sections movable so that the arena can expand/contract based on the game.
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
-
-
FB Recruiting 2025 LB target scheduled for Penn State OV in June
- Latest: Dylan Callaghan-Croley
-