BobcatAttack.com - For Fans of Ohio University Sports

Welcome Guest!
Create an Account

site search

about us

advertise with us

help

BobcatAttack.com Message Board

Ohio Basketball

Topic: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Topic: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Author

Message

Gallia Cat
General User

Member Since: 7/11/2010
Post Count: 938

Status: Offline

Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/7/2012 7:33:03 PM

From what I can see on television the new BG arena looks like a newer and cleaner Anderson arena and that's it. I personally think building a 5000 seat gym is a waste of time if you are even half way serious about building a program. Even Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois built something with 8,000 seats in it. I just do not understand why BG struggles so badly for attendance. I really believe one of the reason Ohio draws pretty well compared to other MAC schools is that the arena just seems big time. I also feel the Convo is a draw to casual sports fans in Southeast Ohio. When high school tournaments begin it is a BIG deal for southern Ohio high schools to get to play in the Convo. I have been at many high school sectional finals when the winning schools fans start chanting "Convo".

It's time for MAC schools to make a decision on what level they want to compete at. If a school decides to build a brand new 5,000 gym they have made their decision.

perimeterpost
General User

Member Since: 7/6/2010
Post Count: 3,165

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/7/2012 7:57:15 PM

yeah, from my computer it looks like a new high school gym. not impressed at all.

MY STATE. MY TEAM.

lovebobcat
General User

Member Since: 12/23/2004
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Post Count: 521

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/7/2012 8:14:24 PM

Looks like the same old house of horrors for us, though.

mcbin
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Columbus, OH
Post Count: 951

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/7/2012 9:09:12 PM

Coming back from Stroh Center right now. It's a really nice building. Decent video board, very open feel. But the fans simply do not come to support BG. My guess was 1500, and McKinney thought 2000. Regardless, one thing stayed the same. And that we can't beat mediocre BG teams there. And it continues...

Chicken George
General User

Member Since: 1/2/2005
Post Count: 765

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/7/2012 11:17:15 PM

And it appeared on TV the same way--that BG was no better than mediocre.

falconfan
General User

Member Since: 5/25/2011
Post Count: 15

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/7/2012 11:26:41 PM

Great seeing all the Bobcat fans in BG tonight. Tough ball game. We shot it pretty well, made some plays and won. Impressed w several Bobcats. Excellent team speed and they played hard.

Yes, no question, we aren't committed to basketball at BG with this tiny arena we built. What were we thinking?

No question.

$36 million facility. Pretty decent amenities according to a few Bobcat fans I talked to. Video board, practice court, openness sight lines, club. Decent.

$8 million dollar lead gift.

$10 million endowment gift for men's basketball.

We just aren't committed.

And our fans. Where were they? You're right- we need more. Absolutely but....pretty sure the 8,000 students who live on campus that can't move back to their res halls tomorrow weren't there. That didn't help much. And maybe the 3200 people that were 300 yards away at the Ice Arena to watch us beat the number two hockey team in the nation OSU in a shoot out might have had a little to do with it. Maybe.

ESPNU had us move the game. We had the perfect trifecta lined up earlier with women's bball (also a win with a good crowd) in the first slot then men's bball at 4 then hockey vs OSU at 7. Then we got moved and had to go w two revenue sports head to head.

You guys are right- we need more fans. But we did have 5000 people at BG revenue sports events tonight. Then add in the women's crowd which exactly impacts things here as opposed to Athens. With many students not in town.

And we won three times today. Which should help.

Good luck and I'll be at the Convo.

Go Falcons!

RSBobcat
General User

Member Since: 8/22/2010
Location: Columbus, OH
Post Count: 4,437

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 12:24:08 AM

I'll take the Convo anyday - especially today...........

RS Bobcat

Ted Thompson
Administrator

Member Since: 11/11/2004
Location: MAC Play
Post Count: 7,720

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 12:43:35 AM

Visited the Stroh Center tonight. Aside from the video board, it's on par with the new gyms local high schools are building. One design flaw. Although you enter on floor level, you have to take stairs up to the concourse level so you can walk back down to your seats at floor level.

Follow Ohio Football recruiting on the BobcatAttack.com football recruiting database.

falconfan
General User

Member Since: 5/25/2011
Post Count: 15

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 12:56:46 AM

Ted- Must be some high schools with some bucks down Athens County way. I want to visit a $36 million dollar "HS gym" in your neck of the woods. They are not in mine. Next time you come up, let me know and I'll give you a tour of the home locker rooms, wellness center, classroom/academic, offices, practice facility, back arena stuff. Maybe that will help a little. It's your board and I respect the Cats (love to visit the Convo and the campus) but I am just baffled. High school teams are in for regular season games and loving it. Our HS tourney games will likewise be recruiting events for students like the Convo.

Gee whiz we didn't HAVE the $50 million to go fancier and perhaps add 1000 seats. We wouldn't have added more thabn that IF we had $60 mill. We wanted intimate and etc. The steps up then walk down? Use the elevator if you'd like. It's not a flaw- we wanted a complete open concourse experience. We have it.

And we did not want an EMU or Northern facility. Are you kidding me? Have you ever watched a game in Ypsi or DeKalb? These are cavernous facilities that help NOBODY- the school, the players etc. There is zero atmosphere at those schools. None.

We built what we wanted and what we could be build. In 1966, you built what you wanted and could build.

We can both be successful. Good luck to the Bobcats.

Go Falcons!

Panda
General User

Member Since: 12/22/2004
Post Count: 280

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 1:06:40 AM

Just got back from the Stroh Center. This may be one of the worst new facilities for basketball that I have had the pleasure to witness.

Very poor for entrance into the facility. To get to the facility one has to climb one hell of a lot of steps. One Elevator for everyone. to go up. Once a visiting fan gets to the second floor off of the elevator, one then has to traverse 10 steps down, 10 steps up Really poor design. If one is an aged fan, or handicap to go to regular seats really difficult. They did have adequate handicap seating at the top and parking.

Lighting was good from the top, but the advertising board across from the team seats is blinding. The score board is nice, but 0nly at one end. At the other end is what I would call a active player board; very hard to read. Small time and score boards at visiting team egress. It is very noisy, so if the students were in attendance, it would be loud. Security was all around the floor before, during timeouts and after the game. Sound system was not great.

Seating has mostly chairbacks, on each end are regular bleachers. The chairback seats at each end are like Miami, you have to turn in your seats to see the floor.

The only difference from Anderson is bettter lighting and seats on each end. I assume they are putting their students in each end zone. If I were a student I would not want to sit in those seats when there are chairbacks available if seats are not sold.

The American Flag is in a very weid position. It is like they forgot the placement of the flag so where they have it located was an after thought.

The building has a nice secondary gym, very nice team store. Above average training room and equipment room. Did not see the locker rooms.The refreshment stands are adequate serving hamburgers, footlongs, chicken strips, french fries, nacho chips, popcorn and candy and various fountain sodas.They even brought the food to ones seat if the sandwiches were not ready.

JUST WAY TO SMALL IF THEY START WINNING. I was told 400-600 more seats than Anderson(not sure because onlythe end zone seats makes it more numbers.

Again my personal opinion is they did not get their monies worth. Does not look good from the outside when driving in.
Do not hire this arcitect designer!! In my opinion the only arena worse in the league would be Kent and WMU. Toledo and CMU did a nice job in their renovation and I hear that Miami has changed their facility for the better( I will wait on that).

Panda

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,221

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 9:30:01 AM

falconfan wrote:

Gee whiz we didn't HAVE the $50 million to go fancier and perhaps add 1000 seats. We wouldn't have added more thabn that IF we had $60 mill. We wanted intimate and etc. The steps up then walk down? Use the elevator if you'd like. It's not a flaw- we wanted a complete open concourse experience. We have it.

And we did not want an EMU or Northern facility. Are you kidding me? Have you ever watched a game in Ypsi or DeKalb? These are cavernous facilities that help NOBODY- the school, the players etc. There is zero atmosphere at those schools. None.

Sounds like they did what we are doing with the indoor practice facility - building what they can afford not necessary what they wanted. OCF will tell you that is responsible - living within your budget.

perimeterpost
General User

Member Since: 7/6/2010
Post Count: 3,165

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 10:06:08 AM

unfortunately for the Stroh Center there's a very unflattering camera angle- when shot from court level from the bottom left corner the ceiling looks dangerously low and all see you beyond the opposite basket is some bleachers and a ton of white wall space, thats something you see more in hs gyms than college arenas. but hey if they like it, thats what counts.

MY STATE. MY TEAM.

Ted Thompson
Administrator

Member Since: 11/11/2004
Location: MAC Play
Post Count: 7,720

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 11:14:21 AM

falconfan wrote:

I live in the Dayton area. Kettering Fairmont built a gym a few years back that is on par with the Stroh Center gym: http://www.trentarena.com/index.html

Follow Ohio Football recruiting on the BobcatAttack.com football recruiting database.

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,221

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 11:21:15 AM

Ted Thompson wrote:

falconfan wrote:

I live in the Dayton area. Kettering Fairmont built a gym a few years back that is on par with the Stroh Center gym: http://www.trentarena.com/index.html

To be fair Ted, you can hardly consider this a typical high school gym. This link provides a bit more information.

http://www.trentarena.com/about/about.html

And if we're going to get into the business of comparing high school facilities to college facilities, check this indoor practice facility out:

http://www.cleveland.com/timstake/index.ssf/2008/10/team_practice_massillons_got_i.html

Last Edited: 1/8/2012 11:24:37 AM by Alan Swank

BuddyLee
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 682

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 11:28:25 AM

Wow some of this criticism seems a little overboard and perhaps even jealous. This is a much improved facility compared to Anderson, not even close. The amenities and facility as a whole definitely make this top 5 in the conference, and the atmosphere will come once the students fill it up. There are way too many big new arenas out there that may appear nice but give you an empty look and feel. And so what if they might be slightly under capacity for a few games in the future. If and when they start winning again I think it will be a very loud and raucous venue to watch a game. It might not be perfect but I'd take a nice sold out, intimate basketball venue any day.

Last Edited: 1/8/2012 11:30:08 AM by BuddyLee

Ozcat
General User

Member Since: 1/4/2005
Location: Gahanna, OH
Post Count: 820

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 11:43:19 AM

Yes, BuddyLee. We are jealous of your awesome new arena that isn't big enough to hold an OU crowd on its worst day. You keep your flashy new tiny arena. I'll take the 12,000+ fans we'll have in the Convo in two weeks against Miami.

Last Edited: 1/8/2012 12:22:20 PM by Ozcat

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,221

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 12:08:36 PM

BuddyLee wrote:

Got to agree Buddy - especially on the amenities:

http://bgsufalcons.com/news/2011/3/31/GEN_0331114338.aspx...

Anyone notice the "adult beverages" and real food?

The Optimist
General User

Member Since: 3/16/2007
Location: CLE
Post Count: 5,597

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 12:15:16 PM

All the Convo needs is a video board, some paint, and maybe bathroom/concession updates. We at least have the core setup right, (atmosphere, capacity, viewing angles) and a fanbase to fill it up giving us a big-time unparalleled in the MAC.

I've seen crazier things happen.

OU_Country
General User

Member Since: 12/6/2005
Location: On the road between Athens and Madison County
Post Count: 8,370

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 1:43:45 PM

I was also at the Stroh Center yesterday, and my own observations are these:

From the outside, it's an impressive looking building. It actually looks bigger on the outside than it truly is. I like the big wide concourses and modern restroom facilities, and the lobby area coming in. Honestly, after those things, there's little else that impresses other than the video board. I agree with the commentary about the size of the place - no need for a much larger venue. The place was nice, but it just felt very sterile, very plain. It's brand new and desperately needs some dressing up to make it feel like home.

To echo some other thoughts, I was tweeting about the terrible BG fan turnout. I didn't know there was a hockey game at the same time, though all that points to is terrible scheduling by the BG Athletic Department. Can't schedule your two money sports at the same time.

Someone was commenting on things the Convo needs to be improved. Bleed Green & White and I were talking about this on the way up. Not sure if a different thread should be started. I'll leave that to someone else to decide on. The way we were looking at it, the Convo is great, but just needs some minor cosmetics. With that, here's our thoughts:

-Needs a paint facelift. Paint the place OUr colors. For cripe sakes, the men's bathrooms have had BLUE in them for over a decade. Green paint in some areas to spruce up the place can't be cost prohibitive, can it?
-Need some fans to occupy the area once used by the band. Get more people closer to the floor. Our thought was a hospitality area/club seat type set up. For those that went to Nutter Center, think that, but smaller.
-Scoreboards. What we have is probably fine. Just get them up higher to be more easily seen. Leads me to:
-Reduce capacity by a few thousand. Getting scoreboards up high, maybe behind the baskets, takes away empty seats. Again, gets more people closer to the floor.
-Improved Audio and lighting. During play, light the floor, not the upper level seats.
-Get photos, paintings, murals of past players on the walls in places. Show the history of the program for everyone to see when they come in.

Now, I know this has all been brought up before, and it's certainly a wish list because it can't all be budgeted for at once. Still, paint and simple aesthetics are probably affordable.

RSBobcat
General User

Member Since: 8/22/2010
Location: Columbus, OH
Post Count: 4,437

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 1:43:45 PM

BuddyLee wrote:

OK - it's a nice GYM, with some amenities. I still think the Convo blows it away for game experience.

RS Bobcat

UpSan Bobcat
General User

Member Since: 8/30/2005
Location: Upper Sandusky, OH
Post Count: 3,812

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 2:20:06 PM

The reason it looks big, I think, and costly, is because there is a lot more to it than just the area where games are contested. There's a large practice area with a couple of courts and some other wellness areas, I believe. However, as otheras have said, it's just so small and still was half empty. Large high schools do have similar facilities that seat more and get larger crowds. Ohio's average crowd from last season (and this year's attendance is up so far) would not fit in the 4,700-seat facility (exactly the same as Anderson Arena, although it really seems smaller to me). The Miami game this year, Ohio may nearly three times as many in attendance than the Stroh Center even holds. I think most Ohio fans in attendance were blown away at how small it is. I will say it is a huge upgrade, though, even though I agree with some of the others on some of its flaws.

Andrew Ruck
General User

Member Since: 12/22/2004
Location: Columbus, OH
Post Count: 5,221

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 2:25:25 PM

I went...I thought it was nice. A little surprised at the price tag, but there's more to the building than just the main court and stands, so I can't really make that judgement without a full tour. The stairs up to concourse then back down to the seats didn't bother me personally, but they might bother me in 50 years. There were 4 sets of steps, it would've been perfect to have the outter 2 be escalators...Would think you could fit that into a 36 million dollar budget.

Other than that, I thought it was nice. Had they built for 10,000...We would've made fun of them for wasting God's green earth to have a bunch of empty seats. It'll be a pretty cool atmosphere if and when they pack the place.

No question the hockey game and students not being back played a big role in the small crowd. Not saying it would've been packed without those 2 factors, but it probably wouldn't have been laughable. There is no question they need to stir up some more fan interest somehow. We gripe about the average OU Student/Alum being disinsterested in athletic, but that is true times 10 at BG.

Andrew Ruck
B.B.A. 2003

bornacatfan
General User

Member Since: 8/3/2006
Post Count: 5,716

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 3:36:09 PM

The Optimist wrote:

Preach it brother, preach it. Been trying to sell this for years.

never argue with idiots, they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Winter comes and asks how you spent your summer.....

The game loves and rewards those who love and reward the game

bobcatsquared
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 5,418

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 4:10:39 PM

falconfan wrote:

And our fans. Where were they? You're right- we need more. Absolutely but....pretty sure the 8,000 students who live on campus that can't move back to their res halls tomorrow weren't there. That didn't help much. And maybe the 3200 people that were 300 yards away at the Ice Arena to watch us beat the number two hockey team in the nation OSU in a shoot out might have had a little to do with it. Maybe.

Perhaps one good result from NE Ohio yesterday?

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,221

Status: Offline

RE: Bowling Green Arena (gym)

Posted: 1/8/2012 4:35:12 PM

bobcatsquared wrote:

falconfan wrote:

Perhaps one good result from NE Ohio yesterday?

Hope you're not teaching geography this week Steveland? Reminds me of the kid I had in world history my first year teaching up in Richland County. When asked how many states were in the US he said, "it's either 52 or 50. I get the states and the number of cards in a deck confused." Another kid in the same class said, "that's easy, there are 46." I raised my eyebrows and he said, "the other four are commonwealths" and smiled slyly.

Showing Replies:	1 - 25 of 38 Posts
Jump to Page:	1 \| 2 Next >

View Other 'Ohio Basketball' Topics

There are 259 Active Visitors on BobcatAttack.com

257 Guests
2 Registered Users:
	Doc Bobcat, Jonesy1017

There are no other users looking at this page.