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Stadium


AB34

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First, my girlfriend said they're tearing down Waring School. Good.

Second, where does everyone think the students should sit in the new arena? Should they bump out the alumni from one side and give them prime half court seating? Or stick then on the baseline again?

I don't know. I would like to have them on the sidelines, but at the same time, not enough attend to give them that privilege. Would it be an incentive for them to go if they knew they were on the side? I don't know.

Thoughts?

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I'd expect students to be behind the basket. Most schools put them there (exceptions are MSU, Duke, Maryland) and SLU is going to need to do all they can to make extra revenue from the premium seats along the court to pay for the arena. You are correct that not nearly enough attend to warrant them sitting along the court. Also remember that revenue from Men's hoops funds the entire SLU athletic department and considering how much this arena is going to cost there is almost no way they would bump high dollar donors to behind the basket to give students those seats that could fetch the revenue needed to pay off the arena.

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UCLA is another exception to the behind the basket seating. A few years ago I sat behind a basket for the USC VS UCLA game at Pauley Pavilion, as I purchsed scalped tix outside Pauley the night of the game. I sat next to some UCLA Alums and asked them how they felt about the students sitting in the prime center court seats and their comment might surprise some...that's where they belong because the games are really played for the students.

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ab, if the students actually prove they will attend games, i would have no problem moving out of their way. but we have about 40 students per game we can count on being there. it would be stupid to set aside even a hundred prime seats for students that wont put out the effort now to attend games. they got a year or so to prove they will come out. if they do, give em the good seats otherwise, i think the boosters that have supported the team through thick and thin deserve the seats.

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Charlotte students sit on the sides. They are not very rowdy, not very green, not overly full...woes of a commuter school, I think.

On the other hand, had some friends attend the Duke/NC game last week. On every seat was a powder blue Tshirt. Now that would be cool for opening night at Biondi Dome....a sea of royal billiken blue garbed Billiken fanatics. Now, if only Mizzery were the opponent.

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Maryland just built the ComCast center. The students went behind the visitors basket in the second half ... in order to harass and bother the shooters during critical crunch time. But what UMd. did that was different than most, is that they escalated the slope at that end of the arena, making it ascend higher faster and giving the impression that a wall of angry students was facing the opposition. I kind of like that.

In today's day and age, I don't think you'll make ends meet by NOT milking the alumni for whatever they're worth. I'd offer that Duke is different ...... they make enough money getting to the Final Four every year (at least that what it seems like) and they play in such a hole-in-the-wall (tradition notwithstanding) that they can do it. I think NCState just moved into a new place and their students are in the lowest bowl but the area seems very small from what I've seen on TV.

Given our historically poor student turnouts (and my classes were there in the mid- to late-70's) I don't think you can give the students any much more than the endzone.

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looking back, losing debbie yow to maryland might have been the biggest loss the billiken program suffered the last 15 years. you cant argue with what see has done with the athletic department at maryland.

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The difference between schools like Maryland, NC State and MSU, who have students ringing the courts, is they have other revenue sources for the athletic department and their arenas (at least in the case of MSU, not sure about Maryland) were paid for entirely by donations. SLU will be borrowing $25 million for the arena, they are going to have to pay that off somehow.

It wasn't until recently that UNC put their students down behind the baskets. Before Doherty got there they sat in the upper deck!

One other thing to consider is what is the conference rule regarding student seating? I think CUSA says students cannot be behind the visitors bench or something like that and the Big Ten has a similar policy. Wonder what the A-10 has to say about that.

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About 40 students per game? I concede that student support at SLU isn't great, but Roy that is quite the embellishment. During one of our recent home games I did a headcount estimate of the number of students at the game. I counted over 500. Do you realize that the student section goes all the way up to the Stadium Club (or whatever it is called)? The layout of the Savvis Center makes bad student support look a lot worse.

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"But what UMd. did that was different than most, is that they escalated the slope at that end of the arena, making it ascend higher faster and giving the impression that a wall of angry students was facing the opposition. I kind of like that. "

Mizzou's new arena does the same thing. The student side behind one of the baskets is bleachers and is steeper than the rest of the arena.

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it would be interesting to know how many of the students are regs. i would just hate to see a couple of hundred empty seats behind the opponents bench just in case the student decided not to watch survivor that night.

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it sure seems we have suddenly been graced in the same manner by the cheeser and coincidentally the mufan that swore he was a fan of both teams is now gone. would seem if steve went out of his way to give his little friend a new identity the guy could at least turn over a new leaf. still it is fun tearing him apart daily.

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TheBand at center court, a la the Kentucky Band at Rupp Arena?

I want to remain in a similar location to where we are at Kiel. I'd hate to see us swapped with the students or blue crew. People may not see us being crazy, but ask any of those guys sitting on the visitor bence, we're pretty good about getting into their heads without resorting to telling people "they suck" like some resort to.

Anyone catch te USA Today article from last friday? It concerned the foul languages used at many college arenas. A sidebar story about the Big 10 concerned me. They have instuted a "three strike" system with student groups. 1 strike means a private warning. 2 strikes result in a public warning from the league to the school. 3 means banishment. One part of the story included the rule eliminating students chanting for specific players (ie "no means, no" and "dui" based on whatever that player did) . That kinda bugs me, cause if you can't get in a guys head without being obscene, then what good is a home court?

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"There is no way possible that any team would get 40-100 students at their d-1 basketball games."

You are not making any sense. Are you saying that no division one schools exist that have only 40-100 students show up at games? Are you being sarcastic? Or, are you about 12 years old? If you are going to post on this board just to stir things up, at least learn and use the proper syntax for the English language.

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