Official Chaifetz "first impressions" thread

[TheBand]

I don't know if its a bad thing that volleyball will not be playing on the main floor. As people on here have mentioned before, you avoid the mess of lines on the court and the little metallic plates on the floor where the nets are to be secured. Furthermore, it would just be awkward for a team that doesn't even draw 1000 people to games to play in such a large venue. It would be cavernous and empty. It will be a much better atmosphere in the practice facility where they have bleachers set up.

And thats why I think the women's basketball team could be in the practice gym until they draw more as well. They don't regularly draw more than 1000.

I thought there would be more bleachers in the practice gym than I saw yesterday.

[Box and Won]

Snapped a few pics:

[billikenfan05]

And thats why I think the women's basketball team could be in the practice gym until they draw more as well. They don't regularly draw more than 1000.

I thought there would be more bleachers in the practice gym than I saw yesterday.

Exactly if the womens basketball team is going to be on the main floor the volleyball team deserves to be their too. imo If you want to keep Anne Kordes around you better move the volleyball team to the main floor ASAP

[Pistol]

Nice pics, B&W. Was it clear what side the benches would be on? Judging by the photos, it looks like they'll be on the right side from your vantage point. What number side of the arena will the benches be on (i.e. where their backs will be)- the single-digits or the teens?

[billiken_roy]

i thought the event was well done. lot of activities for the kids, we had a free reign to the whole place. free refreshments. great job billikens!

on the actual arena, it is beautiful. i cant wait. my first thoughts when i stepped into the lady billikens lockerroom was that shimmy had to have cried when she first saw the place. going from a lockerroom that didnt even have a toilet to that pro-level set up is spectacular.

as others have said, not a bad seat in the place. when we first arrived we purposely went to the top in a corner thinking it couldnt get any worse and that wasnt bad at all.

the 4 corner screens are sheer genius. i too cant wait to see the blue light go on!

still a little hazy on parking. no way that one garage will suffice and we'll have to see how harris stowe and street parking work out. i am sure in the long run everyone will find their place.

went to vito's afterwards and the place was packed. the guy waiting on us seemed perturbed. one would think they would be looking forward to the upcoming approx 20 nights of big profits. this will undoubtedly be a huge boom to the area restaurant and bar scene.

i laughed when i walked up to the gift shop. first sight? hot pick and neon green slu shirts. oh brother. that said, say a billiken blue hoodie in there with the absolute biggest billiken face i have ever seen on any piece of clothing. i will buy one of those. and two really nice billiken blue pullover windbreakers. so there is some blue in the place.

for the guy that was ripping willie, fyi, i saw willie's name in the lockerroom. willie indeed bucked up a hell of a lot more $$$ than most of us apparently.

saw a lot of the posters but wife was pushing to see everything so i didnt get to talk to a lot of folks much. said hi to nate but nate wasnt too interested in talking. guess that's my fault.

band sounded good. i need to make sure my seats are close by dr mike and the gang. gotta have my band fix at games.

the whirlpool is big enough to treat horses in. amazing!

how about spoon's jacket?

how neat that bonner instead of sitting at the table was signing along side and taking pictures with the kids. what a great man and a credit to the billikens.

saw a lot of billikens about. saw marcus and anthony mitchell. so if they are indeed leaving, they still look like part of the family at this point.

[billikenfan05]

I don't know if its a bad thing that volleyball will not be playing on the main floor. As people on here have mentioned before, you avoid the mess of lines on the court and the little metallic plates on the floor where the nets are to be secured. Furthermore, it would just be awkward for a team that doesn't even draw 1000 people to games to play in such a large venue. It would be cavernous and empty. It will be a much better atmosphere in the practice facility where they have bleachers set up.

I disagree about the atmosphere being better in the practice facility. Its barely equivelant to a high school gym. Well if you want to draw more fans ADVERTISE! The volleyball team revenue helped build the arena and they deserve to play on the main floor.

They could get a sport court floor to put over the hardwood as to not put the lines onto the basketball court.

As for the attendence being below 1000 the Womens basketball team only drew 689 people for SENIOR NIGHT and THE LAST GAME AT WEST PINE!!!!!!!!

[brianstl]

Shuttle busses from bars will be the way to go to and from the arena.

[moytoy12]

Shuttle busses from bars will be the way to go to and from the arena.

I can't imagine it's the worst thing to have a flood of people parking around the campus and walking through the beautiful urban campus to get to the arena. It would be (on a very very small scale) similar to a football game where fans park all over and walk in groups to the arena. It could actually build a little atmosphere.

[brianstl]

I can't imagine it's the worst thing to have a flood of people parking around the campus and walking through the beautiful urban campus to get to the arena. It would be (on a very very small scale) similar to a football game where fans park all over and walk in groups to the arena. It could actually build a little atmosphere.

The walk will suck when it gets cold or bad weather.

[Box and Won]

BTW, I could see parking being an issue. I left at around 5:20 or so, and it took me quite a while to get out of the garage - and this was at a time in which people were just randomly leaving. When everybody's leaving at once, it could be difficult. They had cops directing traffic out on Compton, so it wasn't a total cluster f-, but still not great.

Guess I'll just have to go out for drinks after every game.

[moytoy12]

The walk will suck when it gets cold or bad weather.

Damn you brian, raining on my parade.

good point.

[bills16]

HOW WAS MAJERUS during this? there have been reports that he doesn't like attending

billiken club events but i could see him turning on the charm yesterday. just curious.

[SShoe]

I though the practice facility looked nice. Once again for those who haven't seen the place, you can look down at the practice courts from a spot in the concourse, as well as somewhere else that I think was the walkway from the athletic offices to the concourse. My question concerning that is considering that Majerus doesn't open his practices to the public (as evidenced by his covering the doors into the gym at West Pine so nobody could see in), is there going to be some sort of curtain that will cover those windows?

I've been told that they are going to cover the window up with some sort of "layering" that will make it impossible to look down on practice.

[SShoe]

HOW WAS MAJERUS during this? there have been reports that he doesn't like attending

billiken club events but i could see him turning on the charm yesterday. just curious.

Rick sat in a chair for about two hours signing autographs and looked like he was doing very well and maybe even enjoying himself.

[billiken_roy]

Rick sat in a chair for about two hours signing autographs and looked like he was doing very well and maybe even enjoying himself.

where was this at? he wasnt at the table with the rest of the signers. however i admit i went to the lockerrooms immediately after the program so i didnt get to the taylor concourse until about 5:30. he milled around the floor for a few minutes after the ceremony and then i never saw him again.

[Taj79]

Sitting here some 900 miles and almost 30 years removed I have to say its tough. On one hand, I find the emotions of pride and joy bursting out of me seeing this finally ---FINALLY --- become a reality. On the other hand, I can't help but entertain some jealous emotions and some small feelings of "gawddammit why not sooner" --- probably like 35 years sooner so I could have been more a part of it. But all things pass and the emotions of pride and sense of accomplishment shine through. This moves to the top of my "bucket" list ---- getting to real home games at a real home court. Hopefuly many time --- regardless of the 900 mile hamstring commute.

I have long advocated the home court advantage. I have to believe that it would have added many more wins to Grawer's legacy. It probably would have helped Romar and Sodeberg as well. Spoon ---- one or two but that's because his reign was the golden era of SLU basketball and there might not have been much more to wrench out of that time.

I know broy expressed some past concern about moving out of the palace that was Scottrade. Maybe playing in such a place is a carrot that college guys need to spur them on to achieve that level. I don't know but I am thrilled to trade creature comforts and 60% empty buildings for the opportunity of home cooking. Having a court however, does not guarantee an atmosphere or the wins. But it can do nothing but help. Hear, hear.

I know Bonowich has talked about the drain that such a facility might cause on the overall school. Can't say it will or it won't but the proof will be in the pudding. I'll play a wait-n-see game with that one. Rock, Chalk, Billiken --- or something like that.

Having spent the better part of this summer touring the east coast searching for a school for the youngest (SLU has minor, fleeting mention) I got to see what a lot of schools are doing to address student wants and needs of this day and age. In short, the pampering is amazing! This certainly isn't the age that I went to school in! Having said that (and letting the damn jealousy burst through once again!) , I believe that this addition to the SLU campus also shows me that SLU is in that amenities improvement game and did so to compete in today's college world. But still whatever the reason, its a damn proud day in this household.

Whens the next game?

[SShoe]

where was this at? he wasnt at the table with the rest of the signers. however i admit i went to the lockerrooms immediately after the program so i didnt get to the taylor concourse until about 5:30. he milled around the floor for a few minutes after the ceremony and then i never saw him again.

He was actually out on the court near the sideline. There was constantly a line of about 50 people long waiting for his sig.

If I knew how to post pictures I'd show you exactly where. Unfortunately, I'm not as smart as Box and Won.

[billiken_roy]

He was actually out on the court near the sideline. There was constantly a line of about 50 people long waiting for his sig.

If I knew how to post pictures I'd show you exactly where. Unfortunately, I'm not as smart as Box and Won.

oh ok, and as crowded as the floor was all night, it would be easy not to see. kudos to coach rickma!

[jimbofive]

where was this at? he wasnt at the table with the rest of the signers. however i admit i went to the lockerrooms immediately after the program so i didnt get to the taylor concourse until about 5:30. he milled around the floor for a few minutes after the ceremony and then i never saw him again.

i think he was out on the court, on a little guy stool. that's what i heard; i had just left.

saw ruben there, he looked like a little kid he was so happy to be there. somebody told me the weight room was empty. i was like, "nope. 1 bench. 1 bar. 4 plates. 1 man. ruben cotto. up till you bust." then sure enough we walk in there and he's milling about in gym clothes looking ready to go. LOL. loved the new place, i can't wait to see a game there. i guess i don't have to wait long, going tomorrow, but you know what i mean.

oh, and i saw DNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE there. so i've got that going for me. i walked past and just heard him mumble something into his phone like "dawg, i'm just tryin' to get up into VIP in this place." hell yeah, danny brown.

[Pistol]

oh ok, and as crowded as the floor was all night, it would be easy not to see. kudos to coach rickma!

I was on the phone with my parents when they walked up to Rick and started asking questions when he was out in the floor/seating area. They hung up on me and called right back and said good things about him. This is a nice achievement because they were unfortunately among those who weren't happy with him after he made some of his political leanings more public. But he was nice when they met him, so they just did a 180.

They also raved about the building. I can't wait to see it, but I'm jealous of everyone who got the all-access tour. I doubt there will be another opportunity for us out-of-towners to see some of the areas that everyone could see yesterday.

[billikenfan05]

Got my picture takin with paul

and rick

[Guest BillikenReport]

Roy,

Sorry I didn't stop and say hello. I didn't know that was you. I also didn't want to be rude and interfere with your conversation with Earl.

I was trying to get to the Rick Majerus mini media scrum before I missed it, and then I missed it anyway.

- Nate

[bonwich]

Re: Parking 1) Didn't Larry say something in his speech thanking at least two SLU neighbors for their "great cooperation" in allowing parking in their lots? Did anybody catch who they were? 2) There are new surface lots north of Lindell that were being used yesterday. 3) What about the Laclede/Grand garage? That's where we've generally parked for soccer. 4) There is allegedly a plan for a new garage on the north side of Olive that would jointly serve SLU and the Locust Business District.

Re: Lorenzini's -- We named our bar after Romar?

[Guest BillikenReport]

Re: Parking 1) Didn't Larry say something in his speech thanking at least two SLU neighbors for their "great cooperation" in allowing parking in their lots? Did anybody catch who they were? 2) There are new surface lots north of Lindell that were being used yesterday. 3) What about the Laclede/Grand garage? That's where we've generally parked for soccer. 4) There is allegedly a plan for a new garage on the north side of Olive that would jointly serve SLU and the Locust Business District.

Is Harris Stowe going to allow people to park there, which is closer than the other parking lots?

I would think HS could make some nice money by opening up its parking lots on game nights and charging $10 or $15 to park there.

[Box and Won]

Is Harris Stowe going to allow people to park there, which is closer than the other parking lots?

I would think HS could make some nice money by opening up its parking lots on game nights and charging $10 or $15 to park there.

I hope they do. I guess it depends on whether they schedule a lot of night classes - they might need the spots for their students on weeknights. Wachovia should open up their lots/garages and run a shuttle. They could make a killing.