2200 days of Brad Edwards

[EXpatriot13]

For the first time, I'm going to agree with DJ3.

Mason's problem for way too long has been that it doesn't want to give our men's basketball team the same sort of "preferable" treatment that is afforded to revenue-producing athletes at schools we compete against.

We are effectively putting ourselves at a competitive disadvantage.

If we had converted the RAC into a dedicated basketball facility, there would be more than enough space to give the men's and women's teams their own facilities -- courts, offices, locker rooms, film rooms, study halls, etc. -- within the same building like vcu did with its facility.

More importantly, the building already exists. To renovate the interior of the RAC would cost a fraction of what Edwards is trying to raise, and take a fraction of the time to be completed.

There are other facilities on campus that can accommodate non-revenue sports and regular students looking for a workout.

I get that many of you think that wouldn't be fair, that wrestling and volleyball need to have a decent facility to play in too.

Sorry, I just don't care at all about those sports. If we're gonna compete for A-10 basketball titles, our administration has to accept that those players and coaches need "luxuries" we can't afford to provide everyone. That's just the way it is.

Yes, maybe the Admin should have converted the RAC to all basketball however many years ago. The fact is, they didn't. With the expanding on campus student population, giving the entire RAC to the basketball teams now, would mean the Admin would have to build a new athletic/workout facility for students/faculty/IM, other sports, etc. There is no way the Southside gym (small AF) and the Aquatic Center could handle the increase by taking the RAC away. I think the solution/idea in place now - dedicated basketball addition to the RAC - appeases all parties.

 

[Patriot8]

Convert the entire upstairs portion into a basketball specific facility. They will have the cage gym and the addition going on to that, they already have locker rooms on that level, take out the squash courts and do whatever you want with them, convert the classroom and the yoga room into meeting/film rooms and move some of the cardio equipment downstairs to make room for new weight training equipment. They would also have office space on that level.

They don't need the entire building..

 

[gmujim92]

Yes, maybe the Admin should have converted the RAC to all basketball however many years ago. The fact is, they didn't. With the expanding on campus student population, giving the entire RAC to the basketball teams now, would mean the Admin would have to build a new athletic/workout facility for students/faculty/IM, other sports, etc. There is no way the Southside gym (small AF) and the Aquatic Center could handle the increase by taking the RAC away. I think the solution/idea in place now - dedicated basketball addition to the RAC - appeases all parties.

Much cheaper and easier to build a no-frills fitness center for students to shed their freshman 20 than a facility that fills the needs of a championship-level Division I basketball program.

Unfortunately basketball has never really been a priority at Mason. I don't expect that to change any time soon.

 

[EXpatriot13]

Much cheaper and easier to build a no-frills fitness center for students to shed their freshman 20 than a facility that fills the needs of a championship-level Division I basketball program.

Unfortunately basketball has never really been a priority at Mason. I don't expect that to change any time soon.

The RAC is more than 2x the size of Duke's Basketball Practice Facility (built in 2008).....there is zero need to give a basketball team a 120,000 sqft building.

 

[gmujim92]

The RAC is more than 2x the size of Duke's Basketball Practice Facility (built in 2008).....there is zero need to give a basketball team a 120,000 sqft building.

Does Duke's facility accommodate both the men's and women's teams?

I'm not saying give the entire building to the men's team. You could do the upstairs for the men and downstairs for the women, or vice versa, and give both teams very nice identical dedicated spaces.

 

[GMUgemini]

Does Duke's facility accommodate both the men's and women's teams?

I'm not saying give the entire building to the men's team. You could do the upstairs for the men and downstairs for the women, or vice versa, and give both teams very nice identical dedicated spaces.

vcu's does and it's half the size of the RAC.

If we can get the current plan done, what is the issue? Why gut the RAC?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MasonSAE4]

Much cheaper and easier to build a no-frills fitness center for students to shed their freshman 20 than a facility that fills the needs of a championship-level Division I basketball program.

Unfortunately basketball has never really been a priority at Mason. I don't expect that to change any time soon.

You'd be taking a facility that is perfectly tailored to current use by students/intramurals, paying to renovate it so it fits the basketball team better, paying to build another facility on campus (and despite whatever you estimate price at, a new gym won't be any cheaper than the proposed facility), using up land that Mason is running short of, all while placing an additional load on the Aquatic Center and Skyline while the new gym is built and displacing intramurals.

If we were in the ACC and were rolling in the dollars I'd say maybe. I'd love to have a stand alone building that matches vcu. But something that is in the top 4 of the conference will have to do.

 

[EXpatriot13]

Does Duke's facility accommodate both the men's and women's teams?

Yes.

 

[gmujim92]

vcu's does and it's half the size of the RAC.

If we can get the current plan done, what is the issue? Why gut the RAC?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I guess I got off on a tangent. Not saying they should gut the building now, I just think it should've been converted into a dedicated basketball facility when it was renovated.

I will bow out rather than continue to push a moot point.

 

[MasonSAE4]

The only thing I could think of would be tear down the fieldhouse, redo it with separate sections for volleyball, wrestling, and indoor track. Make these areas available for intramurals and put in a gym that is open to all students. Basically make the thing a megaplex. Then you could give the RAC to bball. You might have an easier time funding a new fieldhouse if its open to all students than raising money for a practice facility (although I'm not an expert on the new VA law regarding student fee usage.)

 

[GMUgemini]

I guess I got off on a tangent. Not saying they should gut the building now, I just think it should've been converted into a dedicated basketball facility when it was renovated.

I will bow out rather than continue to push a moot point.

Maybe...but when when the RAC was being redone, weren't we still under the illusion that we were going to build a dedicated practice facility under the original plan (i.e. as an addition/adjacent to EBA)?

Anyway, this is the current plan. I actually think it's a pretty smart one. And I think we should get behind it.

 

[GiantKiller_Co]

We are also forgetting that there is an athlete academic center being built across from the RAC extension / Practice Facility. vcu has there's as a part of their facility.

 

[GMUSig03]

For the first time, I'm going to agree with DJ3.

My world has been turned upside down.

 

[gmujim92]

My world has been turned upside down.

Sorry Joe. I'm sure I will set everything right by disagreeing with him about something tomorrow.

 

[gmubrian]

The Mason administration could care less about Wrestling

If you actually meant "couldn't care less" (that one is for you wijg), then you might be wrong. One of the biggest donors to Mason athletics supports the wrestling team heavily, and is also a former wrestler for Mason.

 

[gmubrian]

I have to agree with DJ3 and Jim on the RAC topic, but I also agree it is water under the bridge. You can't take it away now without creating more problems for yourself. Many bad decisions have been made in relation to basketball (like taking a $500k+ donation made to a basketball facility to pay for a baseball facility). I just hope the current AD/President have truly changed the culture to unapologetically and without hesitation treat basketball like the king of all sports at Mason.

Unfortunately, we are stuck with a bad situation. We need a practice facility yesterday. A separate facility dedicated to just basketball would provide additional benefits, but we don't have the money to do that. So we have to spend money, now and for the foreseeable future on a compromise solution.

 

[GMUgemini]

I have to agree with DJ3 and Jim on the RAC topic, but I also agree it is water under the bridge. You can't take it away now without creating more problems for yourself. Many bad decisions have been made in relation to basketball (like taking a $500k+ donation made to a basketball facility to pay for a baseball facility). I just hope the current AD/President have truly changed the culture to unapologetically and without hesitation treat basketball like the king of all sports at Mason.

Unfortunately, we are stuck with a bad situation. We need a practice facility yesterday. A separate facility dedicated to just basketball would provide additional benefits, but we don't have the money to do that. So we have to spend money, now and for the foreseeable future on a compromise solution.

So much negativity. First of all, it's all about marketing the thing...it's a $35 million 150,000 square foot state-of-the-art athletics facility that houses multiple sports. That's over 2x times the size of vcu's facility and $10 million more expensive.

Second, not every school has a basketball only facility. Louisville's practice facility also houses the women's volleyball and women's lacrosse teams. Doesn't seem to hurt the men's basketball team any. Do the addition right, give the team 24/7 access to practices when they're not in the EBA, and language the crap out of it.

You're too sour.

 

[gmubrian]

So much negativity. First of all, it's all about marketing the thing...it's a $35 million 150,000 square foot state-of-the-art athletics facility that houses multiple sports. That's over 2x times the size of vcu's facility and $10 million more expensive.

Second, not every school has a basketball only facility. Louisville's practice facility also houses the women's volleyball and women's lacrosse teams. Doesn't seem to hurt the men's basketball team any. Do the addition right, give the team 24/7 access to practices when they're not in the EBA, and language the crap out of it.

You're too sour.

Lipstick, meet pig.

 

[Falco]

I have to agree with DJ3 and Jim on the RAC topic, but I also agree it is water under the bridge. You can't take it away now without creating more problems for yourself. Many bad decisions have been made in relation to basketball (like taking a $500k+ donation made to a basketball facility to pay for a baseball facility). I just hope the current AD/President have truly changed the culture to unapologetically and without hesitation treat basketball like the king of all sports at Mason.

Unfortunately, we are stuck with a bad situation. We need a practice facility yesterday. A separate facility dedicated to just basketball would provide additional benefits, but we don't have the money to do that. So we have to spend money, now and for the foreseeable future on a compromise solution.

So much negativity. First of all, it's all about marketing the thing...it's a $35 million 150,000 square foot state-of-the-art athletics facility that houses multiple sports. That's over 2x times the size of vcu's facility and $10 million more expensive.

Second, not every school has a basketball only facility. Louisville's practice facility also houses the women's volleyball and women's lacrosse teams. Doesn't seem to hurt the men's basketball team any. Do the addition right, give the team 24/7 access to practices when they're not in the EBA, and language the crap out of it.

You're too sour.

who cares if other schools don't have it. Mason's old logo was "Mason where innovation is tradition" so be freaking innovative! We are so far behind in the arms race, we need a solution. The easy solution is to use existing facilities.

Give wrestling and the volley ball team the field house. And EBA durning non games. Make them rearrange their schedule. The basketball team shouldn't have to.

At the very least close the RAC to students until 3pm. And the basketball players have the weight room until then. And the basketball courts are theirs all the time.

 

[dr. gunnie]

In hindsight, I guess we should have built the basketball practice facility instead of a hotel years ago.