Game 19: AT University of Richmond, Sunday, January 22nd, 1 PM, American Sports Network

[TweederGMU]

Huge win. Moore played with so much intensity and you could tell that he was going to put the team on his back and not let it slip away!

Great turnout from Mason Nation down in Richmond. I love going to UR. Beautiful campus, good arena, and classy, friendly fans!

 

[Vurbel]

The problem is you'd have to reduce capacity by a decent chunk to get those corner suites/video boards. While we don't sell out now, if the team gets back to 2011 level we will. Plus graduations and concerts and stuff. We have the biggest school in VA, I doubt they'll want to go below 10,000.

EBA is just too big for basketball. It is a great community arena for concerts and graduations. Robins Center is perfect for basketball.

 

[Pablo]

And, thank you Mo for getting fired at Hofstra!


MO CASSARA ‏@COACH_MOCASSARA 3h3 hours ago

MO CASSARA Retweeted Mason Basketball

Heck of a win for @PaulsenDave @quise_22 and crew #A10MBB

MO CASSARA added,

Mason Basketball @MasonMBB
FINAL: Mason 82, Richmond 77! Patriots win and take down the 1st place Spiders on the road! #GetPatriotic

 

[GMUgemini]

EBA is just too big for basketball. It is a great community arena for concerts and graduations. Robins Center is perfect for basketball.

It never felt too big to me. And I've sat all the way in the rafters before. It might feel that way because we don't get 9,000 fans a game.


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[Vurbel]

It never felt too big to me. And I've sat all the way in the rafters before. It might feel that way because we don't get 9,000 fans a game.


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Maybe that's a better way of putting it. If we drew 9,000 every game then sure, but if we didn't after going to the FF realistically it will be tough unless we join the ACC and play Duke and Carolina each season.

 

[MasonSAE4]

I don

EBA is just too big for basketball. It is a great community arena for concerts and graduations. Robins Center is perfect for basketball.

I don't disagree but when money's at stake the administration will rightly take it every time. I think we'll soon be back to a point it doesn't feel empty and we'll be glad we didn't downsize. I'd prefer to be able to hold concerts with mid-size acts and make some cash.

 

[GSII]

What if school builds a 15k seat arena to replace current EBA? Makes more money for school in long run but hurts bball feel. This may very well be 1st option since money is always the driving force. Most of higher ups like this idea. BE is trying to make case that bball home court advantage pays dividends faster. Maybe a convertible arena would work. One that closes the upper section without looking like its closed? Maybe we can even re name it to The Transformer.

 

[GMUgemini]

What if school builds a 15k seat arena to replace current EBA? Makes more money for school in long run but hurts bball feel. This may very well be 1st option since money is always the driving force. Most of higher ups like this idea. BE is trying to make case that bball home court advantage pays dividends faster. Maybe a convertible arena would work. One that closes the upper section without looking like its closed? Maybe we can even re name it to The Transformer.

15k is too big and would compete with (and lose) to the Verizon Center for acts. 10-11k is probably the way to go if you want to strike a balance between basketball and non-basketball events.

 

[Mason2005]

EBA aka Patriot Center is one of the highest grossing venues in the US that sits 10k. It'd be stupid to make it any smaller.

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[smccart5]

I like the big arena. I see it as a challenge to the program to always work harder to fill the place up.

 

[GSII]

15k is too big and would compete with (and lose) to the Verizon Center for acts. 10-11k is probably the way to go if you want to strike a balance between basketball and non-basketball events.

Doesnt that put us between a rock and a hard place? We have the 10k now but bball upgrades would shrink it. Do we build two? One 10-12k show arena down shirley gate, and a 5-7k bball arena with practice gym/facilities attached at current EBA site?

I agree with Brad, getting into NCAA tourney on the reg will earn faster ROI than ringling bros and monster truck. If they cant fit graduations then tell the state to pay for a new arena.

 

[Falco]

I had a meeting with Tom O Connor a while back and he told me the reason The Areana hasn't had a major renovation is because the arena doesn't meet today's safety standards.

The Areana is grandfathered into the old rules, but if they make a major renovation they will have to make a lot of other changes.

That said I would love something like the Robbins Center. The terraces at the corners with the screens is a great idea.

 

[mkaufman1]

I know the arena is probably on the back burner because of the fundraising for the practice facility, but can someone now give a call to Brad or Jenn Montgomery and see where the Eaglebank Arena upgrades are going since that study a few years ago they did? Normally I'd volunteer but I honestly don't have the time or energy to do it.

 

[MasonSAE4]

If they cant fit graduations then tell the state to pay for a new arena.

That's the JMU route and when you aren't UVA or Tech it isn't an effective strategy

 

[MasonCrew]

What a great game. Obviously would have liked to end it on a better note, but the offense looked amazing at times. The rebounding too. I could see Grayer becoming a double-double player his senior year.

Let's play all our games on the road!

 

[Falco]

What a great game. Obviously would have liked to end it on a better note, but the offense looked amazing at times. The rebounding too. I could see Grayer becoming a double-double player his senior year.

Let's play all our games on the road!

I love the way Grayer plays. He silently racks up the stats. He was only 1 point away from a double-double.

 

[GSII]

That's the JMU route and when you aren't UVA or Tech it isn't an effective strategy

Let me clarify, I was reffering to HS graduations since they probably have to pay a rental fee.

 

[GMUSig03]

Loved their arena, they did an amazing job. Place was loud, especially during Richmond's comeback. There fans were very engaged too, standing frequently at any sign of a comeback or momentum in a game which had few obvious opportunities for them to do so. The fans I was sitting around were lower level and mostly middle aged or older also. Kudos to them.

 

[Petey Buckets]

Great win! Did another recap last night and it's up now:

http://giantkiller.co/ByGeorge/2017/01/23/weekly-breakdown-squishing-the-spiders/

Big takeaways:

- TJ Cline can't be the A10 player of the year. He's a turnstile on defense. Your A10 POY should be Marquise at this point.

- Kier is a super-high IQ player. Demonstrated it several times last night.

- Otis's funk is weird and still not something I'm too concerned about. He hit three amazing finishes in traffic last night and missed a bunch of wide-open jumpers. He'll be dangerous again when his mid-range comes back.

- Temara flashed some good defense when he was isolated on Cline. Still has miles to go, but it was nice to see.

Would love to see us string some wins together. GW should be a fun test.

 

[Vurbel]

I don

I don't disagree but when money's at stake the administration will rightly take it every time. I think we'll soon be back to a point it doesn't feel empty and we'll be glad we didn't downsize. I'd prefer to be able to hold concerts with mid-size acts and make some cash.

I agree, they will take the money. I would love to be wrong, but I don't ever see us drawing 9000 for a game against anybody not named UVA. We even have a few thousand people dressed as empty seats at vcu, JMU, and ODU. Much less St. Bona, Fordham, or Rhode Island on a Wednesday. The covering up of the corners of the arena with advertisements is very good. But I say we cover up the top 10 rows, too. They're only being used by the FPYC halftime entertainment anyways.