Mason beats Shockers!!!

[gmutom]

Even Va. Tech, which has an atrocious basketball program, built an absolute palace of a practice facility for its men's and women's teams.

Jim, I've watched four VA Tech men's games this year, and there's no way in hell that team practices.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

The Pat Center and RAC are fine for now, and the reality of the situation is we don't have the room or the cash to do anything more. We can obviously compete fine with these facilities, and heard many St. Louis fans say so when they were here.

15-20 years from now I'd be down with some sort of super facility replacing Pat Center named after me or Tom O'Connor.

 

[Five Two]

Saint Joe's and Dayton have the best current basketball practice facilities -- for now.

UMass is building one that is expected to be finished in fall 2014. The price tag is $28.5 million ... gonna be spectacular.

vcu hasn't broken ground on its facility yet, but it has raised upwards of $15 million in private money -- including multiple 7-figure donations from local companies. It will be up and running within the next couple years.

Those are 4 teams we'll likely have to beat in any given year to win the A-10.

As for A-10 schools that don't currently have separate practice facilities...

Richmond is expected to move on turning an old gymnasium on campus into a practice facility, now that it has finished up a nearly $20 million renovation of the Robins Center.

And Saint Louis has dedicated practice space inside the Chaifetz Arena, which is the most spectacular basketball facility in the A-10 by a country mile -- think ODU's Constant Center, but on both steroids and HGH.

So yeah, you can find exceptions like a St. Bona that jump up and win the A-10 with less-than-impressive facilities, but I'm not sure we're gonna want to pattern our program after a small, private school in far upstate New York that recruits heavily in Canada.

Not gonna win any head-to-head recruiting battles with top programs unless you have at least some of the bells and whistles -- and those are the types of kids we need to sign to be consistently competitive in the A-10.

We're not in Kansas anymote, Toto.

Delaware has a brand new practice facility as well. How many NCAA bids do they have since joining the CAA???

 

[EXpatriot13]

Why, because they are totally dedicated to basketball? What criteria did you use in comparing St. Joseph's practice facility (20,000 square feet) to the RAC (120,000 square feet)?

To be fair, they really only use the practice gym and locker room at the RAC. But, the overall size and brand new feel of the RAC should impress recruits. It's a nice place..it just doesn't scream "this is for basketball", which some recruits might be looking out for, I don't know.

 

[Pablo]

To be fair, they really only use the practice gym and locker room at the RAC.

Why not schedule an exhibition game or a regular season game (during the semester break) at the RAC each season?

 

[EXpatriot13]

Why not schedule an exhibition game or a regular season game (during the semester break) at the RAC each season?

I think that would be pretty cool. The atmosphere in there for the CBI game was great.

I think they should put some men's basketball related banners/memorabilia either in the RAC gym or outside of it. That way, when a recruit checks it out he's not only seeing volleyball banners hanging from the rafters.

 

[gmubrian]

Why not schedule an exhibition game or a regular season game (during the semester break) at the RAC each season?

Not enough to fit all season ticket holders in it, oh wait, Hewitt may have solved that problem for us.... Sounds like a good idea to me. It was fun when we played there last year.

 

[GMUSSTN]

We need to shoot bigger than a practice facility. I want something like at Kentucky, basically a giant, all-expenses-paid, free-meals, 5 star resort hotel for your brief 9 months as a Wildcat.

 

[gmubrian]

I'm of the belief, unless you can raise the funds and build a facility in under 24 months starting NOW, that Hewitt will not be the coach if/when a practice facility becomes a reality, so whomever the coach is doesn't really play into the equation in my opinion.

I was half joking bringing Hewitt into the equation. But, I'd be interested in knowing why you are sure Hewitt will not be the coach in 24 months? I think there is a reasonable chance (against my wishes) that he will be around for longer than that. If that happens, and given recruiting is where we will have to win our games, we may need all the tools to win those 5 star recruits.

 

[gmujim92]

Why, because they are totally dedicated to basketball? What criteria did you use in comparing St. Joseph's practice facility (20,000 square feet) to the RAC (120,000 square feet)?

St. Joe's built an entire building dedicated to the basketball teams, with locker rooms, coaches' offices, academic/study areas, and a large area with sofas and flat screens for the players to hang out together. The actual basketball practice courts are just a small piece of that overall facility.

What percentage of that 120,000 square feet inside the RAC is reserved specifically for the basketball team? Probably zero.

The two are simply not the same -- and anyone who thinks a hot-shot 17-year-old would be equally impressed is kidding himself.

There are other schools in our league putting big cash behind their basketball programs. Does that guarantee success? Nope. Never said it did. But I don't think it's a stretch to suggest we'd get at least as much return from investing in a practice facility for our lone money-making sport as we do funding a bunch of sports nobody gives a damn about.

 

[Pablo]

The two are simply not the same -- and anyone who thinks a hot-shot 17-year-old would be equally impressed is kidding himself.

If I were a hot-shot 17-year-old, there is no doubt in my mind that I would take the Patriot Center & the RAC over St. Joseph's Hagan Arena & the Ramsey Basketball Center. But, I doubt that this would be my primary reason for choosing either school.

 

[Pablo]

Not enough to fit all season ticket holders in it, oh wait, Hewitt may have solved that problem for us.... Sounds like a good idea to me. It was fun when we played there last year.

There's a simple solution - sell tickets for any games at the RAC separately from the season or partial season ticket plans. Also, why not play some women's games there to boost interest?

 

[gmujim92]

If I were a hot-shot 17-year-old, there is no doubt in my mind that I would take the Patriot Center & the RAC over St. Joseph's Hagan Arena & the Ramsey Basketball Center. But, I doubt that this would be my primary reason for choosing either school.

You're a PSU alum, right Pablo? Think that could be coloring your viewpoint at all?

 

[Pablo]

You're a PSU alum, right Pablo? Think that could be coloring your viewpoint at all?

Growing up in suburban Philly, I was a fan of all the Big 5 schools. But, what could be coloring my viewpoint is that I attended my high school's postseason game at Hagan Arena when it was called the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. It was not an impressive facility then, and I doubt it is much better now.

 

[gmujim92]

Growing up in suburban Philly, I was a fan of all the Big 5 schools. But, what could be coloring my viewpoint is that I attended my high school's postseason game at Hagan Arena when it was called the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. It was not an impressive facility then, and I doubt it is much better now.

They put a bunch of Hagan's money into renovating the arena, but I know several SJU alums who were pissed that they didn't go bigger than 5,500 capacity.

I've been in SJU's basketball facility, and it is very nice.

Not University of Phil Knight nice, but few can play on that level.

 

[Pablo]

They put a bunch of Hagan's money into renovating the arena, but I know several SJU alums who were pissed that they didn't go bigger than 5,500 capacity.

Actually, the renovation increased the capacity from 3,200 to 4,200.

 

[tblack33]

We need to shoot bigger than a practice facility. I want something like at Kentucky, basically a giant, all-expenses-paid, free-meals, 5 star resort hotel for your brief 9 months as a Wildcat.

Why not turn the Mason Inn (which is closing) into athletic dorms? Right next to the RAC and more conveniently located to the patriot center, rooms are much nicer. If recruits wouldn't be impressed with living there nothing Mason has to offer will impress them.

 

[gmujim92]

Why not turn the Mason Inn (which is closing) into athletic dorms? Right next to the RAC and more conveniently located to the patriot center, rooms are much nicer. If recruits wouldn't be impressed with living there nothing Mason has to offer will impress them.

Now this is a great idea. Which means, there's basically zero chance that it will happen.

 

[EXpatriot13]

Why not turn the Mason Inn (which is closing) into athletic dorms? Right next to the RAC and more conveniently located to the patriot center, rooms are much nicer. If recruits wouldn't be impressed with living there nothing Mason has to offer will impress them.

Wow. I agree, that's an awesome idea. And like Jim said, it won't happen. Aren't they turning it into dorms/classrooms? We'd all drop dead if the Admin. dedicated the Mason Inn for solely athletic purposes.

 

[tblack33]

Now this is a great idea. Which means, there's basically zero chance that it will happen.

Sadly that is probably true, last I heard they were going to stick all of the international students in there. Great way to integrate them into the community Mason. But I imagine it would greatly increase our team chemistry (something we have not seen till recently) by having all of our team in the same building, with a dining facility set up to serve them good food right in the building. Turn one of the ball rooms into a study room with computers and what not, use the other one for film. Possibilities are endless.