Basketball facilities

[Harbaughsleepovers]

anyone have insight into what short/long term plans there are for improving the BJC or eventually replacing it?

TV has changed everything, big cavernous arenas are dinosaurs. You need smaller intimate facilities with great amenities where every seat is a great seat and being at the game beats TV.

The logistical issues of getting to basketball games during the work week in the winter making TV an even more attractive option at a place like Penn State.

Rec Hall is a treasure. We have the Palestra on campus. Why can't we fix that place up some and play the bulk of our games at Rec Hall and big weekend games at the BJC?

Penn State would never have won the Ohio State game this year playing in an environment our baskeyball team regularly plays in. The crowd willed those guys to a win.

We expect the basketball program to turn the corner in an incredibly difficult league where playing at home is a major advantage at all the other schools? We expect the recruits that are needed to compete at the Big Ten to consistently commit to Penn State when there is a sea of empty blue seats on TV all the time? Chambers is trying to work miracles here and he may pull it off.

Roy Williams thinks his arena at UNC is 5000 seats too big because of TV, Penn State does not need anything more than 8k and it fills almost every night. That would do wonders for the image and results.

 

[Art]

I would expect it to be covered in the facilities master plan that Screwface is going to release.........oh, never mind.

 

[getmyjive11]

Unless someone comes in with a Pegula-type donation, the basketball facilities are what they are.

 

[psuro]

anyone have insight into what short/long term plans there are for improving the BJC or eventually replacing it?

TV has changed everything, big cavernous arenas are dinosaurs. You need smaller intimate facilities with great amenities where every seat is a great seat and being at the game beats TV.

The logistical issues of getting to basketball games during the work week in the winter making TV an even more attractive option at a place like Penn State.

Rec Hall is a treasure. We have the Palestra on campus. Why can't we fix that place up some and play the bulk of our games at Rec Hall and big weekend games at the BJC?

Penn State would never have won the Ohio State game this year playing in an environment our baskeyball team regularly plays in. The crowd willed those guys to a win.

We expect the basketball program to turn the corner in an incredibly difficult league where playing at home is a major advantage at all the other schools? We expect the recruits that are needed to compete at the Big Ten to consistently commit to Penn State when there is a sea of empty blue seats on TV all the time? Chambers is trying to work miracles here and he may pull it off.

Roy Williams thinks his arena at UNC is 5000 seats too big because of TV, Penn State does not need anything more than 8k and it fills almost every night. That would do wonders for the image and results.

Someone refresh my memory - PSU owns the facility, but an outside vendor stages non PSU events like concerts, correct?

 

[GregInPitt]

Just like discussions on football stadiums for programs that likely will never be in the class and have the following of BB super powers like Louisville, UK....., it would be great if PSU would build an 8-9K BB facility that is designed for the fans and home court advantage (mainly side seating, fans close to the court, no wasted $ on multipurpose engineering and construction...), but would/could our current leadership have the insight and willpower/leadership to get it done???? I doubt it.

 

[getmyjive11]

Someone refresh my memory - PSU owns the facility, but an outside vendor stages non PSU events like concerts, correct?

PSU owns the facility but it's not run by athletics but rather the Auxiliary & Business unit. It's kind of a mish-mash unit with everything from HR to the University Park airport.

 

[Ranger Dan]

Someone refresh my memory - PSU owns the facility, but an outside vendor stages non PSU events like concerts, correct?

No, I think it's owned by someone other than PSU, and PSU leases it. This is how/why Penn State has had conflicts with concerts and other events at times (unexpected NIT berth, etc.).

 

[Bob_Anderson]

No, I think it's owned by someone other than PSU, and PSU leases it. This is how/why Penn State has had conflicts with concerts and other events at times (unexpected NIT berth, etc.).

PSU definitely owns the BJC

 

[bjf1991]

No, I think it's owned by someone other than PSU, and PSU leases it. This is how/why Penn State has had conflicts with concerts and other events at times (unexpected NIT berth, etc.).

No

It's all inside the "PSU Box"......
But PSU ICA doesn't fully control it (which makes sense - since so many of the events have NOTHING to do with athletics)

This is not an uncommon type of relationship for University facilities - anywhere in the country

At PSU, a "department" known as "Event and Facilities Services" (or some such thing, I'd have to check on the exact name) manages/runs/operates the BJC
At many schools, the same type of relationship exists for the "football field" too.....but not at PSU (IIRC)

 

[UncleLar]

No, I think it's owned by someone other than PSU, and PSU leases it. This is how/why Penn State has had conflicts with concerts and other events at times (unexpected NIT berth, etc.).

That is wrong. Penn State (but not the athletic department) owns and runs it.

 

[NedFromYork]

The BJC is a really impressive arena. I think the solution is what one poster was getting at, Rec Hall during the weekend and weekend holidays and BJC for weekend. That way you can sell the BJC to recruits in the offseason, but not have such terrible fill ratio for the games.

 

[dwiz]

The BJC is a really impressive arena. I think the solution is what one poster was getting at, Rec Hall during the weekend and weekend holidays and BJC for weekend. That way you can sell the BJC to recruits in the offseason, but not have such terrible fill ratio for the games.

PSU has to rent the basketball floor every time they hold those "return to rec" games in Rec Hall. Since volleyball uses rec hall almost the entire school year, penn state would have to buy the floor and keep installing it over and over. I don't think it's as easy as laying the basketball court down on the concrete in the bjc, which is done in about 4 hours.

 

[BlueBand]

1.) Rec Hall is too small. If we were to cut back, we wouldn't cut back that much.

2.) When we start winning regularly, the crowds will get better. And empty seats in the nosebleed sections of an indoor arena aren't as noticeable as in a football stadium. If we could get 12K in the BJC regularly, AND they weren't the golf clap type fans, we'd have a good atmosphere. It's not an ideal arena for basketball as configured, but it's not horrible if there's a decent crowd.

 

[Norm Petersin]

Will Sandy a couple of Asst AD's to manage the BJC ?

 

[Ranger Dan]

1.) Rec Hall is too small. If we were to cut back, we wouldn't cut back that much.

2.) When we start winning regularly, the crowds will get better. And empty seats in the nosebleed sections of an indoor arena aren't as noticeable as in a football stadium. If we could get 12K in the BJC regularly, AND they weren't the golf clap type fans, we'd have a good atmosphere. It's not an ideal arena for basketball as configured, but it's not horrible if there's a decent crowd.

Why do you think Rec Hall is too small? When was the last time Penn State had a sell out for a mid week game? I'm guessing it would be over 10 or 15 years ago. Having less capacity builds demand and also (in the case of Rec Hall) creates a wonderful, hostile atmosphere.

 

[dclionsfan]

Basketball needs there own facility if rec isn't available. Pegula is an awesome experience.

 

[Raffycorn]

If Rec Hall were the size of its contemporaries the Palestra (about 2,000 seats larger) or Cameron Indoor (2,500 seats larger) I think it'd be much more likely.

That said, I suspect that the master plan might include serious renovations to the BJC - I'd like to see them try and reconfigure the lower bowl to help with the huge gaps in the lower corners and the flat pitch of the ~20 rows of seats behind the baskets.

 

[psu00]

If Rec Hall were the size of its contemporaries the Palestra (about 2,000 seats larger) or Cameron Indoor (2,500 seats larger) I think it'd be much more likely.

That said, I suspect that the master plan might include serious renovations to the BJC - I'd like to see them try and reconfigure the lower bowl to help with the huge gaps in the lower corners and the flat pitch of the ~20 rows of seats behind the baskets.

I agree that's what they will likely do but IMO the BJC is a lost cause for basketball. There's no way to reconfigure it to take away the incredibly long and flat angle of the horrible seats behind the baskets. They need to either reconfigure Rec Hall to hold basketball games or build a Pegula/ Palestra type arena just for bball.

When is this facility review going to be released? It was supposed to come out in the Fall right?

 

[UncleLar]

Why do you think Rec Hall is too small? When was the last time Penn State had a sell out for a mid week game? I'm guessing it would be over 10 or 15 years ago. Having less capacity builds demand and also (in the case of Rec Hall) creates a wonderful, hostile atmosphere.

Rec Hall's capacity is 5700. We sell more tickets than that for EVERY Big Ten game (even last year's mid week semester break game drew 5800). You'd be giving up money to play there plus causing all sorts of havoc with scheduling for the other sports that call Rec Hall home. It's not worth it.

 

[Fox Chapel Lion II]

I was in the BJC countless times in the '90's in the Crispin/Booth/Lisicky era when we were good and we drew good crowds and the Bryce was rocking and rolling.

Build it and they will come. If you want to pull fans and generate season tickets from Williamsport and Harrisburg and Clearfield and Johnstown, where people are close enough to come in for a midweek game if they so choose - you gotta give them a reason to come.

Pat is doing everything he can. When we're good, we'll pull 10 grand again midweek and near-sellouts most weekends.

 

[GregInPitt]

1.) Rec Hall is too small. If we were to cut back, we wouldn't cut back that much.

2.) When we start winning regularly, the crowds will get better. And empty seats in the nosebleed sections of an indoor arena aren't as noticeable as in a football stadium. If we could get 12K in the BJC regularly, AND they weren't the golf clap type fans, we'd have a good atmosphere. It's not an ideal arena for basketball as configured, but it's not horrible if there's a decent crowd.

Obviously the quality of the team is the biggest part of fan support. But a better venue also contributes to fan support.

 

[Evan Ceg]

They've already closed the upper deck for most MBB games at the BJC. I'd put temporary stands behind the baskets and rope off all the end seats whose sight lines would be blocked by the temporary bleachers.

Unless some alum is walking around with a $100 million burning a hole in his pocket, the BJC will be the home of our basketball teams for the foreseeable future. There's a couple things they probably could do to make the BJC a marginally better home basketball court, but nothing would have the salutary effect of a consistent first division B1G men's basketball team. Win and they will come. The BJC's design flaws for basketball will be less noticeable when we consistently have 10,000 fans at a game.