nice oustside, but the layout stinks, the intimacy is lacking.
Lets face it the Bryce Jordan layout is a dud. Was a student during construction. Looks...........
- Thread starter Mr. Potter
- Start date
It felt pretty intimate last Sunday for the wrestling match.
I've been in and around enough football stadiums, that I think I can make "intelligent" comments as to the overall "quality" of one versus another.
I can't say the same thing for BB arenas.
I've, obviously, been in the BJC for hundreds of different events (many of them Men's hoops games).....and nothing "hits me" as particularly bad or good.
For folks who HAVE been in a number of different Hoops arenas......what do you think it is that the BJC lacks - specifically, not "doesn't feel right" or whatever?
For folks who HAVE been in a number of different Hoops arenas......what do you think it is that the BJC lacks - specifically, not "doesn't feel right" or whatever?
Easy. Fans.
The endzones are in different zip codes.
I am a normal size human male, the foot room upstairs is atrocious.
The chairs suck.
It was built cheap for Faux country concerts. The place is a dump. The concourse is narrow,
On and on, horrible, no ambience or comfort whatsoever.
The BJC lacks any atmosphere whatsoever...it has no character, the fans are too far away from the court and there are enormous goss in all 4 corners. It better be addressed in the master plan because it's really bad
I was also a student during construction. I lived in Penn Towers on Beaver Ave. Every once in a while when the wind was blowing pretty good, we'd hear a whistling sound from our apartment. One night, curiosity got the best of us, so we decided to seek out the whistling sound. As it turned out, it was the wind whipping through the building prior to it being enclosed all the way.
Unfortunately the BJC was built as an all-purpose arena to serve central PA. Concerts, expos, etc. PSU hoops is just another event in an arena which wasn't built with basketball as a primary concern. In a way I can't blame the university. More state funding likely was available if the BJC was built as an events center rather than an athletics arena. That's how Pitt was able to scam the state out of money for their vastly over budget hoops barn.
It was finished my senior year. I had a job as a temp installing the seats. You can blame me.
The acoustics are fabulous in there, you can hear a normal conversation in the center of the floor from the furthest seat. But as far as the seats go, they were installed by a bunch of losers.
The acoustics are fabulous in there, you can hear a normal conversation in the center of the floor from the furthest seat. But as far as the seats go, they were installed by a bunch of losers.
My guess is that we are halfway through the useful life of that monstrosity. Around 2040 it will be gone. Until then I think it could still provide a good home court advantage if the fans fill it up
The two best basketball arenas that I've ever been in are Cameron and John Paul Jones. Thing that hurts the BJC IMO is it's all concrete and just feels uninviting.
A
anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Have only been a few times but IMO, it's too dark and too 'spread out'. There are some awkward gaps in the stands too (especially the corners). Compare to something like the much smaller Rec Hall (when we played Princeton there a few years ago)....very bright and intimate.
vs.
A
anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Definitely part of it. Rupp Arena is a horrible place to watch basketball but they don't have an issue with attendance or atmosphere.
Definitely part of it. Rupp Arena is a horrible place to watch basketball but they don't have an issue with attendance or atmosphere.
I actually kind of liked Rupp Arena.
. It's not the greatest arena I've been in, but still better than the BJC. As others have said the BJC has awkward gaps in the corner, the seats behind the baskets are too far back with too flat an incline/ pitch (like most arenas built for both hockey and basketball).Penn State needs a dedicated basketball arena- hopefully more like Colorado or Washington.
Colorado- (11,064)
Washington- (10,000)
I liked Oregon's older McArthur Court. Reminded me of the old Boston Garden. Kept fans close to the action.
McArthur- (9,087)
I think a big part of the terrible atmosphere at the BJC comes from the product on the court. There were a few games during my senior year that were a blast, and the place was rocking.
Doesn't get much better than Taylor Battle's game winner against Illinois in 2009.
I've had b-ball season tickets since the second year the BJC opened. The team drew 10,000+ crowds often and the place was
electric. The Indiana game was basically a sellout. It can be done if the product on the floor is good. I believe Coach
Chambers will get us back to that point.
I listened to Coach K interview Roy Williams on Sirius on Thursday night and Roy Williams talked about his concerns with the impact TV is having on attendance.
Roy Williams believes his own arena is 5000 seats too big for today's world.
You can now watch just about every Penn State basketball game on TV or using the ESPN3 app.
Penn State does not need anything more than a 8,000 seat arena. It needs a place that it can fill regularly where every seat is a great seat and the environment attracts people to the games.
It's time to put some money back into Rec Hall and move the team back there. It's absolutely ridiculous for Penn State to play basketball in a 15,000 seat arena.
It doesn't have to be sold-out to be intimidating. You fill the lower bowl and the place rocks.
We made a sizable contribution to the construction of the bjc. Then is was called a convocation center. It was built as a multiuse facility. I agree it really isn't the best and it needs some work. The seat with padding in the lower bowl are worn out. They have never been replaced since opening.
Judgng by how rarely they are filled, some of those padded seats should be pristine.
Yeah, places are a lot more intimate when you have a winning team. Maybe a winning basketball team would help with intimacy.
I really like the layout and atmosphere of UVA's John Paul Jones Arena. By far the best modern sports arena I've been to. Penn State should copy it, but only smaller for better atmosphere and so they can fill it easier.
A few more good basketball arenas-
Palestra (8,725)-
Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100)-
'The Pit' at New Mexico (15,411)-
Palestra (8,725)-
Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100)-
'The Pit' at New Mexico (15,411)-
Last edited:
BJC does exactly what it was intended to do... host big name concerts and events, which was previously not possible. It's a huge plus for the community and was relatively cheap to build. Unfortunately, it will never be even an average basketball arena. It would be great to keep the BJC for other events and build an 8-10k seat basketball only arena. I'm not sure where you would stick it though.
Just got back from the Prudential Ctr. for the VU-ND/PSU-Pitt doubleheader. That place was built for hockey and the seats behind the hoops are a mile away, just as ours are, (not built for hockey.) I wasn't upstairs but much like Wells Fargo, the upper reaches of the upper deck are a mile away from the floor. I don't know what the place holds but it's pretty darn big. I was on the baseline about three rows from the chair seats on the floor. The place was packed and loud at times but you had #1 playing ND in the opener.
On ride home we were talking about arenas we'd been to for basketball. Wells Fargo, Spectrum, Rec Hall, BJC, Philips Arena, and Pitt's Fitzgerald FH. Gotta say of all of them, the venue Pitt used to have and Rec Hall lead the pack. I am told Seton Hall closes the upper deck of their games at The Rock like we do at BJC. I don't know what our answer should be specifically, but smaller is better, generally. I'm not expecting any changes for basketball anytime soon. It can and does get loud in the BJC if the lower bowl is full and people are engaged in the action (which has to be engaging, not screaming for hoagies and T-shirts and blasting music).
On ride home we were talking about arenas we'd been to for basketball. Wells Fargo, Spectrum, Rec Hall, BJC, Philips Arena, and Pitt's Fitzgerald FH. Gotta say of all of them, the venue Pitt used to have and Rec Hall lead the pack. I am told Seton Hall closes the upper deck of their games at The Rock like we do at BJC. I don't know what our answer should be specifically, but smaller is better, generally. I'm not expecting any changes for basketball anytime soon. It can and does get loud in the BJC if the lower bowl is full and people are engaged in the action (which has to be engaging, not screaming for hoagies and T-shirts and blasting music).
The Palestra is by far the best venue I've been to watch basketball. How about The Breslin Center at MSU?
http://www.msuspartans.com/facilities/breslin-center.html
I don't doubt it re: Palestra but was keeping it to places I've been to, which unfortunately doesn't include the Palestra---yet.
As has been frequently noted, the BJC was built as an all-purpose arena, not as a basketball court. It was also, IMO, built about 3,000 seats too big. All that said, put a consistent first division B1G MBB team in it, and you'll get 8,000-10,000 fans on a winter weeknight and 12,000 or more on a weekend and it would be a good home court in spite of the design flaws for basketball.
There are also issues around the fact that the BJC is "owned" by Penn State's Auxiliary and Business Services (A&BS) and not by Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA).
There are also issues around the fact that the BJC is "owned" by Penn State's Auxiliary and Business Services (A&BS) and not by Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA).
I don't think that place is so great and I've been there many of times. That place was built for corporate suites alone.
Absolutely! Great call on all 3.A few more good basketball arenas-
Palestra (8,725)-
Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100)-
'The Pit' at New Mexico (15,411)-
I always thought the BJC was better configured for hockey than basketball. Part of me would have loved for them to have renovated it for ice hockey and then had built a 8k-10k basketball only arena.
I would love to see them build something like USC's Galen Center with an open end that gives you a view of my nittany.
I would love to see them build something like USC's Galen Center with an open end that gives you a view of my nittany.
Last edited:
I've been to games at the Palestra and the Pit at New Mexico. Both are great in their own right. Butler's field house looks great too. I would lean towards the Butler/Palestra field house style as they are intimate and would provide for a great atmosphere. One issue about the BJC is that even though it's a modern multipurpose monstrosity, the leg room in not enough for anyone above 5' 6" tall.A few more good basketball arenas-
Palestra (8,725)-
Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100)-
'The Pit' at New Mexico (15,411)-
BJC also sucks as a venue for graduations. My niece graduated in 2015, we went, the kids look like ants, people act like they're at a sporting event, etc. I was also a student when they were building it.......we had fun getting as close as we could when they were blasting away for the foundation.
I just finished up an 8-day trip that took me to Cameron, Dean Dome, Rupp, Wake, Middle Tennessee, and Butler. First time at all of those. Roy is right -- Dean Dome is too big for the current generation. Plus, Carolina fans are pretty boring compared to most college basketball fans. Yes, Carolina was playing Radford but I could have studied for a final and watched the game at the same time; it was so quiet in there. Cameron and Hinkle are great because you get that old-school feel and the place is always packed. Hell, Duke was playing MAINE and the fans were fired up until the final buzzer.
I would compare the BJC to what I saw at Wake -- a very sterile arena that needs some work both on and off the court to make it a somewhat-intimidating atmosphere. I was at the Indiana game in either 97 or 98 and the place was pretty jammed but even then, it didn't really feel like a homecourt advantage. I think if they curtained off the corners and the endzones in the upper deck and reduced capacity for basketball to 10,000, they could get a little bit more bang for their buck. Yes, I know they had that issue a couple of years ago with people trying to walk-up and got turned away because of the way the upper deck was curtained off. But establish it at the beginning of the season that this is the capacity and that's the way it's gonna be. Of course, if you have a winning team, people will show up.
I would compare the BJC to what I saw at Wake -- a very sterile arena that needs some work both on and off the court to make it a somewhat-intimidating atmosphere. I was at the Indiana game in either 97 or 98 and the place was pretty jammed but even then, it didn't really feel like a homecourt advantage. I think if they curtained off the corners and the endzones in the upper deck and reduced capacity for basketball to 10,000, they could get a little bit more bang for their buck. Yes, I know they had that issue a couple of years ago with people trying to walk-up and got turned away because of the way the upper deck was curtained off. But establish it at the beginning of the season that this is the capacity and that's the way it's gonna be. Of course, if you have a winning team, people will show up.
Not to knock you, but how could it be excellent if the basketball games feel like siberia
