Duke arena.... NO Aisles

H

Hu_Fan

Guest
Duke - UNC... at Duke.
The University of Texas needs a for real
basketball arena like this one.

Erwin has waaaaaay too much aisle space, all over the place.

Look at this arena in tonight's game. Solid Duke colors, zero aisles.

We just don't get it here at UT when it comes to taking the basketball venue to the same ultimate level of the football stadium. I don't have a graduate degree, but hell even I can see we fall way short on the architecture when it comes to providing Barnes and the Longhorns an elite playing arena.

How I dislike the amount of aisle space here... Gobs and Gobs of it... on tv it looks like a sea of aluminum with a few colors of shirts scattered here and there... but guess you have to have a lot of room, plus the "help bar" so the elderly season ticket holders can help themselves up and down the aisles while the game is going on. Hell they have room for people going up and down on both freaking sides of the aisle space help bar.

Erwin is designed for comfortably coming late and going back and forth to the restrooms and concessions all throughout the game. And comfortably leaving early.

Just ridiculous. At least Duke gets it.
 
I too have been there and I agree with the above. Electric is an understatement. OMG. I could feel the energy and excitement when I walked in the door. Heck, before you walk in. What a vibe.
 
I hate to admit my age, to say I went to games in Gregory Gym. I always sat on the lower bleachers with my feet on the floor... less than a few feet from the painted side line. I could feel the thundering of the floor under my feet. The presence of the game was more intimate and alive than the cool distancing and withdrawn sense of Erwin Center.

What I always like when I see the Duke court is that solid squared-off line of the seats on the ends and sides. It is as if there is no wasted space at all between court-of-play and the fans. The presence is immediate. Even watching it on tv the level of empathy to identify with it is so strong, makes me want to attend that kind of game.

The Erwin Center is incredibly cold and aloof and makes you (as fan) feel as if you aren't even close to being at a basketball game. Arm rests?? Seats as you'd find in a theater? Rinky-Dink removable stands? And the noisy music and constant advertising and Clowning Around going on so you can't even talk to your friends during time outs.

Give me $1 million consulting fee and I'll show the AD how to put together a 12,000-14,000 seat basketball arena that will sellout season tickets and put thousands of students in there for every game. I'll cut the crappy baseball game theatrics and music, I'll cut the idiotic advertising and ******** antics during timeouts and halftime, and get that place rocking and energized to the game it's supposed to be all about.

For season ticket holders, if your tickets are not scanned in for a percent of games, or for certain number of games in a row, you lose your rights after that season. Student tickets will dominate 85% of the first 30 rows completely surrounding the arena. Half of those sections will be student-only for all 30 rows.

A review will be made of the top ten arenas in the country, to include focus meetings with student groups and athletic depts of those campuses. Input on what works and what doesn't will be detailed and laid out. We'll look at the financial books for those arenas, and I'll bet I can show that a well-designed FAN-oriented arena will produce more revenue than the current Erwin-Foundation-Season-Ticket mess.

When I get it done, you will beg to get a seat in the place. And you won't be able to find a ticket out front from any hawkers. This fluffy seating of the elderly couples sauntering down the aisles to grin and do the howdies with their friends who casually come to a few games for the social event will be history. In those seats will be hell-raising fire-breathing basketball fans. The players and coaches will need help staying calm in the opening shoot-around....

Erwin is totally without imagination. Totally.
 
Frank Erwin Center is not a basketball arena. It is a "Special Events Center". It was made as such.

Hell, you guys remember ~5 years ago when the lower level had all the dead space before the floors? Lower level used to be an oval too. Now they fixed it so that it goes straight to the floor.

I have been to Allen Fieldhouse. That is how I imagine a basketball court should be. Glass windows for natural light in day games. Squared off. It is almost a dungeon with the concessions but that can be fixed up without impacting the inside.

If I could design a basketball court, I would make a fieldhouse.
 
Allen Fieldhouse
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Conseco Fieldhouse
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I've always thought that UT should just renovate Gregory Gym, cap the seating capapcity at 11-12k, have the bleachers that surround the court for the students and play the games there.

It is closer for students to go to the game (right next to Jester, San Jac, etc), the fact that the basketball venue is on campus would probably generate more pub for the program as well, and the fact that we only get to FEC capacity for a game about 1-2 times a year, Gregory could provide enough seats for the masses and generate a packed house atmosphere.

Of course, since Bellmont only cares about the almighty dollar, this is just a dream.
 
Craig Way... 1300, Thur afternoon... open hour...

They are talking right now about the poor atmosphere at Erwin. (not so much seating design, but other aspects)

They just said it is the worst atmosphere for elite programs. Words to that effect.

One lady called in that she was asked to be removed (Tue night game) for standing up and cheering. She was in seats she had no tickets for, but the crowd had been invited to come down and fill seats.

Per above posts... Yes, on natural light. I also like the "field house" environment. The haunting memory of going to state finals at Gregory on a Sat afternoon... light pouring in... I was in about the 10th grade. Stunning memory and experience. Magical far beyond any game at Erwin even in the great games I have been to there.

It just gets back to imagination. The new art building on campus could have had a world class design, but chose something pedestrian. Sigh...
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Gregory would be able to hold about 5,000 with standing room only. There's no way we could renovate it to hold twice that. You could tear it down and start over, which basically throws the $10 million renovation from 1996-98 out the window.

If we fall back into obscurity as a program, which is doubtful, we'll probably find more and more people who want to build a better fieldhouse to attract top talent. From the ground up, unless they're planning on tearing down something any time soon.
 

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