New article: XL Center vs Gampel

[HuskyNan]

From CTBasketball

http://the-boneyard.com/blog/xl-center-vs-gampel-pavilion/

 

[8893]

That is very well written. Did you write that, Nan?

 

[Jaybo]

From CTBasketball

http://the-boneyard.com/blog/xl-center-vs-gampel-pavilion/

I don't see why the university and the city wouldn't just build a new arena it could benifit both.im from ct but live here in Louisville ky where they just built the KFC yum center not to long ago and it's awesome! I work close by and it seems there's always some big venue going on all year.

It could also attract the NHL back to the city.

 

[HuskyNan]

That is very well written. Did you write that, Nan?

No, CTBasketball did.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I love Gampel and have many found memories of the place. That said, it is getting old and is not competitive in today’s market. Plus, it’s the student support that helps to win games though, not the arena.

Hopefully in the near future, UConn somehow finds the money and builds a new 12,000 seat basketball/6,000 seat hockey combo arena (use only the lower seating for most hockey games) on campus where Gampel is or as part of the new ‘Storrs Center’ complex. Practice time will not be a problem with the new Basketball training facility and Freitas can serve as the practive facility for the hockey program (and serve as a community resource to gain local points).

In addition, UConn would still play 2 to 3 games a year in Hartford (if the XL can be upgraded) and 1 to 2 games in Bridgeport (closer to where the big alumni $$ is located). Plus, play annual ‘nuetral’ court game at MSG (or even Barclay’s) in NYC versus a marquee program to show everyone who is the true big dog in country’s largest TV market.

This story on the Courant today shows that someone is thinking along the same lines.
http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball/hc-uconn-mohegan-sun-0724-20130723,0,3834054.story

 

[8893]

No, CTBasketball did.

Thanks.

Good write-up, CT.

 

[CTBasketball]

Thanks.

Good write-up, CT.

Thanks kind sir.

 

[CL82]

Thanks.

Good write-up, CT.

Yes it is.

I'd like to see a cost benefit analysis of using the XL vs. Gampel at last years % attendance. I wonder if we hit the breakeven there. I'd estimate that 50% XL = 90% Gampel but that Gampel's operating costs are lower due to no rent. It would be interesting to see just what having the games at the XL brings to the table. Are you willing to do a follow up CT?

 

[CTBasketball]

If I can find the numbers I'd be more than willing to. I'll see what I can do.

 

[Drew]

from today's daily campus: http://dailycampus.com/fontenaults-forum-gampel-solution/

have fun kids

 

[ConnHuskBask]

"New article"

Hmm. Lol.

 

[tcf15]

"New article"

Hmm. Lol.

This confused the hell out of me.

 

[Yonick]

A few things regarding UConn arenas. First, we only should play at the XL when students are off campus. Unless it's a huge game like a Duke, KY, or UNC.
Second, any new campus arena should not be combined with a hockey arena. Hoop floors over ice is always a negative. Plus, we shouldn't have to have scheduling concerns with hoops vs hockey.

 

[mauconnfan]

That is very well written. Did you write that, Nan?

Waquoit?

 

[Waquoit]

Waquoit?

Working on it!

 

[Waquoit]

OK, I'll say it. This article (and the DC one) is nonsense. It seems to be written based on the conventional wisdom of the past (which was never true to begin with) instead the reality of today. Anyone who can write "the small, but electric Gampel Pavilion" wasn't there just a few days ago for ECU game. The Tulsa game was the Mardi Gras compared to the ECU game. The chairbacks were more empty than not. I doubt there were actually more the 5,000 people in the building.

I think intellectually dishonest is not an unfair comment to make about this article. Attendance stats from 2 years ago are used instead of the current year. Probably because if the author used this year's attendance he wouldn't have much of a case. Over 13,000 people for the Central game alone. And saying "The concourse is like a dark windy passageway through the bowels of Hartford. It always looks dirty and is outdated." is just pure unadulterated bullsh!t. I'll give you outdated, but the rest just ain't so.

Another questionable touch was stating the record of Gampel games but leaving out the comparable XL games when trying to make the case for a performance advantage. I'm guessing because saying that the team wins at a .861 percentage at Gampel (using up to date stats) while only winning at a .842 clip at XL wouldn't make Gampel performance sound as impressively superior. This year, the teams' two best wins came in Hartford. The worst loss in year came in the "electric" Gampel. In the AAC era, UConn is 10-4 in Storrs but 12-2 in Hartford. It's a push.

And as far as crowd support goes, perhaps I concede that Gampel's highs are higher than XL's. But those highs are rare. Very rare. Texas this year and Florida last year. But what else? The students get jacked up for primetime, but otherwise meh. Both those games would have had a prime-time crowd in Hartford. That ECU game was worse than any XL crowd. There were over twice the fannies in the seats for the Tulsa game than there were for ECU. That's the fan base speaking with their feet and their wallets. They are just not going to drive up to Storrs on a weeknight for the flotsam and jetsam of this conference. Especially when they charge $9. for parking and expect you to walk through a foot of snow to get to your seat.

And I have to admit that it rankles that this article purports to speak for the "die-hard" fan. The "die-hard" fan that watches the games on TV, the guy that will buy a scalper ticket to the one big home game a year, maybe. But to the fans that buy tickets from the school and spend money to support the program, I'm not sure they agree. Yeah, the set-up is a bit different than other schools, but how many other schools have won more titles than UConn? The bottom line is that there no real competitive on-court advantage to playing in Gampel. But cut out Hartford and you lose a huge chunk of your paying fan base. Huge. Why would any "die-hard" fan want that?

 

[zls44]

Waquoit's post is pissing into a hurricane. Basically, what you'd expect.

Hartford's problems are Hartford's problem.

 

[zls44]

Build 13,500 on-campus for BB. 5,500 on-campus for hockey. Play 2-3 games each sport in Hartford.

It's the best and most-realistic outcome.

 

[Danzz]

They need to spend some money on Gampel. Fix, paint or remove those tiles for one thing. I'm not talking millions here , just freshen the place up.
I don't know that the building lends itself to expansion. It seems to be built on a very tight footprint. Maybe someone with construction/engineering experience could shed some light on this.

 

[Drew]

They need to spend some money on Gampel. Fix, paint or remove those tiles for one thing. I'm not talking millions here , just freshen the place up.
I don't know that the building lends itself to expansion. It seems to be built on a very tight footprint. Maybe someone with construction/engineering experience could shed some light on this.

I have no engineering experience or knowledge really but I agree it seems the arena seems to be on tight quarters for expansion. If possible I wonder if they could sink the floor and add/reconfigure the seating to get another ~2000 or so seats? If they can't expand upward its interesting to think about expanding downward

 

[DSquiz]

The current "Master Plan" UConn released for Storrs a few weeks ago has Gampel expansion listed as a project in the next ten years. They would be expanding outward and adding luxury boxes. Ill try to find the article and post when I do.

Edit: You can see the proposed Master Plan here with phase one being a roof fix and phase two being a "Gampel Pavilion Concourse" .

 

[Waquoit]

Waquoit's post is pissing into a hurricane. Basically, what you'd expect.

Another. Fact. Free. Post. I'm. Shocked.

 

[zls44]

Another. Fact. Free. Post. I'm. Shocked.

Comparing the ECU home game is the epitome of cherry-picking. The players prefer Gampel. The students prefer Gampel. Atmosphere-wise, most people prefer Gampel. There are quotes upon quotes upon quotes that state this.

 

[Palatine]

To graph attendance by percentages and raw not raw numbers (both should be used) is a distortion of the money creating abili9ty of XL versus Gampel. This is clearly a biased article.

 

[FartMan69]

Build 13,500 on-campus for BB. 5,500 on-campus for hockey. Play 2-3 games each sport in Hartford.

It's the best and most-realistic outcome.

Realistic? A new 13,500 seat arena in Storrs is realistic? okay