Trashing Gampel

[Huskyforlife]

Love gampel. Someone smarter than me just has to figure out the congestion issues, but that shouldn’t be a huge fix. Maybe after the first time a grown man pisses himself, they’ll take the issue seriously…

 

[August_West]

Gampel logistically is terrible. For a million reasons. You can't drive to it, you can't drive out of it, the traffic patterns are mind blowingly bad. But it is my kind of terrible. I live 60 miles from Gampel and 50% of the time (the 90 minutes from leaving arena to my front door) it takes me to get home is to get from parking to South Eagleville Rd. The fact they are letting people park in the new hockey arena is really screwing the outgoing traffic up even worse.

You can't walk anywhere in the arena at the 1/2, there is no concourse and try getting to a bathroom or food or a beer. THe popcorn line combines with the bathroom line that combines with the beer line. 45 minutes before game time the one food stand worth anything (bears) had a line from one corner to the next.

Forget Cell service in the building there is no cell service anywhere even when you get out, until you get near either 195 or 32

It is pretty frickin' bad.

And I love it so much. It's home. Our home. Don't change a thing.

 

[Husky25]

You're there to watch a basketball game, not to be on your phone.

And people wonder why games are not consistently sold out or why the at-home experience has soared past the in-venue experience.

By this logic, fans are not there to drink $2 Miller Lites or eat overcooked chicken tenders and fries. Fans choose to pay good money (sometimes a lot of it) to be there live. They are not obligated and, contrary to the above, they are not there to only watch a basketball game. At the end of the day, they are there to be entertained.

Smartphones are ubiquitous in modern society, used for any number of reasons, and when 40 minutes of game time takes 120-150 minutes to complete, there is a lot of non-free throw downtime during the course of any given event.

 

[August_West]

And people wonder why games are not consistently sold out or why the at-home experience has soared past the in-venue experience.

By this logic, fans are not there to drink $2 Miller Lites or eat overcooked chicken tenders and fries. Fans choose to pay good money (sometimes a lot of it) to be there live. They are not obligated and, contrary to the above, they are not there to only watch a basketball game. At the end of the day, they are there to be entertained.

Smartphones are ubiquitous in modern society, used for any number of reasons, and when 40 minutes of game time takes 120-150 minutes to complete, there is a lot of non-free throw downtime during the course of any given event.

The guest wifi works fine, most of the time.
Was good last night.

 

[freshler40]

You'd think they could expand somewhat. With the old rec center being renovated, all of the offices off that breezeway between the East and South entrances could be relocated. That would free up a lot of space within the building itself. I would think they could also build a single-level addition between the E+S entrances for a ~200ft long concourse. Remove the dozen spots of useless street parking on Jim Calhoun Way and you've bought yourself an extra 10ft of depth for that concourse as well.

Sounds too simple and inexpensive for the State of CT to do! But thanks for the good thoughts.

 

[FriarJ]

There is not a team in the country that will beat UConn when they play like they did last night. I turned the TV off after the game ended both impressed, and at the same time confused as to how you have lost 7 games.

 

[Husky25]

The guest wifi works fine, most of the time.
Was good last night.

How would you even know? You're there to watch a basketball game.

 

[August_West]

How would you even know? You're there to watch a basketball game.

1/2 time

 

[Husky25]

There is not a team in the country that will beat UConn when they play like they did last night. I turned the TV off after the game ended both impressed, and at the same time confused as to how you have lost 7 games.

Quite simply because they did not play the way they did last night during those 7 games.

 

[August_West]

There is not a team in the country that will beat UConn when they play like they did last night. I turned the TV off after the game ended both impressed, and at the same time confused as to how you have lost 7 games.

We lost our defensive identity in January for some reason. It's been coming back.

 

[superjohn]

Smartphones are ubiquitous in modern society, used for any number of reasons, and when 40 minutes of game time takes 120-150 minutes to complete, there is a lot of non-free throw downtime during the course of any given event.

Urinating and drinking are ubiquitous in society as well. Urinating and drinking aren't as important to you at a basketball game as your cell phone is. Urinating and drinking are far more important to me than internet access at a basketball game. I can sometimes do without all three but I normally have to pee once during that timeframe, internet service is pretty much at the bottom of priorities for me at a sporting event.

I don't go to the games at Gampel because it's close to 15 hours away for me but it sounds like the bathrooms are more of a problem than wi-fi.

 

[superjohn]

We lost our defensive identity in January for some reason. It's been coming back.

Yep and we were running the wrong offense with Sanogo and Jackson, especially with Sanogo.

 

[kemba]

I thought this was going to be a trash the arena instead of the player thread. Have they fixed the floor yet? Glad to hear PC fans were not harassed, but still found the place inhospitable.

Based on multiple different groups of providence fans sitting near me, if they were harassed, they brought it on themselves. Most annoying groups of people who came here with the goal of antagonizing.

Watching them duck out early in a blowout was amazing and I’m glad they hate our arena and hope they don’t come back

 

[ctchamps]

What are you doing grabbing a beer or using the bathroom? You are there to WATCH the game!! If one doesn't drink, they don't have to use the bathroom. Easy-peasy.

The reality is that Wi-Fi/4G/5G has become a necessity. Boosting the signal should be easier and less expensive than building out the corners.

In comparison between last night and Marquette at the XL Center (a venue of which you are a fan), doing all four of these activities (Getting on Wi-Fi, grabbing concessions, using the bathroom, and watching the opposition get pounded) is less of a hardship at Gampel, IMO.

Don’t you know we don’t win without the beer! We should be having more two dollar beer nights, put out of order signs on the restrooms and not let visitors know it ahead of time. All the while we’re wearing adult diapers drinking like crazy cheering our hearts out while visiting fans pee and s/t in their pants. Epitome of home court advantage.

 

[August_West]

Yep and we were running the wrong offense with Sanogo and Jackson, especially with Sanogo.

Such a great move by Hurley to get him moving and get him off the low block back to the basket stuff every trip. Really has made a big difference. Now when he gets an occasional traditional post feed it means something. His passing from top of key is much better than his passing out of low block, and that little ball fake and go from the 3 point line is giving teams trouble.

 

[Husky25]

1/2 time

Not allowed, evidently.

 

[superjohn]

Such a great move by Hurley to get him moving and get him off the low block back to the basket stuff every trip. Really has made a big difference. Now when he gets an occasional traditional post feed it means something. His passing from top of key is much better than his passing out of low block, and that little ball fake and go from the 3 point line is giving teams trouble.

I think it saved our season. Now if we can get Jackson worked in even better into the dunker and screener role in the halfcourt we're going to be really hard for anyone to beat, especially if we cut down on the turnovers.

 

[August_West]

I think it saved our season. Now if we can get Jackson worked in even better into the dunker and screener role in the halfcourt we're going to be really hard for anyone to beat, especially if we cut down on the turnovers.

Love Jacksons baseline runs the last couple

 

[upstater]

Unlike many on here, I genuinely don't give a rats rabid behind about the venue. I'd watch us beat a ranked team by 20 in Siberia.

I feel this way when municipalities talk about $2b pro football stadiums.

 

[Husky25]

Urinating and drinking are ubiquitous in society as well. Urinating and drinking aren't as important to you at a basketball game as your cell phone is. Urinating and drinking are far more important to me than internet access at a basketball game. I can sometimes do without all three but I normally have to pee once during that timeframe, internet service is pretty much at the bottom of priorities for me at a sporting event.

I don't go to the games at Gampel because it's close to 15 hours away for me but it sounds like the bathrooms are more of a problem than wi-fi.

I don't think any of that makes the point you think it does.

 

[KingAG]

The guest wifi works fine, most of the time.
Was good last night.

It didn’t work at all for me last night. And I was seated in sec 9 next to the hoard. How do they do their jobs?

 

[Fishy]

A lot of Providence fans who attended last night are trashing Gampel. Bad concourse, no cell phones, dump, chit hole, etc. But they all admit it is loud and intimidating, reason I love it.
But you you know why I love it most. There are 15 frigging National Championship banners hanging there and numerous Hall of Fame players jersey numbers hanging there, and soon to be many more.
Lot smore than will ever be in Rhode Island.

Who cares? Why do you care? Why should anyone care?

 

[superjohn]

I don't think any of that makes the point you think it does.

You don't have a point. People pee, drink, and use their phones at games.

 

[ctchamps]

I think it saved our season. Now if we can get Jackson worked in even better into the dunker and screener role in the halfcourt we're going to be really hard for anyone to beat, especially if we cut down on the turnovers.

Seton Hall played off of Andre, lost him several times and he made them pay for it with baseline dunks. Providence played closer to him opening up the driving lanes and allowing Adama to not get double teamed as often. And he finally made a midrange floater. I had flashbacks of Jeremy Lamb.

Three of those early turnovers were from Hawkins. Don’t like turnovers but love that he is working on distributing ball when driving to the lane. Always wonderful to see any player expanding their skills never mind a great player.

 

[Hogoff]

This thread made me have to pee.

 

[my2cents]

Who cares? Why do you care? Why should anyone care?

The lack of respect just rubs me the wrong way. In 1985 when Calhoun and Geno came to Storrs, Providence was way more established in both womens and mens basketball. What was built here and is represented by the banners in the rafters should garner something.

 

[ucp990411]

The cellphone service is head, shoulders, and torso above the XL Center. Of course I was able to get on, and stay connected, to the Gampel-Guest WiFi network. Didn't notice the concourse, because I barely left my seat.

It was not MSU '98 loud, but the atmosphere had to have been intimidating to a visiting program. It was an overall evening of basketball.

That MSU game was a thing of beauty

 

[Husky25]

You don't have a point. People pee, drink, and use their phones at games.

much to your chagrin.

 

[Kathy]

It didn’t work at all for me last night. And I was seated in sec 9 next to the hoard. How do they do their jobs?

Their probably not using guest wifi

 

[Fishy]

The lack of respect just rubs me the wrong way. In 1985 when Calhoun and Geno came to Storrs, Providence was way more established in both womens and mens basketball. What was built here and is represented by the banners in the rafters should garner something.

If any Providence fan wants to chat with you about Gampel, point to the rafters and then slap him.