From: dwarner@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (David J.)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college
Subject: Re: Call for toughest arena votes (revised)
Date: 2 Oct 92 06:37:45 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Indiana University

In article <1992Sep28.152813.26935@doug.cae.wisc.edu> saunders@luther.che.wisc.edu (Brian E. Saunders) writes:
>In article <1992Sep28.161039.21805@rtsg.mot.com> thmpsnmc@marmaduke3.Berkeley.EDU (Milton C. Thompson) writes:
>>Allen FieldHouse, Lawrence Kansas  #1
>>The little shack Duke plays in #2
>>The kid from Halsted Kansas Arena (Rupp for the uninformed) Arena #3
>>The Orange Peel dome (just the mass of fans here) #4
>>Bobby K's place in Indiana #5
>
>I would disagree with #5.  Assembly Hall at Indiana is a horrible place to
>watch a basketball game (just ask the students).  It really takes the crowd
>out of the game.  IU is tough to beat there, but that is because they are
>IU, not because of the arena.

I'm glad I'm the sports editor of a newspaper (well, the Daily Student, but
people pay for it, so I think it counts).  I have so many stories to tell about
Assembly Hall...

Whoever designed that place needed a lesson in arena design. Why would anyone
cut off the four corners of the arena when they could have installed more
seating and better viewing for fans?  And why does anyone even bother to sit
in the balcony when they can't see the court from there??? God knows (and he's
probably up there complaining with them).

The one good thing about the Hall is that it is capable of echoing a lot of
noise, and can get really loud on occasion.  Unfortunately, those are very
rare occasians, because it seems that students have taken a vow of silence
until they get a student section there, and Knight won't let them have one.
He never will, and I guess nobody has accepted it yet. Barely anybody knows
how to create a home court advantage at a game by cheering and chanting for
their team.  Oh, sure, they cheer when we score or make a big play, but that's
about it, and it's lame.

In fact, a lot of students go to the games just to be seen by everyone else.
I can't begin to tell you how many times I've seen the ball game turn into
little more than some half-baked tea party. Everyone talks amongst themselves
while the opponents are on the freethrow line, people point at other people in
the stands, sometimes go up and cop an attitude like "I'm here. Check me out."
One time while I was cheering, one girl actually told me "SHUT UP!", and then
just continued talking to her friends as she did throughout the game. She 
didn't even say it to my face. I should have gotten in hers.

My whole point is that you go to a ball game to cheer on a team. I'm not in
any way condemning social stuff, but when that's all there is, something is
lost in the translation.  Hell, maybe I'm spoiled by going to a few games in
Cameron Indoor while I was still in high school.  Who knows?

>IMO, Mackey Arena is the toughest place to play in the Big 10, and probably
>should be in a list of of the top #5 toughest places in the country.  Lots
>of upsets tend to happen there (unfortunately, sometimes they happen to
>Purdue, too).  The Breslin Center (MSU) is probably the 2nd toughest place
>in the Big 10, followed closely by St. John's (TOSU) and Carver-Hawkeye.

Talk to me about this next year when I cover basketball for the IDS.  :)



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Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college