Eli

Nice D-Wade move Singletary!

Who's announcing this game? ESPN crew of some sort or SBU crew? If SBU crew, major props to not being a bunch of biased homers.

WTH was Rowley doing there? Brown was pissed lol

No, the ends aren't chairbacks. And looks like some UA fans are behind the scorers table to the left (screen) of Brown.

So hard to hear the news...but UA is showing major heart.

Also, that arena is gorgeous...

Funding a big time hockey program would be expensive. A lot more than basketball. Besides RPI and Union have two feat D-1 programs. Probably no room for another in this area.

Yeah, that's why I said it'd like never happen. I could be a Union/RPI fan...but it's just not same as rooting for your own school lol. Wishful thinking, is all.

I'd love me some UAlbany hockey...been slowly getting into that sport. I know it'll probably never happen, but I'd buy those season tickets lol.

Maybe all those teams getting nice new digs will give Benson the incentive to prioritize SEFCU. I believe in another thread we talked about the 'phase plan' from the previous AD and that Benson was likely going to have his own take on the plans. Until we can fill the football stadium every game, I'd hold off on expanding that and instead renovate SEFCU.

Well, hopefully we play the same gritty game we played in the AE Championship game. We took their punches and withstood them. This will be a huge test.

 

 

 

Warney strategy? Vt. used straight man coverage and let him have his but put a blanket on the rest of the team. UMBC doubled him up effectively but that left the 3open and allowed McGrew room inside. UMBC and Vt. lucky Puriefoy still having trouble.

A couple of groin shots early might work

 

We know how that works - 1/26/13 vs. Vermont

 

 

 

Brutal..... any dude can understand the agony.

I was playing in a soccer game once...we were in the defensive end of the field.

I was calling off my teammate as I was heading up the field and he was coming down.

The dude was 6'6 or so, built like a giraffe, as coordinated as a new born fawn that just popped out of mama.

I was sure he would clear out and give me the clear path up with the ball. We both reached the ball at the same time,

as he began winding up his leg like a helicopter blade, and boom.... his mammoth leg cannoned right into my juevos.

I was down on the field for at least 15 minutes paralyzed. Hurt for 2 and half years... well almost.

 

Maybe we'll avoid the groin shots vs sbu.

 

I feel ya man (no pun lol). That sounds painful.

I pitch in a co-ed softball league. Got a ~90mph line drive up the middle from a dude who clearly played baseball in school (pretty sure he was aiming at me since I was throwing him inside and he didn't like the calls from the ump). A softball. Don't let the name fool ya lol. I finished the rest of the season in the outfield lol.

Same team hit me in the shin with a shot back up the middle the 2nd game of the season. That one hurt me enough to make me cringe and hop over to the grass to lay down and breathe heavy. The softball hit to the junk though...that brought me to my knees instantly. Everything just went black. I was nauseous for 3 days and sore for like 2 months (I ride a motorcycle, let's say it wasn't very comfortable for a good while).

Softball is violent lol. I stopped a line drive up the middle with my bare hand, got hit in the outer thigh (similar situation to the junk hit but I had time to twist my body and protect myself), got hit in the back of the head running from 1st to 2nd (catcher throwing to 2nd - evidently guys aim wasn't so hot).

This might be my first UAlbany FB road game. I have friends who are UB fans/alum so I'll likely go with them...would love to rub a win in their faces lol.

 

Warney strategy? Vt. used straight man coverage and let him have his but put a blanket on the rest of the team. UMBC doubled him up effectively but that left the 3open and allowed McGrew room inside. UMBC and Vt. lucky Puriefoy still having trouble.

 

A couple of groin shots early might work

 

Kevin Garnett, is that you?

 

Hooley is such an amazing kid. He thanked the crowd twice with a raised hand for the donations. Glad he's one of ours. #mancrush

 

I can't say it enough. He really is a great young man! Here is the thank you note he posted on twitter last night:

 

 

I'm not really into twitterverse, so thanks for sharing that DRG.

Hooley is such an amazing kid. He thanked the crowd twice with a raised hand for the donations. Glad he's one of ours. #mancrush

Bingo didn't stand a chance. Albany played half-hearted it seemed for some of the game and still whooped dat arse.

Just checked their calendar and classes start the following Monday, the 26th.

Psh. Must be nice. I go back on Monday (to UA)......................................................yayyyyy!

I'm a techie (both for a living and by choice for a hobby) and I will never buy anything BUT Samsungs. Had a 22" 720p one for like 5 years that was used 6-7 hours a day (computer, TV, XBox) and it never even got a dead pixel. Thing was a MACHINE.

I then upgraded to a 40" 1080p SmartTV and haven't had any issues with that one and I'm now at like 13 months of use...same thing, hours and hours per day. I do all of my school work, TV watching, and video gaming on one screen. These things are freakin troopers.

One way for a team to get fans to be interested...I know it's the NBA and obviously they all have more money to throw around for marketing...but stuff like this. I don't want a lousy t-shirt...give me a nice UA scarf, hat, etc. and I'll be outa my seat trying to out jump the guy behind me. I don't even bother to get up for the t-shirts.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12141816/milwaukee-bucks-shoot-cold-weather-gear-crowd

Good to know.

Not sure...my plan was to go to the box office and ask for an upgrade just to check it out one game lol

I think at the end of the day, we all want the same things for the program...even if we want it at different times (screen first, seats first, concessions first) or if we go at each others e-throats on the interwebs lol. I mean no disrespect to anyone I call out or disagree with. Just putting that out there. That includes you, MsGDG.

What have the "complainers" and yes you are so lets not kid ourselves done for the school outside of complaining on a board about the issue? Have you sat down and talked to Charlie or Mark more than once? (And it's not their job to read a fan board. If you care about the school do it in person with the staff, not just post complaints on a board) Do you volunteer for the school to help educate the students on things related to athletics? That's my issue with the complainers...incorrect facts like "we have no beer", "parking sucks" and "our attendance sucks". We have beer, we have the best attendance in the AE and the parking is like all other 30 schools I've visited when traveling to see UA play basketball. And yes anything can be better, but have your facts straight.

 

Surprised no one is asking for a dome over the football field because it snows and its cold watching a football game. If you can't walk from Dutch to SEFCU with an umbrella then I don't know what more to tell you. The school isn't going to baby people because they can't take a short walk.

 

Many people on this board know each other and know what they do for the school. It's the people that no one knows or don't show up to things that have the biggest mouths and no action.

 

Why don't we just find last year's "attendance and students suck" thread and paste the link so we can just be done with it since it goes in circles with the same people every year.

I think that was a 'shot fired' at me since no one really knows who I am. That is by design.

(for the record, I have emailed a few people in the AD over the years - don't know if those emails ever got sent up the chain but don't care - I did my part)

I had a longer response typed up, but I'll just bite my tongue for the most part. I will say this though: Benson's job is to reach out to me (perhaps via a survey, as Click suggested), not the other way around. Standing in the lobby waiting for people to approach him is not leadership nor is it 'community engagement'. IMO.

We can agree to disagree.

 

When I was in school, we had just gone d2. I went to a bunch of games, but once the weather was cold - I stopped. Making the walk from Colonial Quad to the RAAC was not happening in Jan/February. Maybe if the added a shuttle across campus and advertised it heavily more would go (they probably do this today, but I have no idea).

 

I remember after every 3 pointer hit by UA they gave away a free Mild Wally's Pizza to a random seat. At the beginning of each game, a random seat was chosen for an upgrade to a courtside leather couch seat for up to 4 fans, and they delivered food and beverages to your couch for free during the game. I always wanted to sit there, but never had the chance. I was always so disappointed when my seat wasnt drawn.

 

I will echo what everyone else is saying about the lack of quality concessions being one of the reasons why I don't go to more home games (along with the fact that they schedule so many on Wednesday nights and I can't go then due to another commitment).

 

My biggest complaint about SEFCU is access to the building in the winter. Even if you pay for parking, you still have to walk a real long way around the building to get to the main entrance - in an area known for harsh blowing winds and a fairly poor lit pass. Sometimes they open the doors in the back by the lot and allow you in with your tickets there (dropping you off on the floor level) but not many people know you can enter that way - and it just feels wrong, so I only use that entrance on the coldest/windiest of games.

 

From a renovation perspective - I would love for them to build out a good 50-100 feet towards the parking lot/stadium entrance - and build a nice entrance to the facility on that side of the building. It would make the place more appealing, have room for concessions on both sides of the arena - and also be a nice showcase of the arena for when people are at football games. Then once you have entrances on both sides of the building, concessions on both sides of the arena - make all of the seats chairback. Fill in the corners to make it be more of a 'bowl' feel. This would probably end up keeping the seating capacity at around 5,000 but it would be more comfortable, a video scoreboard would also help. I know I would make it to more games.

With all due respect, if you park in the SEFCU lot why on earth would you walk around the building unless you needed to buy tickets?

 

That's what I think he was saying, to buy a ticket you have to go to the upper level on the other side of the building. They really should fix that, I've thought that to myself as well in the past. They need someone selling tickets at that back door too. Just one person would be enough.

The seat upgrade thing, etc. he mentioned would definitely be neat. I've been thinking about paying for a courtside seat just once to see what it's like (never sat courtside or ringside at any event). Maybe next game.

Yes..you can park in SEFCU for basketball games without a season parking pass. Season passes don't fill the entire lot.

 

No..there is not an NCAA rule against alcohol at college games on campus.

This year is nice. In years past, they would let whoever park in there. Now, those of us who pay for the parking pass have an assigned number, which leaves about half the lot left for regular ticket holders. Nothing sucked worse than going to games last year expecting to have a parking space and not having to walk..only to be turned away and having to walk. They are doing much better this year.

New scoreboard would do wonders. The sound system I remember was terrible. The gray seats make the place feel dreary. It might look weird but maybe add more purple like the end zone bleachers.

Or upgrade the season ticket seats to ones with nice padding and put the older ones in the end zones or something?

Sound system sucks, especially when the cheerleading squad gets on the floor. For anyone who has daughters who cheer, why is ALL of their music super high pitched with max treble/no bass? Makes my ears bleed.

 

Great comments all. Food - Sedexo needs to be negotiated OFF the athletic venues. Beer, ... a renovated SEFCU should have a beer garden in the arena. Students - it takes a Growl like effort to get significant student participation -the why of that occupies many good minds on campus. Parking - free parking 1/4 mile away on a freezing night does not incentivize me to go and yes that is enough to keep casual fans away.

It's all about the experience so lets summarize =blah food and no beer to make that not matter, half +empty seats, inconistent team during regular season with a style of play only die hard bball fans appreciate, and if first and last impressions matter - a freakin long cold walk back to the car. That's enough to take the shine off an evening and give the edge to what ever else is going on.

 

This is kind of how I see it...there really is nothing the game experience provides that is absolutely top notch. I love UA basketball because that's me, but the overall experience, arena, 1940's scoreboard etc. just isn't going to draw people in like crazy.

 

For the most part the product on the floor is good to very good, I really don't think that is where the problem is.

 

Yeah, a nicer hanging scoreboard/video board would be sweet.

In order to address a "problem" you first need to understand the problem. In the season ticket package for next year, I would conduct a survey of season ticket holder, the most loyal of fans to understand what their top 3 concerns are with regards to basketball and/or football. I would also do the same with students, to gain greater insight into why they don't come. You have to understand why they don't come.

+1.