06-07 Schedule

[olddog71]

. . . One of the best things about college basketball is the energy the students bring to the game and we certainly get that with an on-campus arena. I wouldn't trade that for the Pepsi.

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Seeing so many students in the RACC an hour before the AE final was absolutely awesome! (Especially knowing that 800 of them had been waiting up to 36 hours beforehand.) And they weren't just sitting there quietly but on their feet supporting their team.

 

Jamar Wilson boasted that he wanted to turn UAlbany into a basketball school. That event certainly boosted that effort, and I'm with you when I say I hope it happens, too.

 

I wonder how Vermont fans and team members felt when they saw the partisan UAlbany crowd. It would be interesting to know their feelings. Maybe it was old hat to them. I know they had experienced three years of wonderful, exciting basketball in their state just before our run this year, but I'm still curious.

[megowen70]

I share what 96 posted about expanding the RACC (way down the line) but would like to see seatbacks in the other sections sooner rather than later. I'm guessing the decision was made to put the benches in to cut costs and will haunt us for a while longer.

 

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I think they can squeeze more people in with benches than with seats with backs. Might be the factor as well as cost. More dollars in with fewer out.

[Patch]

Besides the chair backs the next thing that should be done is to connect the RACC and the Phys Ed building.

 

Build a Large concession area (much like Stony Brooks). It would also allow us to have a much bigger Lobby for ticket sales, an athletic store area for T Shirts, hats etal , increase the the amount of bathroom facilities etc.

[NYR]

In the short term...expand the chair back seating. If we can grow our season ticket numbers this should happen in the next few years

 

In the long term...expand the south and east sides of the RACC to include a concession area, restrooms and offices overlooking the new football field in the existng parking lot

 

I like the ideas of bridging the RACC and PhysEd lobbies

[UAalum72]

Bridging to the gym adds the use of the gym restrooms, and eases the use of the gym for related events, and also use of the RACC restrooms during football games until the new field is built.

 

I can see trying to work out traffic flow problems if the ticket booths remain where they are, or else if the booths move to the entrance of the bridge then people waiting in line will be outdoors in January. Depends if you just enclose the doorways or the entire plaza.

 

Did they use the RACC floor for concessions during the championship game? That would help a lot, the real problem is the concessionaire doesn't seem to know or care how to move customers thru the line in a short time.

 

I don't think switching to chairbacks would lose more than a couple of hundred seats at most, you could make that up with the higher price of seating, and they wouldn't be missed except for two or three games a year. If we averaged 2,500 last year, figure the new base will be no more than 3,000 with sellouts for the BPG and one or two other bigger games - hope to average 3,200 next year.

 

Expanding seating may be tough - even if you go out sideways there isn't enough ceiling to add many rows without rebuilding the entire roof. I bet you coudn't add 10 rows (1,500 seats?) without running into problems with sightlines thru the girders, let alone fire exit issues. It would be a major project.

[Dane96]

Bridging to the gym adds the use of the gym restrooms, and eases the use of the gym for related events, and also use of the RACC restrooms during football games until the new field is built.

 

I can see trying to work out traffic flow problems if the ticket booths remain where they are, or else if the booths move to the entrance of the bridge then people waiting in line will be outdoors in January. Depends if you just enclose the doorways or the entire plaza.

 

Did they use the RACC floor for concessions during the championship game? That would help a lot, the real problem is the concessionaire doesn't seem to know or care how to move customers thru the line in a short time.

 

I don't think switching to chairbacks would lose more than a couple of hundred seats at most, you could make that up with the higher price of seating, and they wouldn't be missed except for two or three games a year. If we averaged 2,500 last year, figure the new base will be no more than 3,000 with sellouts for the BPG and one or two other bigger games - hope to average 3,200 next year.

 

Expanding seating may be tough - even if you go out sideways there isn't enough ceiling to add many rows without rebuilding the entire roof. I bet you coudn't add 10 rows (1,500 seats?) without running into problems with sightlines thru the girders, let alone fire exit issues. It would be a major project.

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Expansion would require raising the roof, much like they did at OK state...but we are A BIT OFF FROM EXPANSION; 10 Years, maybe.

[daneguy04]

Would it be out of the question to have the stands out permanently and make it a one court gym? If that is done then you could build seats into the corners that go back to the locker rooms and simply have a tunnel that leads from the locker room to the court. I figure this could add a few hundred seats. COuld you imagine the team running out of a tunnel after Damian breaks through a huge UA banner right in front of the tunnel, I see sparklers, lazer light shows the whole 9!!!!!

[Patch]

Can't happen anytime soon.

 

The RACC is a multi purpose facility used for track and other events including being rented out for AAU events.

 

It's important not to limit it to just a Basketball game facility unless another multi purpose facility is built which I don't see happening for a LONG TIME.

[NYR]

Albany is no longer advertising an open game on basketballtravelers.com. Could this mean the schedule is complete? Anyone out there with some info?

[olddog71]

Albany is no longer advertising an open game on basketballtravelers.com.  Could this mean the schedule is complete?  Anyone out there with some info?

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Didn't we pick up a home-and-away with NJIT?

[Clickclack]

Albany is no longer advertising an open game on basketballtravelers.com.  Could this mean the schedule is complete?  Anyone out there with some info?

14807[/snapback]

 

Didn't we pick up a home-and-away with NJIT?

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[daneguy04]

Albany is no longer advertising an open game on basketballtravelers.com.  Could this mean the schedule is complete?  Anyone out there with some info?

14807[/snapback]

 

Didn't we pick up a home-and-away with NJIT?

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Clearly that is a good strategic move by any D1 team. Why not give a first year D1 team a home and home? Isn't that what the crown jewels of the NCAA doing?

[olddog71]

. . . Clearly that is a good strategic move by any D1 team.  Why not give a first year D1 team a home and home?  Isn't that what the crown jewels of the NCAA doing?

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daneguy04,

 

I apologize. I only meant my last post as a joke, particularly in the light of the discussion we've been reading on the strengths of schedule between UAlbany and Siena in the last couple days. I really should have indicated my post was merely a joke.

 

In regard to the post, however, you do have a very valid point. We began Division I only a few years ago, and we were happy when we could schedule teams with a decent RPI. It would be cruel to turn our backs now on aspiring new D I programs. I think it's one reason we had Utah Valley State on our schedule last year and plan to play them again this coming season. Now, that situation is not so difficult to obtain for our schedule.

[daneguy04]

Olddog,

 

Perhaps it is me that should be apologizing....I understood your joke and tried to add on to it, apparently not very well. I was merely poking fun at our friends the self-proclaimed "Jewel of the MAAC" for their recent scheduling of a home and home with NJIT.

 

Oops, sorry about the misunderstanding.

[Clickclack]

daneguy and olddog.....skip away holding hands...