I will respond in blocks.
(02-02-2014 11:56 PM)LUSportsFan Wrote: I apologize for the long response, but there are a lot of misleading statements that require a reply.
Until last season and the first part of this season, we had never had less than 7 games won in a single season of basketball. Hopefully, this is just an anomaly which is two years removed from the NCAA tournament appearance in 2012. I don't know how long it will take to recover. It could be next year. Example is Texas A&M. Melvin Watkins last season, the basketball team was 6-24. In Billy Gillespie's first season they were 24-8 going to the NIT. We had a similar turnaround,except we had the same coach, going from 8-17 (1967-68) to 20-4 (1968-1969) ranking in the AP top 20 for a portion of the season, getting on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and defeating several top 20 teams. UTA gave us the first loss that 1968-1969 season.
The problem with what you cited is these are one-year turnarounds. Knight has slowly turned a decent program into the ground. In the last five years, there has been one winning season. Your last tourney appearance was in the play-in-game. The good news is you are in the SLC and rebounding should be easier. The bad news is Lamar has this kind of performance while playing SLC-level competition.
(02-02-2014 11:56 PM)LUSportsFan Wrote: In reference to the "over-sized" Montagne Center, we did have 6,059 in attendance at one of last year's games and averaged close to 3,000 for the season. Not too bad for a team that only won 3 games. Also, most years have some games of at least 5,000 in attendance for some games and up to around 8,000. It's not like when the Montagne Center was new and we were averaging around 6,000-8,000 with peaks of 9,000+ during and after the 7th longest home game winning streak in NCAA DI history (80 games), but it is still using capacity.
There is no question that Lamar has been at the top of the SLC in basketball attendance. But even at 5,000 for one game, which is a good turnout, the place is less than half full. When I kept track of attendance when UTA was in the SLC, Lamar averaged consistently 2,200-2,400. That means the place averages less than 25% capacity. That creates a lot of dead space and noise suppressing air. The higher the capacity, the noise level has to rise even further. If Lamar averaged above 5,000, it would have the noise and atmosphere of places that seat between 6-7 and draws 2,500. TXST has an awkward wall, but it helps keep the noise level up in Strahan, and makes it a harder place to play.
(02-02-2014 11:56 PM)LUSportsFan Wrote: In reference to the softball field comment, Ford Park is a temporary field for a softball team that started last year. An on-campus stadium is planned for this year. Highest game attendance for an LU home game at that "bare bones community facility" was 618 against UTSA on 2/9/2013. That's compared with UTA's Alan Saxe Field capacity of 250. They squeezed the fans in somewhere in that alleged dump. The 618 is about 5 times as much as UTA averaged last year (105) for home games. (LU averaged 338 last year.)
I'm glad LU softball averages well, but the truth is, the team doesn't play well and the facility is lacking. Our attendance is low, but we just opened a new indoor practice facility and after this year, a new clubhouse as well as field and capacity improvements are on the way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Saxe_Field
That said, UTA has always fielded a nationally competitive team. We are right up there for most SLC regular season championships. We were the only ones to give UL-L a run for their money when they were a member until 1987. Sam Houston, TXST or UTA were almost always the champ in the '90's or 00's. If our conference tourney performance wasn't so dreadful, we'd have far more NCAA's.
Our spring sports are another reason conferences like the WAC and SBC found UTA attractive during realignment.
(02-02-2014 11:56 PM)LUSportsFan Wrote: Looking at the baseball stadium, an estimated $5,000,000 renovation to the "borg of a stadium cobbled together" Vincent-Beck baseball stadium is scheduled in a couple of years. Even so, the stadium has been good enough to field a team able to make the NCAA playoffs thirteen times. Speaking of baseball, it is interesting that we are still tied for third in the number of Sun Belt Tournament championships even though we left in 1998.
I didn't question your baseball's competitiveness. In fact I gave props to it and the golf team. That said, Vincent-Beck is not a pleasant stadium. Each "addition" to the stadium stands out and nothing is compatible or blended together. For the record, UTA's Clay Gould Ballpark suffers from some of the same, but the latest renovations have been done with that in mind and future renovations will rectify some of those issues.
That said, UTA and Lamar have always fielded competitive teams and were Lamar never apart of the SLC and everything else was the same, UTA would have three times more championships and NCAA appearances. I know what their baseball brings to the table. That sport alone would be a quality add for the SBC. Unfortunately, most other sports would be a drag.
(02-02-2014 11:56 PM)LUSportsFan Wrote: Back to the football stadium and complex we spent over $28,000,000 in renovations on, I personally don't think things should be torn down and something else rebuilt in its place in every case. I think there has been enough of that in the nation already. Structurally, there was nothing wrong with PUS before the renovation. I'm glad the University went the renovation route.
As for Provost Umphrey, I had season tickets at the stadium (then Cardinal Stadium) from for 13 years until I was transferred to Lafayette. I agree with your description of the stadium in its configuration during that time even though it compared favorably with its contemporaries.
In its current configuration, the stadium is nice. It would need an expansion if there was a move up, but it is nice. My opinion is based on spending a lot of time at various football stadiums over the years due to having season tickets at several college football stadiums since that period. I had season tickets to Ragin' Cajun football when living in Lafayette. After moving to Houston, I had season tickets to Texas A&M games for fifteen years after that. The level I was in at Kyle Field was almost 100 years old. The age of the deck didn't affect my enjoyment of the game one bit. (I'm a third generation Aggie also.)
I've had season tickets at Provost-Umphrey for the last three seasons. Access to Provost-Umphrey seating is mid level of the stadium at street level. (A good portion of the stadium is below street level. The stadium is not dug down as much as "The Swamp", but it is dug down. There is a wide concourse between the upper and lower sections of the stadium. Walking aisles are wide. We lost 1,500 seats in capacity because of that, but it is nice; particularly for my wife's arthritic knees. Once in the stadium access to seating is easy. With the stadium "dug in" it is deceptive from street level. There are 47 rows with around 20 of those rows below the concourse. Using Kyle field as a comparison, its first deck had around 40 rows. I know, because our seats were under the second deck three rows from the top of the first deck in that stadium. Access to the first deck from from the top and then down.
The end zone complex is nice, but it stands out from the rest of the stadium. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. You cite A&M, which plays in a stadium much older than the formerly-named Cardinal Stadium. However, as they have expanded the stadium, they have upgraded the existing portions. To me, PUS looks like mostly a paint job was used for the existing structure. Stadiums like that can get the venerable tag if the place is rocking. I haven't experienced it, but everything I gather is that Lamar football games aren't in a venerable venue.
(02-02-2014 11:56 PM)LUSportsFan Wrote: IJust a question. If UTA does bring back football, will UTA play in Maverick Stadium, build a new stadium, or play in Jerry World? It looks like a lot of work would need to be done with Maverick Stadium just to make it ADA compliant based on pictures on UTA's athletics website. It looks like entrance would be from ground level and then up. Also, did UTA remove some seats? I thought Maverick Stadium used to have an 17,500 - 18,000 capacity. The website shows 12,500.
Maverick Stadium would need some work for current I-AA needs, and a bit more for 1-A. My chats with the players that be indicate they would look at Jerry World first.
The Mav is ADA compliant. There are ramps from the South Entrance to the stadium entryway as well as an elevator stop. There are wheelchair specific seating areas at the main entryway.
Capacity has always been 12,500-15,000.
The main work UTA would need would be to upgrade the guts and increase capacity.
(02-02-2014 11:56 PM)LUSportsFan Wrote: Finally, I really don't understand the animosity and vitriol. I just like to talk sports with people. I follow the Cardinals and the Aggies, but I also follow the Ragin' Cajuns as well as former conference members over the years. Some of my best friends graduated from a lot of the universities. We just talk sports.
There's no animosity here. I am one of the most unbiased people when it comes to sports fact. Maybe it is a byproduct of being a UTA fan, but I am about as realistic as they come. Talk sports all you want, but I will do the same and call out what I think are fallacies.
That said, Schwish is rubbing on me because he joined last month, is nearing 100 posts and almost all of them are Lamar is great and about to join the SBC because he knows a guy who said so. There are a lot of connected people on this board to those in the know and Lamar's name is just not being brought up.
(02-02-2014 11:56 PM)LUSportsFan Wrote: Speaking of talking sports, I had some good times in Arlington in the "old days". Some of the Bob LeGrande teams were pretty good as I recall. I was glad when y'all got the CPC. Although "The Stage" was unique (and an enjoyable experience for me), it was not a place conducive to building a strong fan base. The wife and I had seats in the bleachers on the stage at some of the games we attended. It seemed like y'all should have had a great home court advantage there. I know it is good to be looking at that in the rear view mirror, though. Based on the last four or five years, it looks like you have a good basketball coach now.
The highest attended game at Texas Hall was the UTA-Lamar affair in January of 1981. UTA had a great chance with that team to end Lamar's reign at the top of the SLC. 4,300+ crammed into Texas Hall, capacity 3,300 to watch an eventual 89-84 Lamar win in OT. UTA would end the year in second and go to the NIT and lose to...South Alabama. Lamar would make another sweet sixteen run.
Yes Texas Hall was unique. We won over 60% of our games there, versus 43% overall. That said, we lost a lot on the road because Texas Hall was a hard place to recruit good players. I haven't done the math, but would presume UTA's record away from Texas Hall would be in the low 30's.
A lot of UTA's stars were either transfers or diamond's in the rough. I personally loved the atmosphere. A small crowd of only 1,000 created an exciting atmosphere. But, being the unbiased guy as I am, realize it is what it is. CPC is the main reason we were invited to the WAC and then the SBC.
