This is incredible:


http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/02/grand-ca...an-majerle

Former CMU and NBA star Dan Majerle is the coach. Those were some exciting games when Grant Long and his teammates faced CMU.

Dear Friends,
It helps immensely to have a winning program, and there is no football. I've said it all along, win and they will come.

Grand Canyon is also a for profit school. I think they're the only one in Division I basketball.
Here's some more on their evolution:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016...-nonprofit

(02-15-2017 10:12 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  This is incredible:


http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/02/grand-ca...an-majerle

Luckey, sometimes your thread names and contents don't match too well.

Technically, this is O/T. What another school was able to do.

Why GCU was able to pull it off and say 100 other mid or low majors were not. I don't know.

Three guesses:

1). Folks, esp. kids, like something new and the program was built from the ground up.

2). GCU doesn't have football.

3). The marketing was excellent and Marjerle really helped.

(02-16-2017 02:22 AM)ljmhurons Wrote:  Former CMU and NBA star Dan Majerle is the coach. Those were some exciting games when Grant Long and his teammates faced CMU.

Those games were the best - Bowen rocked!

(02-16-2017 04:12 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 02:22 AM)ljmhurons Wrote:  Former CMU and NBA star Dan Majerle is the coach. Those were some exciting games when Grant Long and his teammates faced CMU.

Those games were the best - Bowen rocked!

I remember, but I don't think one can put the genie back in the bottle.

If we win 27 game next year we'll never have that Bowen magic.

I still maintain and have posted many, many times having the games on webcast means that attendance will never be great.

There just isn't any motivation for a person to drive 25 miles on a Tuesday night.

And with all of the other games on webcast or TV, folks just sit home and channel flip...

When I was at EMU, it was go to a Saturday night FB game or be bored (studying was not on the table) so I went to the games...

Now to get fans to come it has to be something great: Tailgating, suites, etc.

I would like to see a concert at the Convo AFTER a football game. Free admittance to the concert with your stamped football ticket...

(02-16-2017 04:54 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 04:12 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 02:22 AM)ljmhurons Wrote:  Former CMU and NBA star Dan Majerle is the coach. Those were some exciting games when Grant Long and his teammates faced CMU.

Those games were the best - Bowen rocked!

I remember, but I don't think one can put the genie back in the bottle.

If we win 27 game next year we'll never have that Bowen magic.

I still maintain and have posted many, many times having the games on webcast means that attendance will never be great.

There just isn't any motivation for a person to drive 25 miles on a Tuesday night.

And with all of the other games on webcast or TV, folks just sit home and channel flip...

When I was at EMU, it was go to a Saturday night FB game or be bored (studying was not on the table) so I went to the games...

Now to get fans to come it has to be something great: Tailgating, suites, etc.

I would like to see a concert at the Convo AFTER a football game. Free admittance to the concert with your stamped football ticket...

It would have greatly helped placing the Convo on campus, but no way to undo that one either

(02-16-2017 05:31 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 04:54 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 04:12 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 02:22 AM)ljmhurons Wrote:  Former CMU and NBA star Dan Majerle is the coach. Those were some exciting games when Grant Long and his teammates faced CMU.

Those games were the best - Bowen rocked!

I remember, but I don't think one can put the genie back in the bottle.

If we win 27 game next year we'll never have that Bowen magic.

I still maintain and have posted many, many times having the games on webcast means that attendance will never be great.

There just isn't any motivation for a person to drive 25 miles on a Tuesday night.

And with all of the other games on webcast or TV, folks just sit home and channel flip...

When I was at EMU, it was go to a Saturday night FB game or be bored (studying was not on the table) so I went to the games...

Now to get fans to come it has to be something great: Tailgating, suites, etc.

I would like to see a concert at the Convo AFTER a football game. Free admittance to the concert with your stamped football ticket...

It would have greatly helped placing the Convo on campus, but no way to undo that one either

Where? I am sick of this it would not of helped one bit!

(02-16-2017 04:12 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 02:22 AM)ljmhurons Wrote:  Former CMU and NBA star Dan Majerle is the coach. Those were some exciting games when Grant Long and his teammates faced CMU.

Those games were the best - Bowen rocked!

If we could get 2000 in the Convo itbwouls rock as well to bad we haven't had team or games to bring in the fans! The first game agsinst Michigan brought in over 7000 and msu game brought in 3500.

(02-16-2017 06:57 PM)emussuperfan Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 05:31 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 04:54 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 04:12 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 02:22 AM)ljmhurons Wrote:  Former CMU and NBA star Dan Majerle is the coach. Those were some exciting games when Grant Long and his teammates faced CMU.

Those games were the best - Bowen rocked!

I remember, but I don't think one can put the genie back in the bottle.

If we win 27 game next year we'll never have that Bowen magic.

I still maintain and have posted many, many times having the games on webcast means that attendance will never be great.

There just isn't any motivation for a person to drive 25 miles on a Tuesday night.

And with all of the other games on webcast or TV, folks just sit home and channel flip...

When I was at EMU, it was go to a Saturday night FB game or be bored (studying was not on the table) so I went to the games...

Now to get fans to come it has to be something great: Tailgating, suites, etc.

I would like to see a concert at the Convo AFTER a football game. Free admittance to the concert with your stamped football ticket...

It would have greatly helped placing the Convo on campus, but no way to undo that one either

Where? I am sick of this it would not of helped one bit!

And it is just as easy to get half-interested students with no transportation to drive to the Convo? Give me a break - part of what I LOVED about Bowen was how easy it was to get there.

Parking lots on the north side of campus - plenty of room for convo footprint. But that's prime parking areas - can't lose that!!

(02-16-2017 08:44 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 06:57 PM)emussuperfan Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 05:31 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 04:54 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(02-16-2017 04:12 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  Those games were the best - Bowen rocked!

I remember, but I don't think one can put the genie back in the bottle.

If we win 27 game next year we'll never have that Bowen magic.

I still maintain and have posted many, many times having the games on webcast means that attendance will never be great.

There just isn't any motivation for a person to drive 25 miles on a Tuesday night.

And with all of the other games on webcast or TV, folks just sit home and channel flip...

When I was at EMU, it was go to a Saturday night FB game or be bored (studying was not on the table) so I went to the games...

Now to get fans to come it has to be something great: Tailgating, suites, etc.

I would like to see a concert at the Convo AFTER a football game. Free admittance to the concert with your stamped football ticket...

It would have greatly helped placing the Convo on campus, but no way to undo that one either

Where? I am sick of this it would not of helped one bit!

And it is just as easy to get half-interested students with no transportation to drive to the Convo? Give me a break - part of what I LOVED about Bowen was how easy it was to get there.

Parking lots on the north side of campus - plenty of room for convo footprint. But that's prime parking areas - can't lose that!!

They would of had to destroy the park. Nope.

I'll repeat a post I've made many times.

Zoning is a real issue.

Dr. Shelton told me they could not do an arena where Bowen sits because of traffic on Oakwood. No way would that get approved now or twenty years ago.

Bowen wasn't a 4,500 seat fieldhouse when it was approved way back in the dark ages.

(This was before my time, but originially wasn't seating one side at court level + the balcony).

I can't speak of other locations near Huron River if they had space for a convo, parking, etc. etc.

I'll toss out a thought:

They could have built an arena on N. Huron between Oakwood and Mayhew BUT they would have had to build a parking garage to add several thousand parking spaces where Google Maps says is Green Lot #2 or other other lot by Mayhew.

All of that said, the Convo might not be overly convenient for students without cars, but it is the most accessible arena I have ever been to.

Or directions from the airport (no GPS required): I-94 West (Chicago) to 23, North to Washtenaw East (Ypsi) to Hewitt and then left to the Convo/stadium. (off the top of my head).

20 - 20 hindsight: I do wonder what student attendance would be like if the arena had been by the dorms. It would have had to be smaller, say 6K...

(02-17-2017 11:03 AM)emu steve Wrote:  I'll toss out a thought:

They could have built an arena on N. Huron between Oakwood and Mayhew BUT they would have had to build a parking garage to add several thousand parking spaces where Google Maps says is Green Lot #2 or other other lot by Mayhew.

All of that said, the Convo might not be overly convenient for students without cars, but it is the most accessible arena I have ever been to.

Or directions from the airport (no GPS required): I-94 West (Chicago) to 23, North to Washtenaw East (Ypsi) to Hewitt and then left to the Convo/stadium. (off the top of my head).

20 - 20 hindsight: I do wonder what student attendance would be like if the arena had been by the dorms. It would have had to be smaller, say 6K...

As someone in the development world - I can also tell you that the convo site was most likely the most cost effective as well - no demolition, already own the land, probably no environmental issues, and so on. This makes any more logical alternative site fade into the background.

(02-17-2017 11:22 AM)Huron Boy Wrote:  

(02-17-2017 11:03 AM)emu steve Wrote:  I'll toss out a thought:

They could have built an arena on N. Huron between Oakwood and Mayhew BUT they would have had to build a parking garage to add several thousand parking spaces where Google Maps says is Green Lot #2 or other other lot by Mayhew.

All of that said, the Convo might not be overly convenient for students without cars, but it is the most accessible arena I have ever been to.

Or directions from the airport (no GPS required): I-94 West (Chicago) to 23, North to Washtenaw East (Ypsi) to Hewitt and then left to the Convo/stadium. (off the top of my head).

20 - 20 hindsight: I do wonder what student attendance would be like if the arena had been by the dorms. It would have had to be smaller, say 6K...

As someone in the development world - I can also tell you that the convo site was most likely the most cost effective as well - no demolition, already own the land, probably no environmental issues, and so on. This makes any more logical alternative site fade into the background.

Agree.

I think the big thing is that the site wasn't picked out of thin air:

1). The football stadium and parking were already in place.

2). There were other sports co-located with football at the site making it possible for the west campus site to hold most sporting teams rather than have teams located at Bowen, Rynearson and a third facility (a Convo).

3). Post hoc, the abundance of space by Rynearson made it possible to build an IPF as part of the same athletic facilities campus. For example, baseball has its stadium and IPF a short walk away.

4). The only problem I see is that indoor T&F (including offices) is at Bowen and outdoor at Ryearson.

(02-17-2017 11:30 AM)emu steve Wrote:  

(02-17-2017 11:22 AM)Huron Boy Wrote:  

(02-17-2017 11:03 AM)emu steve Wrote:  I'll toss out a thought:

They could have built an arena on N. Huron between Oakwood and Mayhew BUT they would have had to build a parking garage to add several thousand parking spaces where Google Maps says is Green Lot #2 or other other lot by Mayhew.

All of that said, the Convo might not be overly convenient for students without cars, but it is the most accessible arena I have ever been to.

Or directions from the airport (no GPS required): I-94 West (Chicago) to 23, North to Washtenaw East (Ypsi) to Hewitt and then left to the Convo/stadium. (off the top of my head).

20 - 20 hindsight: I do wonder what student attendance would be like if the arena had been by the dorms. It would have had to be smaller, say 6K...

As someone in the development world - I can also tell you that the convo site was most likely the most cost effective as well - no demolition, already own the land, probably no environmental issues, and so on. This makes any more logical alternative site fade into the background.

Agree.

I think the big thing is that the site wasn't picked out of thin air:

1). The football stadium and parking were already in place.

2). There were other sports co-located with football at the site making it possible for the west campus site to hold most sporting teams rather than have teams located at Bowen, Rynearson and a third facility (a Convo).

3). Post hoc, the abundance of space by Rynearson made it possible to build an IPF as part of the same athletic facilities campus. For example, baseball has its stadium and IPF a short walk away.

4). The only problem I see is that indoor T&F (including offices) is at Bowen and outdoor at Ryearson.

In hindsight, if we could rebuild convocation center, it would be smaller and on campus. It's an experiment gone wrong!

Dear Friends,
I have said this before, and others have implied it in their statements thus far. Going back to President Sponberg and Athletic Director Ferzacca. it was decided because of space requirements, parking, and traffic flow, that an athletic campus would be created, where it now stands. All the wishing, hand wringing, worrying about attendance, etc., is not going to change anything. Just to add, the Convocation Center was built to the size it is, because graduations are held there. So, please, can we stop beating a dead horse.

(02-17-2017 04:08 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
I have said thus before, and others have implied it in their statements thus far. Going back to President Sponberg and Athletic Director Ferzacca. it was decided because of space requirements, parking, and traffic flow, that an athletic campus would be created, where it now stands. All the wishing, hand wringing, worrying about attendance, etc., is not going to change anything. Just to add, the Convocation Center was built to the size it is, because graduations are held there. So, please, can we stop beating a dead horse.

Amen. You said it 10 x better than I have ever.