(02-22-2023 11:47 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:41 AM)Mettlen Wrote:  ODU seems to have better concessions, but I was surprised how tiny some of the restrooms are. Not sure if that ever causes issues with lines. ODU has more chairback seats, which I would enjoy if I was buying a ticket. JMU gets much louder. That was intentional with the design. 5,000 people in the AUBC make more noise than 8,000 at the Ted. When the AUBC was sold out for the UVA game it was absolutely deafening. The only louder place I've been is Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse.

Agreed on the noise but it sounds weird at JMU. I would guess that's because of how the sound reverberates off of the aluminum wall of the club. And JMU does have one really nice big bathroom. But I went into one on the club side of the stadium that only had 3 urinals and the line out of that bathroom extended out onto the concourse and collided with a way too long and slow moving beer line.

The concourse on that side is the worst design element of the place. Like you said bathroom and concessions lines on that side are much worse. One thing I forgot to mention, but a great thing about JMU's is that on the other side you can still see the court while roaming around the concourse. Liberty's new arena is actually awesome in this regard. You can be in line anywhere in the place and still see the game. JMU only has it on one side and the view from the concourse isn't as good as it is at Liberty, but you're not totally closed off from the action. I guess JMU likes their venues uneven, lol.

(02-22-2023 12:38 PM)Mettlen Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:47 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:41 AM)Mettlen Wrote:  ODU seems to have better concessions, but I was surprised how tiny some of the restrooms are. Not sure if that ever causes issues with lines. ODU has more chairback seats, which I would enjoy if I was buying a ticket. JMU gets much louder. That was intentional with the design. 5,000 people in the AUBC make more noise than 8,000 at the Ted. When the AUBC was sold out for the UVA game it was absolutely deafening. The only louder place I've been is Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse.

Agreed on the noise but it sounds weird at JMU. I would guess that's because of how the sound reverberates off of the aluminum wall of the club. And JMU does have one really nice big bathroom. But I went into one on the club side of the stadium that only had 3 urinals and the line out of that bathroom extended out onto the concourse and collided with a way too long and slow moving beer line.

The concourse on that side is the worst design element of the place. Like you said bathroom and concessions lines on that side are much worse. One thing I forgot to mention, but a great thing about JMU's is that on the other side you can still see the court while roaming around the concourse. Liberty's new arena is actually awesome in this regard. You can be in line anywhere in the place and still see the game. JMU only has it on one side and the view from the concourse isn't as good as it is at Liberty, but you're not totally closed off from the action. I guess JMU likes their venues uneven, lol.

That is an awesome design element that I hope ULM can implement when we re-design Fant-Ewing. Not holding my breath for it though.
Since you have apparently been to a lot of venues, which G5 is your favorite and why?

(02-22-2023 01:07 PM)WARDAWG93 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 12:38 PM)Mettlen Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:47 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:41 AM)Mettlen Wrote:  ODU seems to have better concessions, but I was surprised how tiny some of the restrooms are. Not sure if that ever causes issues with lines. ODU has more chairback seats, which I would enjoy if I was buying a ticket. JMU gets much louder. That was intentional with the design. 5,000 people in the AUBC make more noise than 8,000 at the Ted. When the AUBC was sold out for the UVA game it was absolutely deafening. The only louder place I've been is Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse.

Agreed on the noise but it sounds weird at JMU. I would guess that's because of how the sound reverberates off of the aluminum wall of the club. And JMU does have one really nice big bathroom. But I went into one on the club side of the stadium that only had 3 urinals and the line out of that bathroom extended out onto the concourse and collided with a way too long and slow moving beer line.

The concourse on that side is the worst design element of the place. Like you said bathroom and concessions lines on that side are much worse. One thing I forgot to mention, but a great thing about JMU's is that on the other side you can still see the court while roaming around the concourse. Liberty's new arena is actually awesome in this regard. You can be in line anywhere in the place and still see the game. JMU only has it on one side and the view from the concourse isn't as good as it is at Liberty, but you're not totally closed off from the action. I guess JMU likes their venues uneven, lol.

That is an awesome design element that I hope ULM can implement when we re-design Fant-Ewing. Not holding my breath for it though.
Since you have apparently been to a lot of venues, which G5 is your favorite and why?

Most of the G5/Mid-Major ones I've been to are in Virginia and the mid-Atlantic so there is that. As mentioned, JMU and ODU along with VCU and Liberty in this area have really outstanding facilities. Otherwise it can depend on how you look at it. Towson's is really nice, but there is no atmosphere to speak of. UNC Wilmington's arena isn't anything special as a building, but they have a great atmosphere. Monmouth's is small, but really nice. Wichita State's is really nice since they renovated and renamed it. I haven't seen Georgia State's new one yet, but it looks great. I'd love to get to a game at Utah State.

(02-22-2023 03:59 PM)Mettlen Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 01:07 PM)WARDAWG93 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 12:38 PM)Mettlen Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:47 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:41 AM)Mettlen Wrote:  ODU seems to have better concessions, but I was surprised how tiny some of the restrooms are. Not sure if that ever causes issues with lines. ODU has more chairback seats, which I would enjoy if I was buying a ticket. JMU gets much louder. That was intentional with the design. 5,000 people in the AUBC make more noise than 8,000 at the Ted. When the AUBC was sold out for the UVA game it was absolutely deafening. The only louder place I've been is Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse.

Agreed on the noise but it sounds weird at JMU. I would guess that's because of how the sound reverberates off of the aluminum wall of the club. And JMU does have one really nice big bathroom. But I went into one on the club side of the stadium that only had 3 urinals and the line out of that bathroom extended out onto the concourse and collided with a way too long and slow moving beer line.

The concourse on that side is the worst design element of the place. Like you said bathroom and concessions lines on that side are much worse. One thing I forgot to mention, but a great thing about JMU's is that on the other side you can still see the court while roaming around the concourse. Liberty's new arena is actually awesome in this regard. You can be in line anywhere in the place and still see the game. JMU only has it on one side and the view from the concourse isn't as good as it is at Liberty, but you're not totally closed off from the action. I guess JMU likes their venues uneven, lol.

That is an awesome design element that I hope ULM can implement when we re-design Fant-Ewing. Not holding my breath for it though.
Since you have apparently been to a lot of venues, which G5 is your favorite and why?

Most of the G5/Mid-Major ones I've been to are in Virginia and the mid-Atlantic so there is that. As mentioned, JMU and ODU along with VCU and Liberty in this area have really outstanding facilities. Otherwise it can depend on how you look at it. Towson's is really nice, but there is no atmosphere to speak of. UNC Wilmington's arena isn't anything special as a building, but they have a great atmosphere. Monmouth's is small, but really nice. Wichita State's is really nice since they renovated and renamed it. I haven't seen Georgia State's new one yet, but it looks great. I'd love to get to a game at Utah State.

We just hired Utah State's former AD, Hartwell.

(02-22-2023 12:38 PM)Mettlen Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:47 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:41 AM)Mettlen Wrote:  ODU seems to have better concessions, but I was surprised how tiny some of the restrooms are. Not sure if that ever causes issues with lines. ODU has more chairback seats, which I would enjoy if I was buying a ticket. JMU gets much louder. That was intentional with the design. 5,000 people in the AUBC make more noise than 8,000 at the Ted. When the AUBC was sold out for the UVA game it was absolutely deafening. The only louder place I've been is Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse.

Agreed on the noise but it sounds weird at JMU. I would guess that's because of how the sound reverberates off of the aluminum wall of the club. And JMU does have one really nice big bathroom. But I went into one on the club side of the stadium that only had 3 urinals and the line out of that bathroom extended out onto the concourse and collided with a way too long and slow moving beer line.

The concourse on that side is the worst design element of the place. Like you said bathroom and concessions lines on that side are much worse. One thing I forgot to mention, but a great thing about JMU's is that on the other side you can still see the court while roaming around the concourse. Liberty's new arena is actually awesome in this regard. You can be in line anywhere in the place and still see the game. JMU only has it on one side and the view from the concourse isn't as good as it is at Liberty, but you're not totally closed off from the action. I guess JMU likes their venues uneven, lol.

How did you come to the conclusion that the Ted has more “chairback” seats? Are you talking about overall seating capacity? In that regard yes, the Ted has a larger listed seating capacity at 9100, and the AUBC is listed at 8500. Otherwise all seats at the AUBC are “chairbacks”…even the general admission seats in the AUBC are chairbacks. Your comment is misleading. If you meant seating “capacity” write “capacity” not chair backs.

Not sure what to make of the comment that the AUBC sounds “weird”….perhaps “weird” means “loud” because until recently that would be “ weird” for a JMU MBB game. The acoustics of the AUBC are great, and a crowd of 5k does rock the place. Only around 4600 attended the Marshall game last night and the place was LOUD. The 8500 who filled the AUBC for the UVA game was so loud it was almost painful.

As for the AUBC concourse on the club side being “the worse design element” other arenas should be so lucky. I’ll chalk that comment up to nitpicking. That side of the arena is host to a number of special features, and they all work well together.

Objectively. outside of the JPC, there is no other college venue in Virginia that matches the AUBC. There are always things in retrospect you wish might have been designed differently, or with a bigger budget improved upon, but in general JMU and the architects got it right. The AUBC will stand the test of time as a sporting venue.

(02-23-2023 05:10 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 12:38 PM)Mettlen Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:47 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:41 AM)Mettlen Wrote:  ODU seems to have better concessions, but I was surprised how tiny some of the restrooms are. Not sure if that ever causes issues with lines. ODU has more chairback seats, which I would enjoy if I was buying a ticket. JMU gets much louder. That was intentional with the design. 5,000 people in the AUBC make more noise than 8,000 at the Ted. When the AUBC was sold out for the UVA game it was absolutely deafening. The only louder place I've been is Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse.

Agreed on the noise but it sounds weird at JMU. I would guess that's because of how the sound reverberates off of the aluminum wall of the club. And JMU does have one really nice big bathroom. But I went into one on the club side of the stadium that only had 3 urinals and the line out of that bathroom extended out onto the concourse and collided with a way too long and slow moving beer line.

The concourse on that side is the worst design element of the place. Like you said bathroom and concessions lines on that side are much worse. One thing I forgot to mention, but a great thing about JMU's is that on the other side you can still see the court while roaming around the concourse. Liberty's new arena is actually awesome in this regard. You can be in line anywhere in the place and still see the game. JMU only has it on one side and the view from the concourse isn't as good as it is at Liberty, but you're not totally closed off from the action. I guess JMU likes their venues uneven, lol.

Objectively. outside of the JPC, there is no other college venue in Virginia that matches the AUBC.

Specifically, what notable elements do the JPC and the AUBC have that no other college venues in Virginia can match?

(02-23-2023 08:57 AM)ODU BBALL Wrote:  

(02-23-2023 05:10 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 12:38 PM)Mettlen Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:47 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:41 AM)Mettlen Wrote:  ODU seems to have better concessions, but I was surprised how tiny some of the restrooms are. Not sure if that ever causes issues with lines. ODU has more chairback seats, which I would enjoy if I was buying a ticket. JMU gets much louder. That was intentional with the design. 5,000 people in the AUBC make more noise than 8,000 at the Ted. When the AUBC was sold out for the UVA game it was absolutely deafening. The only louder place I've been is Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse.

Agreed on the noise but it sounds weird at JMU. I would guess that's because of how the sound reverberates off of the aluminum wall of the club. And JMU does have one really nice big bathroom. But I went into one on the club side of the stadium that only had 3 urinals and the line out of that bathroom extended out onto the concourse and collided with a way too long and slow moving beer line.

The concourse on that side is the worst design element of the place. Like you said bathroom and concessions lines on that side are much worse. One thing I forgot to mention, but a great thing about JMU's is that on the other side you can still see the court while roaming around the concourse. Liberty's new arena is actually awesome in this regard. You can be in line anywhere in the place and still see the game. JMU only has it on one side and the view from the concourse isn't as good as it is at Liberty, but you're not totally closed off from the action. I guess JMU likes their venues uneven, lol.

Objectively. outside of the JPC, there is no other college venue in Virginia that matches the AUBC.

Specifically, what notable elements do the JPC and the AUBC have that no other college venues in Virginia can match?

Having been to all three of these venues, I would say that the layout is awkward at UVA. It's very nice and big, but it's just not as good a place to experience a game in my opinion. It's certainly an outstanding facility, but I just don't feel as connected to the action there as I do at ODU or JMU.

The lopsided arena at JMU, which seems to be theme with JMU facilities , is a little weird, but it makes for a unique space. Some of the restrooms at ODU are small, but there are many and lines aren't an issue. The corrugated metal panels on surfaces at JMU is what makes the venue feel less than first class and makes the noise sound strange, but it's also what makes it loud - BTW you actually need to get 5K people in the building for it to sound like 8k

VCU shouldn't even be in this discussion... that place is just a Costco full of rude weirdos.

(02-23-2023 05:10 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 12:38 PM)Mettlen Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:47 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:41 AM)Mettlen Wrote:  ODU seems to have better concessions, but I was surprised how tiny some of the restrooms are. Not sure if that ever causes issues with lines. ODU has more chairback seats, which I would enjoy if I was buying a ticket. JMU gets much louder. That was intentional with the design. 5,000 people in the AUBC make more noise than 8,000 at the Ted. When the AUBC was sold out for the UVA game it was absolutely deafening. The only louder place I've been is Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse.

Agreed on the noise but it sounds weird at JMU. I would guess that's because of how the sound reverberates off of the aluminum wall of the club. And JMU does have one really nice big bathroom. But I went into one on the club side of the stadium that only had 3 urinals and the line out of that bathroom extended out onto the concourse and collided with a way too long and slow moving beer line.

The concourse on that side is the worst design element of the place. Like you said bathroom and concessions lines on that side are much worse. One thing I forgot to mention, but a great thing about JMU's is that on the other side you can still see the court while roaming around the concourse. Liberty's new arena is actually awesome in this regard. You can be in line anywhere in the place and still see the game. JMU only has it on one side and the view from the concourse isn't as good as it is at Liberty, but you're not totally closed off from the action. I guess JMU likes their venues uneven, lol.

How did you come to the conclusion that the Ted has more “chairback” seats? Are you talking about overall seating capacity? In that regard yes, the Ted has a larger listed seating capacity at 9100, and the AUBC is listed at 8500. Otherwise all seats at the AUBC are “chairbacks”…even the general admission seats in the AUBC are chairbacks. Your comment is misleading. If you meant seating “capacity” write “capacity” not chair backs.

One end of the student section is bleachers, making it impossible for all seats to be chairbacks.

Correct. Not sure what Longhorn was talking about.

(02-23-2023 09:56 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  One end of the student section is bleachers, making it impossible for all seats to be chairbacks.

Yeah and honestly in my opinion I would love for both ends to be completely without seats to force the student sections to stand all game. Some games the students are great, really loud and rowdy while standing all game. Some games at least one end is really disappointing. Last night one end was slow to stand and get engaged both halves but was great the last ten minutes of each half.

I'm not sure if they would ever consider taking the seats out of the student sections though since the arena is obviously for more than just basketball. Hopefully the program continues to improve toward what it used to be and the Electric Zoo returns without a need to force it. At football games there's certainly no issue getting the students to be loud and rowdy, they just need to see basketball the same way.

(02-23-2023 01:14 PM)KickItToScotty Wrote:  

(02-23-2023 09:56 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  One end of the student section is bleachers, making it impossible for all seats to be chairbacks.

Yeah and honestly in my opinion I would love for both ends to be completely without seats to force the student sections to stand all game. Some games the students are great, really loud and rowdy while standing all game. Some games at least one end is really disappointing. Last night one end was slow to stand and get engaged both halves but was great the last ten minutes of each half.

I'm not sure if they would ever consider taking the seats out of the student sections though since the arena is obviously for more than just basketball. Hopefully the program continues to improve toward what it used to be and the Electric Zoo returns without a need to force it. At football games there's certainly no issue getting the students to be loud and rowdy, they just need to see basketball the same way.

It seems like unless you're Duke w/ the Cameron Crazies or something, students are very fickle.

(02-23-2023 01:22 PM)bit_9 Wrote:  

(02-23-2023 01:14 PM)KickItToScotty Wrote:  

(02-23-2023 09:56 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  One end of the student section is bleachers, making it impossible for all seats to be chairbacks.

Yeah and honestly in my opinion I would love for both ends to be completely without seats to force the student sections to stand all game. Some games the students are great, really loud and rowdy while standing all game. Some games at least one end is really disappointing. Last night one end was slow to stand and get engaged both halves but was great the last ten minutes of each half.

I'm not sure if they would ever consider taking the seats out of the student sections though since the arena is obviously for more than just basketball. Hopefully the program continues to improve toward what it used to be and the Electric Zoo returns without a need to force it. At football games there's certainly no issue getting the students to be loud and rowdy, they just need to see basketball the same way.

It seems like unless you're Duke w/ the Cameron Crazies or something, students are very fickle.

We will see if Duke can maintain that standard if the product on the court cannot match their lofty expectations.

(02-23-2023 05:10 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 12:38 PM)Mettlen Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:47 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:41 AM)Mettlen Wrote:  ODU seems to have better concessions, but I was surprised how tiny some of the restrooms are. Not sure if that ever causes issues with lines. ODU has more chairback seats, which I would enjoy if I was buying a ticket. JMU gets much louder. That was intentional with the design. 5,000 people in the AUBC make more noise than 8,000 at the Ted. When the AUBC was sold out for the UVA game it was absolutely deafening. The only louder place I've been is Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse.

Agreed on the noise but it sounds weird at JMU. I would guess that's because of how the sound reverberates off of the aluminum wall of the club. And JMU does have one really nice big bathroom. But I went into one on the club side of the stadium that only had 3 urinals and the line out of that bathroom extended out onto the concourse and collided with a way too long and slow moving beer line.

The concourse on that side is the worst design element of the place. Like you said bathroom and concessions lines on that side are much worse. One thing I forgot to mention, but a great thing about JMU's is that on the other side you can still see the court while roaming around the concourse. Liberty's new arena is actually awesome in this regard. You can be in line anywhere in the place and still see the game. JMU only has it on one side and the view from the concourse isn't as good as it is at Liberty, but you're not totally closed off from the action. I guess JMU likes their venues uneven, lol.

How did you come to the conclusion that the Ted has more “chairback” seats? Are you talking about overall seating capacity? In that regard yes, the Ted has a larger listed seating capacity at 9100, and the AUBC is listed at 8500. Otherwise all seats at the AUBC are “chairbacks”…even the general admission seats in the AUBC are chairbacks. Your comment is misleading. If you meant seating “capacity” write “capacity” not chair backs.

Not sure what to make of the comment that the AUBC sounds “weird”….perhaps “weird” means “loud” because until recently that would be “ weird” for a JMU MBB game. The acoustics of the AUBC are great, and a crowd of 5k does rock the place. Only around 4600 attended the Marshall game last night and the place was LOUD. The 8500 who filled the AUBC for the UVA game was so loud it was almost painful.

As for the AUBC concourse on the club side being “the worse design element” other arenas should be so lucky. I’ll chalk that comment up to nitpicking. That side of the arena is host to a number of special features, and they all work well together.

Objectively. outside of the JPC, there is no other college venue in Virginia that matches the AUBC. There are always things in retrospect you wish might have been designed differently, or with a bigger budget improved upon, but in general JMU and the architects got it right. The AUBC will stand the test of time as a sporting venue.

You know, as I was walking out of the empty arena last night I was thinking about this and thought that the percentage of chairbacks was actually quite high. Two things prompted that comment. ODU is all chairbacks, I believe. There were a lot of families in the bleachers when the students were on break. When the students fill their section it's absolutely a non-issue and as mentioned, actually better for getting them engaged.

I am nitpicking, because as I said ODU and JMU both have two of the absolute best college basketball arenas in the country. They are also remarkably similar, so talking about differences is getting into minutiae and behind the scenes stuff.

ODU is right up there with JMU and UVA. In fact, I'd say the Ted is aging better than JPJ. I don't understand the decision to carpet parts of the concourse at UVA at all. It starts to look dingy fast with all that traffic. And the sideline concourses feel like you've completely left the game if you duck out for concessions or restroom.

I vote for "The Yurt" on principle alone!

(02-23-2023 07:56 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  I vote for "The Yurt" on principle alone!

That name alone should put it number one.

(02-22-2023 04:07 PM)WARDAWG93 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 03:59 PM)Mettlen Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 01:07 PM)WARDAWG93 Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 12:38 PM)Mettlen Wrote:  

(02-22-2023 11:47 AM)Monarchist13 Wrote:  Agreed on the noise but it sounds weird at JMU. I would guess that's because of how the sound reverberates off of the aluminum wall of the club. And JMU does have one really nice big bathroom. But I went into one on the club side of the stadium that only had 3 urinals and the line out of that bathroom extended out onto the concourse and collided with a way too long and slow moving beer line.

The concourse on that side is the worst design element of the place. Like you said bathroom and concessions lines on that side are much worse. One thing I forgot to mention, but a great thing about JMU's is that on the other side you can still see the court while roaming around the concourse. Liberty's new arena is actually awesome in this regard. You can be in line anywhere in the place and still see the game. JMU only has it on one side and the view from the concourse isn't as good as it is at Liberty, but you're not totally closed off from the action. I guess JMU likes their venues uneven, lol.

That is an awesome design element that I hope ULM can implement when we re-design Fant-Ewing. Not holding my breath for it though.
Since you have apparently been to a lot of venues, which G5 is your favorite and why?

Most of the G5/Mid-Major ones I've been to are in Virginia and the mid-Atlantic so there is that. As mentioned, JMU and ODU along with VCU and Liberty in this area have really outstanding facilities. Otherwise it can depend on how you look at it. Towson's is really nice, but there is no atmosphere to speak of. UNC Wilmington's arena isn't anything special as a building, but they have a great atmosphere. Monmouth's is small, but really nice. Wichita State's is really nice since they renovated and renamed it. I haven't seen Georgia State's new one yet, but it looks great. I'd love to get to a game at Utah State.

We just hired Utah State's former AD, Hartwell.

What is he going to do about your womens program? Everyone knows his first choice would be bring Kayla Ard from Utah state, They were together at Troy and she is from Hammond. But her program is in far worse shape than yours now.