Facilities

by **McClown27** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 6:14 pm

abezontar wrote: He also got some increased attendance out of the students during the Sasser and Davis years, certainly far better student attendance than we have now. How did the administration reward him? They didn't other than to not fire him at that particular time. The administration did nothing to try to boost the program or market it when it was doing better and then when it started to slide it seemed as though the admin didn't care, if they didn't, why should the fans and it spiraled downwards. If you want to get fans back, renovate Moody, it will get them back at least for it's opening season, then you have to do whatever it takes in the interim to make sure that the team that greets them is stellar so that they come back to see the new arena and also happen to see a great winning bball team. Then the fan base will start to grow again.

Maybe 2,000 were at some games during the Sasser years. When Knight came to campus, probably a lot more. Quite frankly, just as many students go to Ivy League games, if not more.

As for renovating Moody being an impetus for more fans, check out Ford on some Saturdays in the Fall. After that Kansas games, things really went back to normal.

Get a coach who can consistently get us to the tournament, and then the facility upgrade would make some sense. PonyFan, I understand that you live for the program, but senseless facility upgrades will not help us to get players Big 12 schools want--unless we take the rest of their family too.

by **Pony_Fan** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 6:29 pm

Not sure if you are talking to me Clown. Senseless? Ford was senseless?

It's time to bend over and create "Dr Pepper Arena". Get it done dammit. We've basically been waiting for funding for over 10 years. What a joke.

Water Pony,
In addition, from what I can see we need new tennis courts (indoor would be nice too - Tulsa has 1st rate on tennis), new soccer field, new swimming pool (indoor), new practice facilities, and upgraded Moody. Lots of work to do.

Before all this we all know that we need to lessen transfer and admission restrictions or it really won't matter what facilities are in place to compete and recruit.

by PK » Thu Mar 23, 2006 6:54 pm

Blunt Pony wrote:
PK wrote:
Blunt Pony wrote:Like it or not, we do not have a rich history to fall back on so the facilities do become very important.
Don't know when you graduated, but you might want to do a little research before you label SMU with not having a rich history to our basketball program and Moody Coliseum. Granted the last 18 years have not been great, but we have had a number of great teams and coaches during the overall life of Moody...not to mention conference titles and NCAA appearances.

Thanks for the condecending remark PK, but it does not take a historian to see that we do NOT have a "Rich" history in basketball. All you need to do is look in the rafters at the conference titles and retired jersies to see that this is true. I know we have had good teams and players in the past, but the point is our history does not outshine the deteriorating facilities. I am trying to be objective here and am obviously not only an alum but still a fan.

By the way I was a student the last time we were in the NCAA''s in 1993.

Not trying to be condecending, but seriously there was a lot of great basketball played in Moody before the 90's. I don't think we have to replace Moody, but we definitely need to update it. I've seen pictures of some of the new facilities being built these days and the angle of the seating area is such that if you are in the upper reaches of the seating areas, you are a loooong way aways from the floor. The beauty of Moody is that those remote seats may give you altitude sickness or a nose bleed, but you are staring right down on to the floor and the noise from the fans (when there is any) just fills the place up and rolls down to the playing area.

Yes, up grade Moody (locker rooms, concession areas, scoreboard, lighting, etc.) and build new practice facilities. The sooner the better.

by **McClown27** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 6:56 pm

Pony_Fan wrote:Not sure if you are talking to me Clown. Senseless? Ford was senseless?

Without a winning coach and changes to the model, it has been senseless. The university does not have a commitment to win so why build an $80 million stadium. It has only been with Bennett that we have seen any benefits at all. We could easily have packed 1-2000 in the Cotton Bowl, it would even have made the precious folks in the Park Cities happy.

Remember when Ford was being built? Local talent was gonna land on Mockingbird. This year, with this great facility and local ties, we failed to get any of the good players from the state championship HP team. So yeah, without a commitment and a coach, facility upgrades will do nothing--except look cool.

by **abezontar** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:29 pm

McClown, you kinda missed my point which was that you said the program should show improvement before we do anything to update the facilities, I was just trying to point out that if that was what we were waiting for then the administration already missed the boat because the point where the program began to show improvement was when they signed Sasser and Davis, they should have had the projects ready to go then so that recruits could see what they would be getting by coming in and improving on what Sasser and Davis did. Yes there were more fans during those years, compared to our last two.

You also missed the second part of the equation that had they applied would have made Ford Stadium have the impact we hoped for regarding our fan base, which is do everything in your power to have the breakout year be the year the new facility opens. We didn't do that, we had a mediocre team and season after that first win, and everybody figured it was just the same stuff with a new coat of paint. Had we already made all the admissions changes we needed a few years prior, and gotten some good jucos, that year could have significantly changed the face of the program. As it was, it was a missed opportunity.

by **SMUPhil** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:52 pm

With regards to Moody, I don't think we need a brand new top-of-the-line, plasma ribbon tvs wrapping around the entire place, arena. We do need to impress recruits, and that can come in much smaller steps, such as redoing the lockerrooms. Make them state of the art, that would wow recruits. Everyone keeps pointing to Duke in terms of classic arenas, but don't they have ridiculous lockerrooms?

I also think we need a little better scoreboard, I'd prefer one with a screen and the numbers/fouls/points of the players currently in the game.

Leave the rest of the inner arena alone, but expand those hallways, raise their ceilings a little if possible and get some light in there. Newer/more concessions areas couldn't hurt.

by **abezontar** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:15 pm

Free Concessions would be nice too for us poor and cheap folk.

by **McClown27** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:42 pm

I think we should build something better than the American Airlines Center. That way, all the good players will play for us--and not even consider UT.

*We need lockers that have DVD players and HDTV.
*We need better concessions that are free for only SMU employees and athletes.
*Free admission to all alumni and people that applied to SMU.
*For the HP folks, we will have a hair stylist from France.
*To increase undergraduate attendance, Kate Spade and Versace will redesign the uniforms.
*For Cowboy fans on this board specifically, Charlie Waters will find some job in the arena.

by **abezontar** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:50 pm

How about Mop boy, and we can put him out there in a speedo with one of the sweat rags and have all the middle aged ladies come and fawn all over him.

by **couch 'em** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:59 pm

McClown27 wrote:*To increase undergraduate attendance, Kate Spade and Versace will redesign the uniforms.

Anyone see those ads that were made but never used with the tag line "If you think this is SMU basketball.... you don't know SMU basketball" and featured a louis-vuitton basketball. Quite witty I thought.

by **abezontar** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:10 pm

yeah, I like the one that had the diamond net for the basket.

by **CalallenStang** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:29 pm

Here's hoping Steve Orsini will be as passionate about new facilities during his time here as he was at UCF. They are currently building a convocation center and they have plans in the works for a football stadium as well.

by **Bergermeister** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 3:36 pm

I'm sure Uncle Jerry will be introducing Mr. Orsini to every Daddy Warbucks in the upper echelon zip codes. He needs to secure lots and lots of pledges before we play TT.

Facilities

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