UConn Athletic Facility Upgrades

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

UConn continues to upgrade its athletic facilities as it is announced that a new 15m dollar soccer stadium will replace their current 5100 seat Marrone Stadium. This Friday (10-17-14), the school will formally open its new 40 million dollar basketball practice facility for its champion men and women's programs. In addition, a new hockey facility is in the planning phase as it was a precondition to membership in the Hockey East League. New on-campus facilities for baseball and softball are also long term goals as well.

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ ... w=ZW50aXR5

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

I posted this so that others could see what is being done elsewhere and to highlight how URI is further falling behind other local schools.

Just two weeks ago, UNH played its first night football game under the lights at Cowell Stadium which is undergoing a multi year transformation.

For all those that wonder why URI cannot compete with other schools in New England on the field and also in pursuit of players and coaches, it is all about the money. Other local schools invest in facilities and spend more on their program expenses than URI. It is a big part of why a URI head baseball coach leaves to accept an assistant job elsewhere and why an alumnus can be lured away to a lower level coaching position at another school. It partly explains why URI hoops was never a real serious destination for a talented big man even though he was willing to visit.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

RF1 - a better question is why can't/doesn't URI compete financially with other NE schools? I think everyone knows what the problem is. What can be done about it?

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

TruePoint wrote:RF1 - a better question is why can't/doesn't URI compete financially with other NE schools? I think everyone knows what the problem is. What can be done about it?

While inadequate financial support from the state is partly to blame, the lack of support from alumni. state residents, and the local businesss community are also factors.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

Ok, so how do you propose increasing the level of support? I'm not busting chops; if anyone has a good idea they should share it. How do other schools of a similar size finance their athletics programs?

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 10 years ago

Most of the state schools mentioned have enjoyed an economic windfall(uconn with the casinos) or bring the only game in town(UNH or UMass, the darling of the statehouse).

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

seanmc94 wrote:Most of the state schools mentioned have enjoyed an economic windfall(uconn with the casinos) or bring the only game in town(UNH or UMass, the darling of the statehouse).

UNH is probably right behind URI in poor state support for flagship state universities.

UMass does better but not anywhere near as good as UConn.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

Hofstra

Hofstra Unveils New Practice Facility
http://www.nycbuckets.com/2014/10/hofst ... -facility/

OBRAM · Unread post by **OBRAM** » 10 years ago

Can someone tell me why practice facilities for basketball are so important. Is there so much going on in the Ryan Center where the men's basketball team can't find 'ice time' at the Ryan center?
I know if there is a concert, but how often does that happen?

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

OBRAM wrote:Can someone tell me why practice facilities for basketball are so important. Is there so much going on in the Ryan Center where the men's basketball team can't find 'ice time' at the Ryan center?
I know if there is a concert, but how often does that happen?

It is important for recruiting purposes. It helps sway impressionable teenagers.

It hurts if you are going up against a school with such facilities. Peer A-10 institutions such as UMass and VCU will soon add these as selling points.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

It means way less for a school like Rhody that doesn't have to share the court with volleyball or intramural sports like some other schools.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 10 years ago

ATPTourFan wrote:It means way less for a school like Rhody that doesn't have to share the court with volleyball or intramural sports like some other schools.

Which schools that have or are building basketball practice facilities are you referring to? Do intramural sports teams play in the Mullins Center, UD Arena, St. Louis or VCU's arenas?

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

BFC wrote:
ATPTourFan wrote:It means way less for a school like Rhody that doesn't have to share the court with volleyball or intramural sports like some other schools.
Which schools that have or are building basketball practice facilities are you referring to? Do intramural sports teams play in the Mullins Center, UD Arena, St. Louis or VCU's arenas?

Mullins Center is shared with Hockey. Doesn't come more disruptive than that. Mullins is how old and has what kind of nearby SADC like resources?

UD Arena is not on campus 30+ min walk across a river and such from the dorms.

VCU's Siegel center is great on game day but is probably not a great place to pracice. They have to share with volleyball and who knows what other sports (D1 or otherwise).

Don't know much about SLU and their future/planned practice facility.

My point was, the combination of proximity of both the SADC and Ryan Center to students dorms and classes along with lack of competition with other sports other than WBB makes a dedicated practice facility for MBB less a priority for a school like URI.

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 10 years ago

URI has a lot of basketball courts, even more before the SADC but obviously that was a good trade.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

ATPTourFan wrote:Mullins Center is shared with Hockey. Doesn't come more disruptive than that. Mullins is how old and has what kind of nearby SADC like resources?

The Mullins Center has a full size ice hockey practice rink attached. Most all the athletic buildings such as Cury-Hicks and Boyden are very close to the Mullins as will also be the new basketball practice facility.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

RF1 wrote:
ATPTourFan wrote:Mullins Center is shared with Hockey. Doesn't come more disruptive than that. Mullins is how old and has what kind of nearby SADC like resources?

The Mullins Center has a full size ice hockey practice rink attached. Most all the athletic buildings such as Cury-Hicks and Boyden are very close to the Mullins as will also be the new basketball practice facility.

So again, the point is at URI the men's team doesn't normally have to leave the Ryan Center, where their new locker room is 30 feet from the court, and the new SADC is just a walk down the hall.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Besides, there's always Keaney, when they can't use the Ryan Center.
Keaney still looks good, except for the volleyball lines on the floor,
and the white is chipped off the bricks up top.
Why look to spend money, when there are more important issues in the URI
Athletic sphere?

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 10 years ago

I doubt URI has more basketball courts than any other school its size. The issues with using your arena as your primary practice facility is when other events take place, the floor comes out, and practices have to be moved. It also doesn't provide a place for players to work individually on their own time. I think ATP's point is valid though because there really isn't much else that goes on at the Ryan Center. There's nothing on the calendar except basketball from November 9th on.

St. Louis' practice courts were built inside their Arena.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

And while these are called practice facilities, what they are really providing are the SADC-like features. Rhody's brand new SADC is an INDOOR minute or two walk from their locker room and primary practice court.

twisted3829 · Unread post by **twisted3829** » 10 years ago

basketball programs also have Tootell West as practice courts when needed

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

I agree that the the practice situation and physical facility set up for URI hoops is not a big problem for the team to operate. It however is not a selling point to recruits. It is simply not as good as a 100% dedicated hoops facility wth everything under one roof that is not shared with anyone else.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

For the amount of difference that such a facility would make for recruiting, building one at URI would be a colossal waste of money. Worrying about UConn using their pile of money on a practice facility is like me worrying about my rich neighbor building a wine cellar in his basement. I'm just going to concentrate on saving my money and spending it on things I really need. URI should do the same thing.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 10 years ago

Its not just UConn, schools like Drake and Old Dominion have or are building basketball practice facilities (with dedicated practice courts). Within a few years all of the top programs in the A10 will have them except URI (assuming we're a top program). I agree that its a huge price tag just to avoid the minor nuisance of scheduling a practice on a different court or not having a place for your players to shoot around at night but as long as coaches want them, not having one will be deficiency.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

Insignificant, given our mix of facilities. If we didn't have SADC, I would have a completely different opinion.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 10 years ago

So none of these other schools had a weight/training facility that the basketball players had access to before they built their basketball practice buildings?

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

Could make the same argument for URI. Yeah, there was a place to lift weights, but now we have a state of the art workout facility with all the physical therapy stuff.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 10 years ago

I guess I don't know enough about the SADC to know why it is superior to the multi-sport training areas at other schools but I hope it truly does negate the need for dedicated basketball practice space and I hope that current and potential future basketball coaches see it the same way.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

The SADC was necessary from a competitive standpoint both on and off the floor. But the worst thing URI could do is waste money on unnecessary infrastructure that gives them no actual competitive advantage. Keeping up with the Joneses will ultimately prove to be a fruitless endeavor. URI should concentrate on being URI and using its resources to do things that will distinguish us from other programs rather than be a poor man's version of them. Based on our lot as an undersupported state school without a money-making football program to underwrite us, we will sometimes have to zig when others zag and use the resources we do have in smart and creative ways.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 10 years ago

I still don't understand why we're talking about basketball practice facilities as though its an ACC and UConn thing. A10 schools have and are building them. There's alot of things that URI can't currently afford that we're going to need when tournament appearances start if we want to keep the current coach or attract a good replacement (higher coaching salaries, more charter flights to away games, charter flights during July eval. period). Maybe dedicated practice courts isn't a priority compared to those other things, but the top of the A10 is now the joneses and we shouldn't try to match what they have? I don't see that as a realistic approach to staying competitve long term.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

What I'm saying is we should be looking at OUR program and figuring out how we can deploy our resources based on OUR needs. Building a facility JUST BECAUSE other programs have one would be a mistake. Higher salaries for coaches and staff, charter flights, etc., are all things that would actually improve the program. A basketball practice facility would not. I'd much rather use my resources on things that will actually pay dividends for my program than something I don't need just because somebody else wasted their money on it first.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 10 years ago

How much does renovating coaches' offices improve a program? Yet that was a priority over other things. If the people who actually coach and recruit think there's a better way to do things than what other programs are doing than fine. But I don't think future coaching negotiations are going to go well if our position is we don't need what the other top programs in the A10 have because we're smarter and more creative.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

Wouldn't having better offices for coaches make the job more attractive to future coaches and make the current coaches more comfortable? It's kind of like the type of coffee you have in the office: it might seem like a minor detail but it is one that people experience everyday, so it matters. It adds or subtracts from the perception of quality of life. When you skimp on the coaches office or on my coffee, you make us just a little less excited to come to work. Added up, those things matter.

I'm definitely not saying don't do thing like update the offices and locker rooms and sound system in the arena and transportation and travel accommodations. I'm actually saying the opposite. I'm saying I'd rather do stuff like that where the improvement will actually be felt rather than spend a ton of money on something that is (for us) redundant and won't actually provide any benefit when doing so will limit your ability to do all those other things. There is a finite amount of resources so they should be deployed intelligently and in ways that matter.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 10 years ago

So nice offices (and good coffee) improves the program but practice courts that can be used when the Ryan Center is unavailable so you don't have to schedule around volleyball practice and so players don't have to wait for the intramural game to end so they can shoot around when the Ryan Center is closed have zero impact? I really don't want URI to have to build practice courts, I just don't think the mentality that we can do more with less has worked and truthfully there are very few examples where it has worked long-term in college basketball. We're not smarter, we're hopefully as smart.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

Yeah, I mean the validity of my argument basically comes down to whether you believe that the practice courts serve some practical purpose or if their utility is limited to pointing at them and saying "look what we have!!" I am of the belief that their practical value would be dwarfed by their actual costs. The SADC and the Ryan Center cover most of the benefits that such a facility would bring. As ATP has said, if we didn't already have those facilities I would feel differently about it.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 10 years ago

I guess I'm of the belief that I have no idea what the practical value of practice courts are in the college basketball world and so I'm not ready to assume URI has it right and everyone else has it wrong.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

Is it everyone, though? Maybe they make a ton of sense for some schools and less sense for others based on the facility situation at each school. I can't pretend to know URI's thought process on this, I'm just giving my perspective. But to me I don't see where the value is for us, whereas I can see why it might make sense for another program with different infrastructure.

My main point is just that "everyone else is doing it" is not a good enough reason by itself for us to build a facility because our resources are too limited to use them on things that aren't actually helpful. If we decide that the value is there and end up building such a facility, I won't chain myself to the a piece of construction equipment to stop it. I just think fans taking the attitude that we need to get one because others have one isn't the right way to think about it.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 10 years ago

Of the top 6 teams in the A10 that made the NCAA last year, 4 have or are building. It seems like GW and Richmond have similar setups to ours, practice in arena with attached locker room, training, video, offices, etc. St. Joes and George Mason have a practice court, but they seem pretty basic. I don't care what LaSalle, St. Bon., Fordham, and Duquense have and I have no idea about Davidson.

Its an endless list of things that have come about in college basketball (and to a greater extent college football) over the last 30 years because of "everyone else is doing it". The product hasn't gotten better but there's so much more seemingly required to compete. Hopefully practice courts don't become one of those things but 10 years ago only the elites took charter flights, noone had highly paid music acts at their Midnight Madness, and most locker rooms looked like locker rooms. What we have might be good enough today but things can change fast.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

Bottom line I think here is on the specific line item of dedicated practice courts, the two basketball programs are very familiar with the pros and cons of their current situation, given we've had the Ryan Center for over 10 years. Most of the time, it's available and the default configuration for it is for basketball practice. Can't beat that.

Sure, on the few times each year when Ryan Center has another event scheduled, the team has to work around that. But the team would know well in advance of the Ryan Center's availability and would have scheduled/reserved courts elsewhere in the athletic complex.

I just really don't think the combination of facilities URI has today is begging for a "practice" facility at least on the basis of dedicated COURTS. It was definitely begging for and got upgraded work out, recovery, academic support via the SADC which satisfies virtually all issues and places us nicely within the top tier of our league.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 9 years ago

BFC wrote:Of the top 6 teams in the A10 that made the NCAA last year, 4 have or are building. It seems like GW and Richmond have similar setups to ours, practice in arena with attached locker room, training, video, offices, etc. St. Joes and George Mason have a practice court, but they seem pretty basic. I don't care what LaSalle, St. Bon., Fordham, and Duquense have and I have no idea about Davidson.

http://blogs.davidson.edu/athletic-cent ... rettyPhoto

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

We have Keaney gym and Tootell.

I doubt URI needs, or would even consider spending millions for a separate practice facility.

Upgrading those two places would work, and be a lot cheaper.

bressler3south · Unread post by **bressler3south** » 9 years ago

Plans can be made with a nod to the Future, when the school reaps much-needed multiple NCAA appearance monies.
INFRASTRUCTURE, INFRASTRUCTURE, INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ALL OF URI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Those entities which don't constantly work on infrastructure 365 days-a-year are doomed to become irrelevant and/or disappear.
URI DOESN'T WANT TO BECOME RHODE ISLAND!!!

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

So, doll up one of those creepy courts in Tootell, and call it
a "New" practice facility.
Coach's offices? When Harrick came here, I went to visit him
in his new office.
Ripped up couch, just a real dump.
Harrick asked, "Can you believe this?" That got changed in a hurry.
The trappings of the coach and staff are important, too.