Our New Floor

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

I like it!

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

Rooke........................speaks for itself.
• I really don’t mean to slam anyone here…but ‘Alex and Ani Court’ is the new floor name at the Ryan Center? What, is this to bring in the female crowds for Rams’ home games? Giving away bracelets at halftime? Hope the naming-rights check had multiple zeroes on it…

http://www.golocalprov.com/sports/john- ... ut-loud99/

or MAYBE URI has just hooked up with the fastest growing, highest potential company that Rhode Island has seen in a long time. Time will tell though, won't it? Go have yourself a few jelly donuts.

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

Nothing good ever happens when John Rooke tries to think. Maybe thinking out loud isn't his best move?

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

One word for good ole JR: ignorant

bressler3south · Unread post by **bressler3south** » 10 years ago

What is that under his nose???? Friar ass-hair????

P.S. Johnny-Boy: Bo knows that the word "journalist" doesn't belong next to your name!!!!!!!!

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 10 years ago

TruePoint wrote:Nothing good ever happens when John Rooke tries to think. Maybe thinking out loud isn't his best move?

Rhody74 · Unread post by **Rhody74** » 10 years ago

nyuk-nyuk

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 10 years ago

I've gone back and forth with Rooke a couple of times on twitter. He's definitely not the brightest bulb.

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

John Rooke? Isn't he the guy that said URI had no chance with Dan Hurley as he would never come to Kingston, that he was waiting for a Jersey job at either Seton Hall or Rutgers? That in my view says quite enough about the value of his opinion on matters.

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

This doesn't make complete sense but seems like an attempt to be complimentary

• This being said, Ed Cooley’s staff is certainly as tough of a group of coaches on the recruiting trail as I have ever witnessed in my 25 years at PC. They will get players. Good players. Good students and people, too. Same can be said for Dan Hurley at URI, who played with a tenacity beyond his years while at Seton Hall, learning from his father and brother…among others. Basketball fans should count their blessings with the four coaches and staffs presiding at RI’s D-I schools…

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

Everyone says the new floor has to be seen in person to really appreciate it.

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

Personally, I think the floor name should be reserved for legendary coaches; however, as far as corporate sponsors, A and A is on a meteoric rise right now. You could do a hell of a lot worse.

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

ATPTourFan wrote:Everyone says the new floor has to be seen in person to really appreciate it.

I swung by to see it last Friday and can confirm this. The pictures don't do it enough justice.

The interior of the RC compliments the court perfectly and unlike the harsh yellow-ish glare from the lights hitting the old court...the shading and color of the new hardwood is understated and damn near perfect. A+ job all around.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 10 years ago

I agree he's usually wrong...but I'm completely with him and sean here.

The court name isn't for sponsors. Give them a concourse, section, whatever. It should be kept to legendary players or coaches.

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

You guys are right about the court name. Should be Keaney-Calverley Court.
However, since URI is in a money bind, and A+A have stepped up with needed
contributions, the school has little choice.
Hurley has put the Administration on notice, that we need to move the program
ahead on all fronts, just to stay on an even playing field with the competition.
This takes money, in a tough economy.
Alex and Ani to the rescue. Simple.

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

Why does anyone care about what the name of the court is? Why "should" it be named after anything? It is a court, not a dog. Why does a court need a name? If somebody wants to pay money to put their logo on the court, I can see the value of that for both sides. But Frank Keaney doesn't need advertising at this point to build his brand, so why would his name be on the court? This whole thing of naming courts after people is dumb in the first place so I can't think of anything I am less offended by.

Nobody is more about establishing and acknowledging tradition than I am, but there are many ways to do that. The banners were obviously a crusade of sorts for me. I'd be a big supporter of setting up a "wall of fame" somewhere in the building that is accessible to the public so we can tribute people who have been important to the program and educate younger fans about the program's history. But if someone wants to give you money to put their name on the court, you take the money. Not taking is the same as lighting the money on fire.

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

Right, TP. It's not like they actually put "Alex and Ani Court" on the floor. They put a subtle, small logo which is much less obnoxious than the old CVS logo and Cox logos we've had for years.

We had two of the most significant companies in RI looking to get their name on our new court. Doesn't that tell you something? This program is on the #RISE and local firms want to be a part of it.

Think of the schools where they have dedicated their court to an important historical figure in their program's history. What do they have in common with URI today? Virtually nothing.

You can't compare it to Providence College
You can't compare it to Duke University
You can't compare it to University of Arizona

URI is a state university without big-time football money where they get pennies of operating revenue from the State of RI. If we want a big time program, we need revenue to make up for this major financial disadvantage. The URI Athletic Dept was VERY successful in getting a new court designed and sponsored in a very classy way. It is NOT an embarrassment. Win WIN.

Maybe one day when we can easily finance our entire Athletics program off the major success of the men's basketball team we can have a new court dedicated to a person, since we won't be under high pressure to maximize revenue from marketing inventory like the event floor.

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

here here..

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 10 years ago

Oh i completely understand the financial situation. I love that we have sponsors clamoring for attachment to our program. I love that we were able to get this court with their help.

I just don't understand why the name can't be on the court, and that's the end of it. There's national TV games, plenty of regional games, plenty of recognition to go around...I just completely disagree with the calling it of the "alex and ani court" every time it's mentioned. Why can't it just be on the floor and stay there?

Like we said, it was never the CVS court - Red Auerbach's name is on the court at the garden and it's never referred to as the "red auerbach court," it's just there. People don't refer to PC's floor as the "Dave Gavitt Court," it's just dedicated to him and that's it.

And let's remember I'm just nitpicking because there's no basketball right now and my soul is an empty vacuum that bitching about tiny things related to basketball help to fill it. Plus I'm still recovering from an era of URI hoops that left so much to bitch about.

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

They've already honored Keaney, by naming Keaney Gym, Keaney Gym. The court is one of the few hot pieces of real estate that URI can sell and generate a serious donation. Alex and Ani may not put up the money they paid to be on the court if they were to sponsor the Wall of Fame etc.

If you're telling me you'd rather write Ernie Calverly on the floor and get no money for it, or put Alex and Ani on the floor and get 250K (or more, just a guess).....I simply don't see eye to eye with you.

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

I don't have an issue with the court name and logo placement as it was a good business decision. I would however prefer that they do not always refer to the court by that name with it being simialr to the CVS deal.

As for comparisons to the Dave Gavitt Court at the DDC. It is a totally different situation. URI, as a public school, gets very little support from the state of RI. It had to do all it could to increase its revenue stream and sold the naming rights. The DDC is entirely different. The state has plenty of money to splurge on amenties at a venue that benefits private entities such as Providence College. RI is so flush with money for these types of endeavours that there is no need need to sell naming rights. RI apparently can afford to pass on revenue opportunities and let a private tenant dictate the name of the court.

(please note that this post is dripping with sarcasm)

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

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1773 ... on/page/20

I compiled the list of new floors from this article that shows pictures and/or videos of them all:
Binghamton B Note there is an interesting time lapse to view how the floor took shape
Boise State A-
Boston University B-
Buffalo B+
Cal Berleley B
UCF A
College of Charlestown C+ Has time lapse
Colorado State Rams D+ Note GIANT Rams Horns on each end of the court taking up the majority of the space
UCONN B Note New York Life similar to Alex & Ani
FIU A-
George Mason C+
GW A
James Madison D
LSU B- Note COX similar to Alex & Ani - wonder if COX was in the running for advertising on our court - my guess is yes
Loyala Maryland C+
Memphis A
Nebraska B- Note First national Bank similar to Alex & Ani
Old Dominion B
URI B
Richmond C+
SMU B
UTEP C Note Western Refining similar to Alex & Ani

It would be interesting to know how much money URI got for the logo. My guess is that at the very least Alex & Ani and COX Communications were bidding for this - if not more. Dan Hurley speaks proudly of this new floor and the Alex & Ani deal so I'll continue to drink the kool-aid and follow Dan's path to greatness here.

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

ATP, can we change the banner at the top of the screen to show the new court??

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

UCF's blacktop design gets an A? Bleh.

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

SmartyBarrett wrote:UCF's blacktop design gets an A? Bleh.

I agree - I thought it was the worst looking of all of the new floor examples - maybe better live but I was not impressed.

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

And FIU gets an A-. Man.

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

It is bleacher report. If bleacher report did a restaurant review, the Olive Garden would be a 5/5. You just can't be any more wrong about everything than bleacher report. Except maybe if you are John Rooke.

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

ramster wrote:It would be interesting to know how much money URI got for the logo. My guess is that at the very least Alex & Ani and COX Communications were bidding for this - if not more.

Not sure we'll learn what the financial terms are for this sponsorship by Alex and Ani. For all I know they probably have a "package" sponsorship that was worked out with the URI Partner program and Nelligan Sports, etc. So while one day we may figure out what the yearly financial commitment is from Alex and Ani, we probably won't learn how much of that is specifically tied to the floor's naming rights.

As I mentioned earlier, players for naming rights were CVS and Alex and Ani. Both companies were interested in this opportunity and ultimately, Alex and Ani wanted their name on that prime real estate ahead of the big increase in national, regional and local TV starting this season.

URIGONZO wrote:ATP, can we change the banner at the top of the screen to show the new court??

Yes, once we have some good high resolution photos which don't exist at this time. I'm also looking forward to a refresh of the players but that also requires high-res photos.

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

Xavier breaking in the new floor

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

The team needs to soften up those new rims with a good ol' fashioned slamma jamma fest at Rhody Madness!

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

I know we've kind of moved away from the discussion on Rooke at this point, but he can go cheer for PEE-CEE all he wants... having one of the most successful upcoming businesses from RI attached to URI... I'll take that anyday. Obviously Alex & Ani knows who they will get the most exposure with.

The Dude · Unread post by **The Dude** » 10 years ago

Actually, Alex and Ani's founder Carolyn Rafaelian and CEO Giovanni Feroce are URI alumni. This is most likely the reasoning behind the sponsorship...as well as the exposure. Also Rafaelian bought the Belcourt Castle in Newport in 2012.
Rhody could use some of the "positive energy".

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 10 years ago

Incredible success story.....I can't imagine how much she paid for the Belcourt Castle. She also makes it a point to hire lots of URI graduates to work in her company. In addition to paying for naming rights, I wonder if she will be a major donor in the years to come. She is on her way to billionaire status.

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

It was listed at 4 million. That's 1/5th of Tom Brady's new home.
Belcourt Castle is absolutely beautiful, but needs to be renovated.
Maybe Dan and Preston can use it for recruits to stay on visits?

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 10 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:It was listed at 4 million. That's 1/5th of Tom Brady's new home.
Belcourt Castle is absolutely beautiful, but needs to be renovated.
Maybe Dan and Preston can use it for recruits to stay on visits?

I just read that she paid 3.4 million for it and it is currently being renovated. It will re-open some time in 2014.

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

The deferred maintenance on that property must be enormous.
There are private homes in RI that sell for close to that amount.
For something so well known on Mansion Row, that's not a lot of money.
Nicholas Cage paid 15.7 million for his Middletown estate. He sold it for 6.2 million.
(great investment!)
Anthony Quinn's Bristol home went for 4.5 million.

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

Maybe a coincidence, but a VP at Seven Swords Media, which is the "brand steward" for Alex & Ani, is also a URI alum. He was a friend and occasional drinking buddy during my time in Kingston.

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

NYT: Ghosts Be Gone

article about the purchase of Belcourt, if anyone's interested.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/garde ... d=all&_r=0

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

Here is an additional pic my buddy took the other day:

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

Gorgeous!

Justns11 · Unread post by **Justns11** » 10 years ago

I love it.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 10 years ago

i cannot wait to get back in there. that looks sick

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 10 years ago

Thats probably the best pic i have seen so far. It looks amazing.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 10 years ago

Yes, some of the other pics, the floor almost looked yellow. This one looks really nice.

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

that is freakin awesome!!!!

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

Yeah, the border with the blue of the seats... very nice! I mean, hopefully we don't actually see those seats during the games, what with all the people sitting on or standing in front of them, but looks good.

The Dude · Unread post by **The Dude** » 10 years ago

Very nice floor! Me likey!

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 10 years ago

CANNOT WAIT FOR NOV 1st

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

That is the first photo that I loved the floor - all other shots it only looked ok.

bressler3south · Unread post by **bressler3south** » 10 years ago

There's one thing missing: BASKETBALL!!!!!!!