Coolest Gym in each Conference

Started by Smitty Oom, March 16, 2016, 12:11:02 AM

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KnightSlappy

Quote from: HOPEful on March 30, 2016, 09:42:15 AM
Can we all agree that the worst gym in the MIAA is Kzoo's? :)

No because the worst is Albion's (historic!) Kresge.

hopefan

Quote from: KnightSlappy on March 30, 2016, 10:19:02 AM
Quote from: HOPEful on March 30, 2016, 09:42:15 AM
Can we all agree that the worst gym in the MIAA is Kzoo's? :)

No because the worst is Albion's (historic!) Kresge.

But which is the oldest, and how old?   I remember (from the 80's)  the gym at Albion had seating only on one side, nothing but team benches on the other side... Kalamazoo had limited seating... Alma, lots of seating, but blah decor.. Hope, the Civic Center, so unique... Calvin, big and shiny... Olivet, relatively nice... never went over to Adrian... only have seen Hope's new facility since then, don't know about changes to the rest... never been to Trine....
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KnightSlappy

#62
Quote from: hopefan on March 30, 2016, 12:01:32 PM
Quote from: KnightSlappy on March 30, 2016, 10:19:02 AM
Quote from: HOPEful on March 30, 2016, 09:42:15 AM
Can we all agree that the worst gym in the MIAA is Kzoo's? :)

No because the worst is Albion's (historic!) Kresge.

But which is the oldest, and how old?   I remember (from the 80's)  the gym at Albion had seating only on one side, nothing but team benches on the other side... Kalamazoo had limited seating... Alma, lots of seating, but blah decor.. Hope, the Civic Center, so unique... Calvin, big and shiny... Olivet, relatively nice... never went over to Adrian... only have seen Hope's new facility since then, don't know about changes to the rest... never been to Trine....

Hope's "new" facility is now only the fourth newest in the league. I wasn't immediately able to find a date for Trine's Hershey Hall, but here are the ages of the others. Trine's is actually the worst, now that I think about it, but it would be a reasonable facility if they turned on the lights during games  :-\.

(Historic!) Kresge Gymnasium at Albion was built in 1925.
Kalamazoo's Anderson Athletic Center - 1981
Adrian's Merillat Sport and Fitness Center - 1990
Hope's DeVos Fieldhouse - 2005
Olivet's Cutler Events Center - 2008
Calvin's Van Noord Arena - 2009
Alma's Art Smith Arena - 2012

sac

I think Kalamazoo's gym is older.  I'm almost certain the Anderson Athletic Center was built around the old gym but maybe not.

bballfan13

Quote from: HOPEful on March 30, 2016, 09:42:15 AM
Quote from: bballfan13 on March 24, 2016, 04:30:50 PM
The lighting at Van Noord I believe is a difference maker in terms of look and feel of a professional basketball arena... Also the Van Noord gives the overall impression and feel of a professional arena (suite, second tier, etc).  Yes it was designed with other events in mind as well but I believe it sets up very nicely for a basketball game no matter where you sit... The biggest complaint I have against it is the natural light from too many windows for day games.  It reflects on the court and I don't think that is a good thing...

And to be nit picky here are a few other things I don't like but they are very minor.  Curious to hear Hope posters thoughts. 
1. The AV room in the corner has a terrible layout as the people have to look out an awkward side window to view the court. Poorly planned I think.
2. The stands are packed in around the court (closer than most gyms). I might not like how close the students are but that was Hope's decision and it might give them an advantage, so that was smart in my opinion.  But the thing I think looks sloppy is they got so close that around the corner endzone the "H" and "E" for "Hope College" gets cuts off by the bleachers.  Bad planning?
3. The visitors don't have an exit to their locker without running in front of Hope's bench.  Can't even walk behind because the stands are right there. Just annoying as a visitor.

My last post on this since the horse is long dead and beaten to a pulp...

1. I never noticed Van Nordt's "special" lighting once until after hearing about it. To me, it makes zero difference in watching the games. If anything, I would prefer natural light to yellow light.

2. The AV room is indeed poorly located for the AV team. For everyone else, it's far away and out of sight - out of mind. To me this seems like a really weird criticism. I have never went to a venue and said to myself, "check out that av room setup!" The end zone being cut off annoys my OCD tendencies, but once again, doesn't really alter how I view the game being played.

3. Whether you like it or not, the stands were intentionally packed around the court to mimic that of the Civic Center. I know many people (us Dutch don't care for change...) were worried about moving to a new building and losing the "charm" that the Civic Center provided. One promise was made that the Dew Crew wouldn't be moved further from the court. I think most Hope fans like this but i could see how a guest would not.

4. IMO, your most valid argument is the 1 exit to the locker rooms. I really dislike how everyone bottlenecks on the west side of the court at the end of the game.

Can we all agree that the worst gym in the MIAA is Kzoo's? :)

I'm glad someone from Hope chimed in, that's what I was hoping for  :)  Yes, as I mentioned I was being nit picky, but just thoughts running through my head.  As for the AV room, I guess I notice because I'm an IT guy and just look for those things.

Yes, Kzoo or Trine's gym is the worst in the league.

D3HoopJunkie

#65
I'll hop in on this topic for the GNAC Conference........

In this case its pretty clear that Johnson and Wales Providence is the clear cut winner here. Emmanuel and St. Joes Maine have pretty nice gyms as well but in the GNAC.....JWU takes the cake. It is called the Wildcat Center and if I wasn't so lame with technology I would figure out a way to post a few pictures found online of this beautiful facility

That being said Albertus Magnus "The Nest" is still the toughest place to play!! GO FALCONS!!  ;D
(Sorry Guys.....Had to Get My Falcons in here somehow because there facility can't quite make the cut  :-X)

AO

Quote from: D3HoopJunkie on April 05, 2016, 12:41:26 PM
I'll hop in on this topic for the GNAC Conference........

In this case its pretty clear that Johnson and Wales Providence is the clear cut winner here. Emmanuel and St. Joes Maine have pretty nice gyms as well but in the GNAC.....JWU takes the cake. It is called the Wildcat Center and if I wasn't so lame with technology I would figure out a way to post a few pictures found online of this beautiful facility

That being said Albertus Magnus "The Nest" is still the toughest place to play!! GO FALCONS!!  ;D
(Sorry Guys.....Had to Get My Falcons in here somehow because there facility can't quite make the cut  :-X)
The Johnson and Wales Providence Wildcat Center:

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Quote from: D3HoopJunkie on April 05, 2016, 12:41:26 PM
I'll hop in on this topic for the GNAC Conference........

In this case its pretty clear that Johnson and Wales Providence is the clear cut winner here. Emmanuel and St. Joes Maine have pretty nice gyms as well but in the GNAC.....JWU takes the cake. It is called the Wildcat Center and if I wasn't so lame with technology I would figure out a way to post a few pictures found online of this beautiful facility

That being said Albertus Magnus "The Nest" is still the toughest place to play!! GO FALCONS!!  ;D
(Sorry Guys.....Had to Get My Falcons in here somehow because there facility can't quite make the cut  :-X)

And Anna Maria's is the worst - unless they've built recently and I didn't hear about it.
Lead Columnist for D3hoops.com
@ryanalanscott just about anywhere

D3HoopJunkie

Quote from: Hoops Fan on April 05, 2016, 04:34:15 PM
Quote from: D3HoopJunkie on April 05, 2016, 12:41:26 PM
I'll hop in on this topic for the GNAC Conference........

In this case its pretty clear that Johnson and Wales Providence is the clear cut winner here. Emmanuel and St. Joes Maine have pretty nice gyms as well but in the GNAC.....JWU takes the cake. It is called the Wildcat Center and if I wasn't so lame with technology I would figure out a way to post a few pictures found online of this beautiful facility

That being said Albertus Magnus "The Nest" is still the toughest place to play!! GO FALCONS!!  ;D
(Sorry Guys.....Had to Get My Falcons in here somehow because there facility can't quite make the cut  :-X)

And Anna Maria's is the worst - unless they've built recently and I didn't hear about it.

HoopsFan.......Anna Maria is pretty awful but Rivier and Mount Ida certainly give it a run for its money. I have played and watched games in high schools that have nicer and more updated facilities then these 3 schools!!

Flying Dutch Fan

Going to have to take Trine out of the "worst gym" conversation shortly.

(Copied from sacs post in the MIAA room today)

Trine announces they will be building a new 3,000 seat basketball facility.   

http://trinethunder.com/sports/mbkb/2015-16/releases/20160406uhqfmn

....with a bowling alley

.....and new ice arena with intent to join D3 mens hockey
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"Blame FDF.  That's the default.  Always blame FDF."
goodknight

Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)


Does Newbury even have a gym?  They played in rented space when I was in school.
Lead Columnist for D3hoops.com
@ryanalanscott just about anywhere

UWSAlum

For the WIAC it's a tough choice, I think you have three schools that all bring different and interesting things that the others don't.

UW-Eau Claire - Probably the most history of any school in the conference with Zorn Arena. The court is nice and there is a second level of bleachers on both side. One thing about it is that they have a lot of seating but they don't bring in many fans as of lately.


UW-Stout - Big gym with a pretty nice court, and the only gym in the WIAC to have roll away hoops. Always felt like a bigger environment when you played here.


UW-Stevens Point - One of my favorite gyms to play in, because it was always a packed house. Have had one of the top attendance averages in D3 for awhile now.


UW-La Crosse is decent, but its so big (never many fans) and the floor is like playing on cement.
UW-Oshkosh is nice, but playing there I was never really impressed.
UW-Platteville is cool mostly because it's Bo Ryan's old place, but they did just refinish the floor so maybe that'll help.
UW-River Falls is nothing to write home about, but once they finish construction on their new facilities that'll easily be the best one.
UW-Whitewater is another nice one, but I think Stout, Point, and Eau Claire are all better.

If I had to pick I'd have to give the nod to UW-Stevens Point.

HOPEful

Well... now you have me thinking about following my Dutchmen to Stout on November 18th and 19th for the Wisconsin Stout Tip-Off Tournament :)

But that 8 hour drive though!...
Let's go Dutchmen!

2015-2016 1-&-Done Tournament Fantasy League Co-Champion

Just Bill

Quote from: HOPEful on August 04, 2016, 03:05:57 PM
Well... now you have me thinking about following my Dutchmen to Stout on November 18th and 19th for the Wisconsin Stout Tip-Off Tournament :)

But that 8 hour drive though!...
Johnson Fieldhouse and the rest of the WIAC have nothing like Hope and Calvin's palaces. Save the gas.
"That seems silly and pointless..." - Hoops Fan

The first and still most accurate description of the D3 Championship BeltTM thread.

HOPEful

Quote from: Just Bill on August 04, 2016, 09:50:12 PM
Johnson Fieldhouse and the rest of the WIAC have nothing like Hope and Calvin's palaces. Save the gas.

I think I'd consider going a little harder if Stout was any good and/or there was anything to do in Menomonie. Most likely I'd end up driving another hour west to Minneapolis. Maybe Southwest will have a $99 deal going from GRR to MSP? Still bummed that the John Carroll game is on a Tuesday. Would love to head down for it, but it just won't realistically work into my work schedule
Let's go Dutchmen!

2015-2016 1-&-Done Tournament Fantasy League Co-Champion