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Some friends and I were discussing MAC basketball the other day with all the preseason magazines coming out, and it was interesting to hear what some of them said or had to say about BG (most of them went to other MAC schools or OSU themselves). Mainly, that with the new arena at BG next season, there’s really no more excuses for BG not to be a player in the MAC anymore and to break through into the NCAA Tournament.

While me and another BG grad were quick to point out that we’ve had some very competitive teams in recent years, the bottom line kept coming up about BG not ever winning the MAC Tournament (ever) and not being to the NCAA Tournament since 1968. I myself still find both of those points hard to believe…..That said, the one consistent knock on BG always seemed to come on Anderson Arena in one way or another. While I still love the place for many reasons as many of you do too, it probably has hurt us for its shortcomings more than it has ever helped us with its intangibles in the last decade or two in terms of recruiting or selling our program to potential targets.

As I got to thinking about their points, I agreed in that there really are no more excuses left as to why we can’t be a team to break through for once ourselves and be a factor again in the MAC. Over the last decade we have watched the high-seeded teams play like it, and last year we even saw a low-seeded team have to win on the road in the first round and then mowed through the top seeds to win it. There’s really no more reasons why that couldn’t ever be us. We have a sparkling new venue to open after this season, a campus undergoing many great changes, a very good basketball tradition (although it’s been dormant in recent years), a good group of coaches who have proven they can recruit, and let’s face it, the MAC has been down in recent years as well. Anderson Arena is no longer a crutch for us in the future. Hell, we will even have a practice gym in the new place, and there are many bigger schools that can’t even make that claim.

With all that said, I really believe we should come to expect a positive turn for our program and to finally break through. Now I am not saying I expect us to win the MAC Tournament and go to the NCAA Tournament every year, but is it really too much to ask, or expect, for it to happen every 5 to 10 years or so? I mean, 1968!!! Hasn’t it been long enough??? I can only hope that with the new arena on the horizon that BG getting back into the picture soon is right there with it too.

"While I still love the place [Anderson Arena] for many reasons as many of you do too, it probably has hurt us for its shortcomings more than it has ever helped us with its intangibles in the last decade or two in terms of recruiting or selling our program to potential targets." ~ BGSU33

I remember a few years ago, some people on this message board regarded Anderson Arena as highly as they did Cameron Indoor Stadium. After seeing that, I gave up on trying to convince people that it was AA that was holding BG back as a basketball program.

After 4 years in Bowling Green, I kinda see where many in the falcon fanbase really fell in love with Anderson Arena and it's homey kind of quirkiness, but for all it's charms, it was never a well-designed or well-presented facility. The first day I walked into AA my freshman year, my initial reaction was, "Oh my god we play basketball here?! What a dump!" Although not very diplomatic or very classy in nature, I'm sure that sentence described the reactions of many players who made visits to BG over the years. In all seriousness, the fact that Dakich was able to build a solid team in the late 90s and early 2000s with the outdated facility we had was a testament to his recruiting and coaching prowess. (Cannot believe I just typed that, he was the worst coach ever my first 2 years in BG)

That all being said, the Stroh Center is going to be a huge boost to our program, and I have faith in the coaching staff we have. Orr hasn't necessarily proven himself to be a great recruiter but he always seems to get the most out of the talent he has.

The Stroh Center factor is an open question. I'm not convinced that a building, any building, will make a huge difference in the program's success. AA isn't what has kept BG out of the NCAA tournament since LBJ, nor will Stroh Center on its own thrust us into a high strata.

What's changing, significantly, other than the building? We WANT to believe that the new building will change things. We'll still have the same public perception, student body, conference, university, sports marketing, players, and coaches.

BleedOrange wrote:The Stroh Center factor is an open question. I'm not convinced that a building, any building, will make a huge difference in the program's success. AA isn't what has kept BG out of the NCAA tournament since LBJ, nor will Stroh Center on its own thrust us into a high strata.

What's changing, significantly, other than the building? We WANT to believe that the new building will change things. We'll still have the same public perception, student body, conference, university, sports marketing, players, and coaches.

I definitely think that the facility can influence the quality of players you're able to recruit. The locker room & practice facilities will also be greatly improved. These guys sign up to play for 4 years, and in that time they spend a good portion of their time in the basketball facility. I have to believe that improving the facility will help draw better players.

I think a new building can also bring forward better fan support. Anderson Arena has always been a fun place for me to go watch a game, but when you think about it watching a game there is actually WORK. It's impossible to park near the arena, the seats are the least comfortable things on the planet, and the bathroom situation sucks. I'm not saying that moving to a new arena is going to have us suddenly drawing 3000+ fans, but I have to think that it will help to some degree. I know both of my grandmothers are college basketball fans who don't go to Anderson because of the long walks to get to the arena.

I guess we'll see, but I can't see how the new facility could really hurt us. I'm excited for it!

I agree with BleedOrange. A new building doesn't mean your program is automatically going to be better. Look at Akron football....brand new stadium last year and they haven't done anything and lost to Gardner-Webb last week at home.

However, the Stroh Center will be a huge asset for the BGSU community. Hammb brings up a good point about games at AA being "work". I love the place but am stoked to see the Stroh!

hammb wrote:Anderson Arena has always been a fun place for me to go watch a game, but when you think about it watching a game there is actually WORK.

Work THIS!


Love,
@housethatroars

ZiggyZoomba wrote:

hammb wrote:Anderson Arena has always been a fun place for me to go watch a game, but when you think about it watching a game there is actually WORK.

Work THIS!


Love,
@housethatroars

Probably the best post I've ever seen @ AZZ.

W1N

toddpav wrote:W1N

What does this mean?

If BG had made the NCAA any of the last 42 years would Anderson Arena have been the worst arena or the smallest attendance arena of all the participants in the tournament?

My guess is no. The arena has never been an excuse. Any coach recruiting should have been able to verbally paint a picture of an exciting atmosphere where the fans were behind you and on the backs of opponents with examples of how opposing coaches and players nearly broke down after being destroyed in the "House that Roars".

If the arena was the problem then how did Fran Voll and Curt Miller attain such success along with Denise Van De Walle with the other occupants of AA? Their locker facilities and game day operations were far more spartan.

ZiggyZoomba wrote:

hammb wrote:Anderson Arena has always been a fun place for me to go watch a game, but when you think about it watching a game there is actually WORK.

Work THIS!


Love,
@housethatroars

Where else can you use the restroom and be in a sauna at the same time?

FalconTurf wrote: If the arena was the problem then how did Fran Voll and Curt Miller attain such success along with Denise Van De Walle with the other occupants of AA? Their locker facilities and game day operations were far more spartan.

That's the difference between men and women.

The women want to play. The guys must be more interested in the amenities.

Most of our recruits pick BG from among other mid-majors. When selecting from the likes of Detroit, Valpo, Oakland, Duquense, Niagara, Western Michigan, BG, Wright State, Eastern Kentucky, Akron, Toledo, Miami, Evansville, etc., I have a very hard time believing something like a smallish locker room like AAs is any sort of factor at all.

When picking a our program, these factors overwhelm:
- the coach
- style of play
- chemistry with teammates
- level of competition
- opportunity to play as an underclassman
- proximity to home

If the new building helps our recruiting at all, it will be very marginal. We'd fare better in recruiting with a loud, rowdy, sold-out AA, with all of its 3rd world inconveniences, than with 2500 per game at Stroh.

BleedOrange wrote:Most of our recruits pick BG from among other mid-majors. When selecting from the likes of Detroit, Valpo, Oakland, Duquense, Niagara, Western Michigan, BG, Wright State, Eastern Kentucky, Akron, Toledo, Miami, Evansville, etc., I have a very hard time believing something like a smallish locker room like AAs is any sort of factor at all.

When picking a our program, these factors overwhelm:
- the coach
- style of play
- chemistry with teammates
- level of competition
- opportunity to play as an underclassman
- proximity to home

If the new building helps our recruiting at all, it will be very marginal. We'd fare better in recruiting with a loud, rowdy, sold-out AA, with all of its 3rd world inconveniences, than with 2500 per game at Stroh.

This is simply not true. There is no way a recruit walks into Anderson and says wow this is great, compared when they go to Wright State, walk into the Nutter Center and then go across the street to their basketball complex with lockerrooms, practice courts and lounges.

The Stroh Center will be HUGE in terms of recruiting. Instead of showing them a dimly lit arena and saying imagine running out here. Coach Orr can now show a highlight video on the jumbotron, walk a player through a lounge, practice courts, lockerrooms, and say we are committed to giving you everything you need to succeed.

For all the history Anderson has, almost no recruit could name any of it to you, they don't care who played there or what happened, they see a gym that isn't as nice as most high school arenas.

Amen to that! But, speaking of Urinals, my friend had a computer simulation called Urinal Etiquette. It showed 3 or 5 stalls and when you came in and they were in use, you had to pick the right one Of course, that meant you picked the farthest one away from the other person, kept a space of at least one between you and someone else, etc. etc.

http://drinknation.com/fun/urinaltest

I can't remember the last time I was ever in there. Are they gonna serve beer at the Stroh Center, and no, I'm not going to use the lame glass emoticon.

HoopsFan