Sid: Kaler in favor of remodeling The Barn, similar to Northrop Auditorium

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If they do something similar to Northrup, expect 1-2 years at Target Center.
 

100% agree on a remodel as long as no expense is spared on making it 1st class. We are going to save money not building a new facility versus giving Williams a facelift so go all out.
 


The big question is:

Is there enough space for a first-class facility to be built in the Williams Arena shell?
 


They need to study all options and then make a decision.

I've been following Gopher BB for 49 years and have been a huge fan of The Barn.

Having said that, keep in mind the old gal is what, 85 years old. What can be done to remodel/update and at what cost.

There is a tremendous amount of history and memories at The Barn, but at some point we may have to let go.

Think objectively and ask yourself; what is so special about the raised floor-no other teams seem to be rushing to raise their floor. What is so special about the building? The new front(about 20 yrs old) has a very nice nostalgic look, but the main building is an overgrown quonset hut....nothing special.

And please don't tell me about all the old buildings that were or were not saved in TC or Europe....they have no effect on Gopher BB.
 

station19 said:
They need to study all options and then make a decision.

I've been following Gopher BB for 49 years and have been a huge fan of The Barn.

Having said that, keep in mind the old gal is what, 85 years old. What can be done to remodel/update and at what cost.

There is a tremendous amount of history and memories at The Barn, but at some point we may have to let go.

Think objectively and ask yourself; what is so special about the raised floor-no other teams seem to be rushing to raise their floor. What is so special about the building? The new front(about 20 yrs old) has a very nice nostalgic look, but the main building is an overgrown quonset hut....nothing special.

And please don't tell me about all the old buildings that were or were not saved in TC or Europe....they have no effect on Gopher BB.
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What is special about the raised floor is that it is ours. I also like the very nostalgic look as well as our overgrown quonset hut. I am a sucker for history and tradition, and I love our building. I am all for making some improvements, but I like walking into the same stadium that Gopher greats of old have played in. I'd rather have a renovated barn than a miniature college Target Center.
 

station19 said:
They need to study all options and then make a decision.

I've been following Gopher BB for 49 years and have been a huge fan of The Barn.

Having said that, keep in mind the old gal is what, 85 years old. What can be done to remodel/update and at what cost.

There is a tremendous amount of history and memories at The Barn, but at some point we may have to let go.

Think objectively and ask yourself; what is so special about the raised floor-no other teams seem to be rushing to raise their floor. What is so special about the building? The new front(about 20 yrs old) has a very nice nostalgic look, but the main building is an overgrown quonset hut....nothing special.

And please don't tell me about all the old buildings that were or were not saved in TC or Europe....they have no effect on Gopher BB.
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Just add more money to the Target Center renovation and move them over there if that's the case. While you're at it change your name from station19, there's no reason it shouldn't be bulldozed.
 

westcoastgopher11 said:
100% agree on a remodel as long as no expense is spared on making it 1st class. We are going to save money not building a new facility versus giving Williams a facelift so go all out.
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Are you sure The U would save money remodeling? I know next to nothing about contracting so please correct me if I'm wrong, but it would seem to me that gutting the whole thing without taking down the shell would cost a lot. I'm sure they would want everything to go, and to me it would see like it would be far quicker to just blow it up and start over. So with total man hours it would seem to me that it would be a wash.

With that said I don't care if they play two years at Target Field I want them to keep the Barn. But I will admit that it's not like I will stop being a Gopher fan if they do tear it down.
 



Focus on what's needed

Focus on a great practice facility and not an arena, Williams has a tremendous atmosphere for games and the history to boot. Everybody here wants the best recruits, give recruits and their teams what they need, a place to work on their skills. Give players a place they can go where it's healthy and safe. It is what Tubby has been asking for since he arrived and it is what nearly every school has, especially those in the Big Ten. Want to appeal to kids, smoothie bar (Nebraska has one) and an Icee machine (Nebraska doesn't have one). The return on a practice facility where players get better with access 24/7 is better then an arena financially and for furthering basketball skills. Furthermore lets compare the price of a smoothie bar to an arena, case closed.
 

Whatever happens we need to keep the raised floor. It's one of the few calling cards our athletic department can claim. At least once a season we get ESPN pub because of it. I'm about 50/50 on the issue of a new stadium. If we can keep the shell of the barn and completely transform the interior to a first class modern facility with luxury boxes, then I think I'd probably lean that way. If we can't or it would cost a ridiculous amount, let's just build a first class arena, essentially a basketball version of TCF. Either way we need a definitive decision within the next 2 or 3 years. Avoiding this issue does no one any good.
 

If we are building a new arena I really like what Missouri did for their new arena. Amenities from this century yet a very traditional and old look. I like it.Mizzou Arena 1.jpgMizzou Arena 2.jpgMizzou Arena 3.jpg
 

I am in favor of remodeling the Barn if the remodel is not just another facelift. The primary needs are to improve the many obstructued view seats and expand the concourses and I'm not sure that is possible with the existing structure. We have tried adding a coat of paint a few times and that doesn't do much.
 



station19 said:
They need to study all options and then make a decision.

I've been following Gopher BB for 49 years and have been a huge fan of The Barn.

Having said that, keep in mind the old gal is what, 85 years old. What can be done to remodel/update and at what cost.

There is a tremendous amount of history and memories at The Barn, but at some point we may have to let go.

Think objectively and ask yourself;what is so special about the raised floor-no other teams seem to be rushing to raise their floor. What is so special about the building? The new front(about 20 yrs old) has a very nice nostalgic look, but the main building is an overgrown quonset hut....nothing special.

And please don't tell me about all the old buildings that were or were not saved in TC or Europe....they have no effect on Gopher BB.
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Well, obviously it elevates our BB program above all the others in the conference...AND it provides Sid with that convenient shelf-space to enjoy his ice cream.
 

If anything can we get the house lights turned down.
Its like watching a movie at the theater and they don't turn off the lights.
 

PurplePride said:
If anything can we get the house lights turned down.
Its like watching a movie at the theater and they don't turn off the lights.
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Not sure if you mean during the game, but I think a more creative introduction would be nice with the lights lower.

Maybe there are rules in CBB that cause it to differ from the NBA here (have to alternate the line up reading), but why not do the whole Gophers line up with the lights off, the motivational video, some smoke, whatever else like in the NBA? Can't tell me kids wouldn't love being a part of that.
 

scher215 said:
Not sure if you mean during the game, but I think a more creative introduction would be nice with the lights lower.

Maybe there are rules in CBB that cause it to differ from the NBA here (have to alternate the line up reading), but why not do the whole Gophers line up with the lights off, the motivational video, some smoke, whatever else like in the NBA? Can't tell me kids wouldn't love being a part of that.
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And have all the players do a dance when they are introduced.

Or you could let the basketball game be the show.

Some of that crap is way too much over the top.

Line up and play ball.
 

station19 said:
And have all the players do a dance when they are introduced.

Or you could let the basketball game be the show.

Some of that crap is way too much over the top.


Line up and play ball.
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And Just Win, Baby, Win!!!

I always thought the game was supposed to be the main attraction, but it seems to me our younger people are more interested in razzle dazzle extras, than the god damned game.


+19 for you on the bolds, 19, It is gonna be hard for your buddy Parski1 to argue that.
 

Dr.Don said:
I always thought the game was supposed to be the main attraction, but it seems to me our younger people are more interested in razzle dazzle extras, than the god damned game.


+19 for you on the bolds, 19, It is gonna be hard for your buddy Parski1 to argue that.
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Tell that to Bill Musselman, Crazy George, Flip and the 70s Gophers. They had the most elaborate pre-game traditions, so much so that Northwestern once stopped their warm-ups and watched the Gophers routine. Muss said afterwards that he knew we'd win that game right then.

Our pre-game routine would whip the crowd into a frenzy and thousands fans would arrive early just to get a glimpse. After the warm-up they turned the lights low, ran through the big Goldy screen and The Barn went crazy. Dr. Don, you must be a young 'in if you don't recall this era of Gopher basketball. It was like none-other in more ways than one.

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Tell that to Bill Musselman, Crazy George, Flip and the 70s Gophers. They had the most elaborate pre-game traditions, so much so that Northwestern once stopped their warm-ups and watched the Gophers routine. Muss said afterwards that he knew we'd win that game right then.

Our pre-game routine would whip the crowd into a frenzy and people fans would arrive early just to get a glimpse. Dr. Don, you must be a young 'in if you don't recall this era of Gopher basketball. It was like none-other in more ways than one.

Go Gophers!!
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I remember that all so well, was there and loved it, personally. Unfortunately the testosterone that resulted in a brawl, and then the ensuing NCAA violations that followed the muss overshadowed all of that, because I remember all the *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!# as well.

Now, let's just get down and dirty, play ball, and let the game be the highlight, not a sidelight.

WE are on the same team, trust me. :)

Go Gophers!!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Tell that to Bill Musselman, Crazy George, Flip and the 70s Gophers. They had the most elaborate pre-game traditions, so much so that Northwestern once stopped their warm-ups and watched the Gophers routine. Muss said afterwards that he knew we'd win that game right then.

Our pre-game routine would whip the crowd into a frenzy and thousands fans would arrive early just to get a glimpse. After the warm-up they turned the lights low, ran through the big Goldy screen and The Barn went crazy. Dr. Don, you must be a young 'in if you don't recall this era of Gopher basketball. It was like none-other in more ways than one.

Go Gophers!!
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Back then, that was unique. Now every Tom, Dick and Iowa does it.

Translation: I forgot about that.
 

My inclination would be that building a new facility would take more time and be more costly than a remodel, even if it was rather extensive. Williams does need a large facelift though, luxury boxes would be necessary, remove all obstructed view seating, probably eliminate all bench seating outside the student section as well. Beyond that updating the concourses and fan amenities would be the highest priorities. The shell of Williams does some to be potentially problematic though, I don't know how much space they are ultimately going to have to fit all these things in, and that calculus will probably be the determining factor between a remodel or a new building. Maybe they can raise the height of the seating bowl and floor to get more room underneath? However they do it will have to be creative though.

100% agree that the practice facility should be the number 1 priority though, players today spend much more time in their practice facilities than arenas. However I think the practice facility decision and any possible construction will be delayed until they figure out what is going on with Williams. For all we know if they do a complete rebuild of the arena it might not be at the Williams location (improbable admittedly but its a possibility). They cannot build a practice facility without it being immediately accessible to the arena, it would be foolish to do so.

I wouldn't skimp on either Wiliams or the practice facility ultimately, because we simply can't afford to not do things first rate, especially given the rise in the B1G as arguably the best overall basketball league out there. Recruiting is only going to get more competitive for everyone, hell Nebraska just sunk ~$181 million into a new arena for their basketball program and they are historically one of the worst BCS programs out there. 6 total NCAA tournament appearances. 1 total conference tournament title. And 6, count em, 6 total regular season conference championships, with the last one coming in 1950, and 4 of the 6 coming before the end of the first world war. I would be stunned if we couldn't do an exceptional remodel of Williams and a breathtaking practice facility for about half the cost of Nebraska's new arena.
 

BleedGopher said:
Tell that to Bill Musselman, Crazy George, Flip and the 70s Gophers. They had the most elaborate pre-game traditions, so much so that Northwestern once stopped their warm-ups and watched the Gophers routine. Muss said afterwards that he knew we'd win that game right then.

Our pre-game routine would whip the crowd into a frenzy and thousands fans would arrive early just to get a glimpse. After the warm-up they turned the lights low, ran through the big Goldy screen and The Barn went crazy. Dr. Don, you must be a young 'in if you don't recall this era of Gopher basketball. It was like none-other in more ways than one.

Go Gophers!!
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Pathetic carnival act, thank goodness we will never go back to that.

Regardless of how the barn is perceived by future recruits, media, etc., I like the fact that Kaler understands the value of tradition.
 

jovs said:
Pathetic carnival act, thank goodness we will never go back to that.

Regardless of how the barn is perceived by future recruits, media, etc., I like the fact that Kaler understands the value of tradition.
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It's comments like these that make me scratch my head.

Step 1) who cares if these spoiled recruits like it or not, it's tradition! Screw them and their NBA fandom!
Step 2) complain that no Big time recruits will commit here.
 

A real renovation of Williams Arena would be awesome if possible. Another "facelift", just kicks the can 10 years down the road. One thing I would like to see done, if a renovation happens, is to find a way to have students/younger fans closer to the court. All the great seats in Williams seem to be taken up by fans who rarely get on their feet or make any noise. That's not to say I don't have a great deal of respect for these (mostly older) fans, but it would be great if energy in the crowd come come from more areas than just behind the basket.
 

Trying to renovate Williams Arena to anything close to a state of the art facility relative to tearing it down quickly and starting over would be extremely time consuming and very expensive.

More disturbing, is that due to space constraints, the end result would be a much smaller capacity. The trade off to that is a lot of bad seats, or suites with really bad views.


The whole thing needs to go if the U is serious about really improving the whole experience. Once Kaler spends some time with HOK, his position may well change.

I used to be a fan of the Barn, until I started having to sit in the bleachers under the overhang, behind the baskets, it was awful.

Sitting in the lower deck, on the sidelines, near the court is great..... if all the grey hair dead beats were reanimated as cheering alive, non zombie, Oregon Autzen Stadium type fans. Today we have geezers and zombies in those seats.

The current Williams structure, with the giant quanset? roof is just to narrow for any decent renovation. The site may be sufficient for a new Arena though, due to the open space on the south side nearer University.

The U of M can play at the Xcel Energy Center (better) or TC for the time it takes to build an Oregon or Missouri like facility.
 

BleedGopher said:
Tell that to Bill Musselman, Crazy George, Flip and the 70s Gophers. They had the most elaborate pre-game traditions, so much so that Northwestern once stopped their warm-ups and watched the Gophers routine. Muss said afterwards that he knew we'd win that game right then.

Our pre-game routine would whip the crowd into a frenzy and thousands fans would arrive early just to get a glimpse. After the warm-up they turned the lights low, ran through the big Goldy screen and The Barn went crazy. Dr. Don, you must be a young 'in if you don't recall this era of Gopher basketball. It was like none-other in more ways than one.

Go Gophers!!
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Of course, what really makes that kind of thing exciting is when some of those players running through the big Goldy screen are first-team all-conference caliber and future 1st round NBA draft picks. That's what we haven't had enough of in recent years. If we did, that would create REAL excitement.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Of course, what really makes that kind of thing exciting is when some of those players running through the big Goldy screen are first-team all-conference caliber and future 1st round NBA draft picks. That's what we haven't had enough of in recent years. If we did, that would create REAL excitement.
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Chicken or the egg argument here kind of. I would argue that if that first round talent is at a Gopher game and sees that, they may be more likely to commit and play here. I'd guess that high end players love that excitement and would play at that school.
 

I love the barn and hope we remain there for many years to come. But from a recruits standpoint it is just an old building with a funny raised floor -- i venture to guess if you poll ALL of the high school basketball players in the state, MOST would prefer to play at Target center over williams arena. 15-18 yr old kids like new/shiny/cool amenities, none of which the BARN has; and I have to believe a remodel done right wouldn't save THAT much money over a new arena. If the arena and practice facility are to be recruiting tools they need dial into what is imporatant to the kids coming in: ipads, LED's, xbox's, bright fancy arena/courts. All that said, as a fan I hope to stay in the dingy old barn; but for programs sake i hope we build a pro style arena with all the amenties to lure topflight talent -- but we better win some games and play in the NCAA past the first weekend first(winning is the real way to gain recruits)
 

stroms7 said:
I love the barn and hope we remain there for many years to come. But from a recruits standpoint it is just an old building with a funny raised floor -- i venture to guess if you poll ALL of the high school basketball players in the state, MOST would prefer to play at Target center over williams arena. 15-18 yr old kids like new/shiny/cool amenities, none of which the BARN has; and I have to believe a remodel done right wouldn't save THAT much money over a new arena. If the arena and practice facility are to be recruiting tools they need dial into what is imporatant to the kids coming in: ipads, LED's, xbox's, bright fancy arena/courts. All that said, as a fan I hope to stay in the dingy old barn; but for programs sake i hope we build a pro style arena with all the amenties to lure topflight talent -- but we better win some games and play in the NCAA past the first weekend first(winning is the real way to gain recruits)
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If we were to build a new arena it DOES NOT HAVE TO BE pro style arena.
 

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