Spencer Tollackson: Minnesota "needs a new arena and practice facility"

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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From the PiPress Q&A:

BS: I heard you're not a big fan of Williams Arena. Don't you like tradition and history?

ST: Growing up in Minnesota and playing at Williams Arena, I love the tradition. But it seems like if Minnesota wants to be competitive in the Big Ten, you have to keep up with the Joneses. I look to the future of the program. It needs a new arena and practice facility.

BS: Would you like to see a new arena built where Williams Arena stands now?

ST: My guess is, it would be rebuilt on the same site. Minnesota can play home games at Target Center while it's being built.

BS: Would you like to see a new floor in a new arena at floor level?

ST: No. Leave it raised. It's something that keeps the mystique of Williams Arena.

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_19708372

Go Gophers!!
 


I'm with him also. Williams has lost its nostalgic feel. A new arena doesn't have to be an NBA style arena. It's been mentioned before, but Mizzou arena is a fantastic example of a new throw back arena.
 


I disagree with Spencer, and probably many people on this board. I think that the solution that makes the most people happy, in an economic time where we realize that changes need to be made but money for this kind of thing would be slim, would be to deliver on funding for a 25 million dollar practice facility, and a nice number, perhaps another 25 million, to get Williams Arena back on solid modern-day footing. It has the potential to be a "nostalgia arena" for a long time, but it needs some upgrades to do so. A good start would be upgrading some of the fan amenities, to ensure that a stable cash flow can be solidified for the forseeable future. And perhaps plan on another 10 million or so, another decade down the line, to make one more smaller round of upgrades. Just my 2 cents.
 


How about KOHLerize Mariucci to dual purpose, then convert to Historic Williams Practice Facility - viola! Actually, I'm liking The Barn more every year. Hate to see it go.
 

Disagree 100% Take away The Barn - how freakin stupid Spencer! Put a winning team in there and a senseless thread like this would not pop up.
 

You have to keep Williams IMO but do a full internal renovation and turn the Pavillion into a practice facility. As Spencer said Target center could be used for a year or two.
 

Almost completely disagree with him and frankly he sounds like a flack for Tubby here. Practice facility yes, but tearing down Williams would be a typical boneheaded Minnesota move. Sadly, with Bruininks having greenlit the demolition of some of the National Register buildings on old campus a couple years ago, a manifestly terrible idea like this is no longer unthinkable.

Every now and then, these tides of feeling that Minnesota needs something new and shiny to be competitive/relevant/respected rolls in, only for us realize with great regret later that we lost something irreplaceable and defining. Folks still wring their hands over Minneapolis' destruction of the Gateway District in the early '60s, Memorial Stadium in the early 1990s, etc.

Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke was built in 1940, just 12 years after Williams, and nobody would think of demolishing it. The U, and this would mean AD Maturi, should be emphasizing the historic character of Williams to generate fundraising among well-heeled alumni and perhaps also try to get some of those state legacy funds for art and historic preservation if the law allows for it. In Williams, we have something that very few colleges have -- only 13 college basketball facilities built before 1940 remain -- and if properly renovated, we gain a lot more out of the relative uniqueness and character of that than we ever would with a new facility, even if done in retro style.
 



If the Barn were to be renovated, what changes could be made to bring it up to present day standards and needs?

No one loves the Barn more than me but there does come a time when sports facilities need to be upgraded or replaced.

How many people would rather have a renovated Memorial Stadium as opposed to a present day TCF?
 

Ask Spence how much mula it will cost and where will the $$$ come from. Maybe jack up student fees even more so they can assume more debt while coaches are paid 2million a year.
 

BleedGopher said:
From the PiPress Q&A:

BS: I heard you're not a big fan of Williams Arena. Don't you like tradition and history?

ST: Growing up in Minnesota and playing at Williams Arena, I love the tradition. But it seems like if Minnesota wants to be competitive in the Big Ten, you have to keep up with the Joneses. I look to the future of the program. It needs a new arena and practice facility.

BS: Would you like to see a new arena built where Williams Arena stands now?

ST: My guess is, it would be rebuilt on the same site. Minnesota can play home games at Target Center while it's being built.

BS: Would you like to see a new floor in a new arena at floor level?

ST: No. Leave it raised. It's something that keeps the mystique of Williams Arena.

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_19708372

Go Gophers!!
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He's right. Plain and simple. While the Barn is nostalgic, from a national perspective we don't appear up to date. We are going to have to keep spending money on it to keep it in shape. With naming rights, more seating, and boxes you could make a pretty good financial case for it and perhaps combine the strucure with a practice facility. Long term it would help recruiting, attendance and overall stature of the program. I would be all for the new arena having a nostalgic look and feel. If there would be any way to remodel Williams in that way, I'd love it, but I don't think the footprint and structure will work.
 




The problem with the barn has and always will be the obstructed seats which plays no small part in the lower attendance figures. most of the unobstructed seats are full, but who wants to fork over money for a seat where you can't see the whole court.

Cameron is basically a high school gym. It is tiny, and there are no unobstructed seats. More importantly, it is a place where kids want to play. The Barn isn't anymore.

They should turn the barn into a practice facility/museum/offices. There's gotta be space at the U for a new arena without tearing it down.
 

From the Barn said:
The problem with the barn has and always will be the obstructed seats which plays no small part in the lower attendance figures. most of the unobstructed seats are full, but who wants to fork over money for a seat where you can't see the whole court.

Cameron is basically a high school gym. It is tiny, and there are no unobstructed seats. More importantly, it is a place where kids want to play. The Barn isn't anymore.

They should turn the barn into a practice facility/museum/offices. There's gotta be space at the U for a new arena without tearing it down.
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This ^^^
 

New practice facility, but leave the barn as it is. As some posters have already said, put a winning team in there as the replace the barn sentimates will go away.
 

bga1 said:
He's right. Plain and simple. While the Barn is nostalgic, from a national perspective we don't appear up to date. We are going to have to keep spending money on it to keep it in shape. With naming rights, more seating, and boxes you could make a pretty good financial case for it and perhaps combine the strucure with a practice facility. Long term it would help recruiting, attendance and overall stature of the program. I would be all for the new arena having a nostalgic look and feel. If there would be any way to remodel Williams in that way, I'd love it, but I don't think the footprint and structure will work.
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Disagree. The Barn is fine the way it is - it's our history and it does not need remodeling. When we lose comments like these start to pop up.
 

Where to start?

First off redoing Williams just to get rid of obstructed view seats and the old charm of the place is rediculous. Are any of these recruits actually sitting in the stands? Or using the restrooms in the concourse? NO! So its not the upgrading of those things that is important to a recruit. A practice facility will go miles in attracting recruits because it will be where they spend 80% of their time.

Second, Williams is not in need of any upgrades in the next couple of years, but in 5-10 it surely will be, so I want to see at least a plan getting started. A new scoreboard, ribbon banner across the face of the 2nd deck is upgrade #1. Upgrade #2 will include a new entrance along University side that will add a team store, more restrooms and concessions, and possibly a second level that will connect to the arena that could become a larger club room and amenities.

Look across the Big Ten and at the facilities at the other schools. The Barn will be more than fine if schools like Indiana are still playing in dumps like Assembly Hall or Northwestern in their high school gym. Heck even Michigan's Crysler and Illinois home courts are 1960's architectural eye sores that are in need of replacement before Williams and that will not happen anytime soon.
 

Crysler just underwent a massive renovation..

The bigger issue is that other schools can claim, rightfully so, that the basketball program is an after thought, and an antiquated arena doesn't do much to disprove that.
 

Agree. Practice facility 1st priority, then we'll deal with Williams Arena later. ... though I understand & fully agree that The Barn will need need to be replaced during my lifetime (I'm in my 40's).

If Williams Arena is a dump, what does that make Cameron Indoor? Same thing (old & charming, yet outdated), difference being Duke rarely loses in their dump, we do (a lot) in ours.

I don't live in Durham, but are Duke fans clamoring for a shiny new arena (Pewter, you probably have a read on that?)? I'm guessing Duke has a really nice practice facility, but is Cameron Indoor holding them back?
 

I love the barn, and long for the days when it was a factor in determining the outcome of games! The truth is that it is no longer what we all want to think it is... Does that have to do with the product on the court? Yes, but when is that going to change? Another couple years at the level we're at now, and then what, a coaching change? All of a sudden we're staring down the barrel of another lost decade of Gopher hoops. What does the barn look like in 2020? If it's outdated to recruits now, I can only imagine how it will be perceived then. Meanwhile the fan base that remembers the good old days will continue to get older and smaller. We need a plan to transition to a new era. I would be in favor of a major remodel, but not sure if that would solve the problems they might want to address (obstructed views, fan amenities, suites, etc.), or if it wouldn't just be more cost effective to build new at that point?
 

GoGophers2005 said:
Where to start?

First off redoing Williams just to get rid of obstructed view seats and the old charm of the place is rediculous. Are any of these recruits actually sitting in the stands? Or using the restrooms in the concourse? NO! So its not the upgrading of those things that is important to a recruit. A practice facility will go miles in attracting recruits because it will be where they spend 80% of their time.

Second, Williams is not in need of any upgrades in the next couple of years, but in 5-10 it surely will be, so I want to see at least a plan getting started. A new scoreboard, ribbon banner across the face of the 2nd deck is upgrade #1. Upgrade #2 will include a new entrance along University side that will add a team store, more restrooms and concessions, and possibly a second level that will connect to the arena that could become a larger club room and amenities.

Look across the Big Ten and at the facilities at the other schools. The Barn will be more than fine if schools like Indiana are still playing in dumps like Assembly Hall or Northwestern in their high school gym. Heck even Michigan's Crysler and Illinois home courts are 1960's architectural eye sores that are in need of replacement before Williams and that will not happen anytime soon.
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So the #1 upgrade needed for The Barn is a new ribbon scoreboard. Wonderful. That should help recruiting and maintain the nostalgic feel of the arena.
 

I've sometimes wondered if the football program is operating under a curse due to the destruction of the old stadium. It was, after all, a Memorial. Best we not make that mistake twice. And who are these "Joneses" we keep hearing about? Remember the Commandment: "thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's facilities". ...end of sermon.
 

Parski1 said:
Disagree. The Barn is fine the way it is - it's our history and it does not need remodeling. When we lose comments like these start to pop up.
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Parksi- I too have always loved the Barn and I've been going there for 40 + years. However, I have faced the facts that my desire to win and the overall vision for Gopher basketball are at odds. I don't think Tubby is doing a great job but our poor facilities situation is giving him plenty of excuse material. Beyond that the Barn requires you to somehow make players believe our program is the place to be based on some imagined view of what the Barn might look like when full with wildly approving fans. The Barn looks like a dump when empty and almost as bad when we are running a 3000 below capacity. Should we still be in Memorial Stadium? That's the football equivalent of the Barn and I am happy that we are now in a fantastic football stadium that gives the current coach a chance to somewhat overcome the recruiting odds that go with a long suffering football program.

We can keep throwing 15-20 million at the Barn every 10 years to keep it standing- but it's starting to look like dumb money to me. A new arena would be a chance to jumpstart this flagging basketball program that looks like it's possibly a step away from a long term stay in the abyss. I don't liek it much but that's the times we live in. If we want to be competitive we are going to have to think big.
 

GoodasGold said:
I've sometimes wondered if the football program is operating under a curse due to the destruction of the old stadium. It was, after all, a Memorial. Best we not make that mistake twice. And who are these "Joneses" we keep hearing about? Remember the Commandment: "thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's facilities". ...end of sermon.
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The best way to end coveting is to go out and get your own.
 


Gopherbadgerman or UWOLE or any other posters know what the sentiment in Madison was before the Badgers moved into Kohl Center? The UW Fieldhouse had other issues that Williams might not have but it is somewhat comparable in that it is leaving the old traditional building for the new multi-purpose facility. I have seen Badger fans say that it was the start of feeling like the administration was finally giving the coaches the tools to succeed.
 

The Gopher Radio Network needs a new sidekick for their men's basketball broadcasts.
 

station19 said:
Crisler Arena

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/photogalleries/sportsgallery/crislerarena09232011/
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The only other school I've been to a basketball game at is the Crisler Arena, it was 25 years ago when it was relatively new, my thoughts were might as well go play at the Civic Center in St Paul at the time if that is the atmosphere you are looking for. It felt like an NBA game, my thoughts were who would ever want to watch college basketball in that arena game after game.
 

jovs said:
The only other school I've been to a basketball game at is the Crisler Arena, it was 25 years ago when it was relatively new, my thoughts were might as well go play at the Civic Center in St Paul at the time if that is the atmosphere you are looking for. It felt like an NBA game, my thoughts were who would ever want to watch college basketball in that arena game after game.
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When the Barnyard was there in 2008, Crisler looked like what the St. Paul Civic Center did towards the end of it's time as an arena. It was disturbing when you could beat dust out of the upper level chair if you slapped it with your hand.
 

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