InGoodCo
Well-Known Member
he was right, if he had stayed and had success, the stadium would still be empty.
Iowa basketball fan support
- Thread starter InGoodCo
- Start date
eyekwah
Well-Known Member
In hindsight CHA is probably too large. It ranks 25th nationally in seating capacity. I've included the expanded 2024 Big Ten Members in a spreadsheet to rank each arena by capacity. I also looked that average Big Ten basketball attendance. The Big Ten has the most attendance of all conferences and is over 12,000+ per game. Big Ten Basketball attendance average was over 13,000+ when CHA was built. For those that complain about the lack of attendance, it's a good idea to keep in mind that Iowa has the third smallest student population in the Big Ten and the 6th largest arena.
People can point to dates and times of games, quality of the opposition, or style of play as reasons for an empty arena, but the reality is that unless there is the possibility of making a run in the national tournament people don't care that much. The interest builds if there is a chance of making the field of 68. When it's January 18 and you are sitting with a .500 conference record it is a wait and see setting.
People can point to dates and times of games, quality of the opposition, or style of play as reasons for an empty arena, but the reality is that unless there is the possibility of making a run in the national tournament people don't care that much. The interest builds if there is a chance of making the field of 68. When it's January 18 and you are sitting with a .500 conference record it is a wait and see setting.
Appreciate the data. Folks talk about Carver being 'outdated', but I see nine arenas on this list built prior to Carver.
SwirlinLingerie
Well-Known Member
I know there are a bunch of reasons why this won't happen, but what about an 8,000 seat arena somewhat adjacent to downtown? The university could explore a partnership with the city on the project. It'd be a boon to downtown and could host other events, concerts, etc. It'd be a symbolic venue bridging the campus to the community.
Cater to the students. Which would make it a hot ticket for non-students. Focus on getting Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Quad Cities folks there. The odd start times aren't going away, so quit worrying about people who drive 2+ hours to attend. Plus, Iowa will be seeing $100M annually in TV money before long.
No parking? Yeah, it'd be tricky, but how many non-students we talking about anyway? And Iowa City has great buses. Set up an easy park and ride shuttle system for game days if needed.
I don't think it's difficult to imagine a top 5 environment for men's and women's basketball in that scenario.
I wouldn't spend another dime on Carver. That place needs to be blown up and put out of its misery.
Cater to the students. Which would make it a hot ticket for non-students. Focus on getting Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Quad Cities folks there. The odd start times aren't going away, so quit worrying about people who drive 2+ hours to attend. Plus, Iowa will be seeing $100M annually in TV money before long.
No parking? Yeah, it'd be tricky, but how many non-students we talking about anyway? And Iowa City has great buses. Set up an easy park and ride shuttle system for game days if needed.
I don't think it's difficult to imagine a top 5 environment for men's and women's basketball in that scenario.
I wouldn't spend another dime on Carver. That place needs to be blown up and put out of its misery.
InGoodCo
Well-Known Member
Last 2 seasons looked like they could make noise and had NBA talent, literally didn’t matter. But good data, thanks for sharing
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
Kind of have to pin it down to each individual home game. Biggest loss of students in CHA is when they are home on break. My two grand daughters have been home for a month. (That is at UW. I don‘t know Iowa’s schedule.).All most people remember about the NCAA Tournament
Is the Final Four, perhaps
And the Tournament Champions
Every year, the first weekend ousts 32 teams
Nobody really remembers the first and second-round losers
Unless you are named Purdue
Just a mystery to me the lack of student attendance at Carver
Perhaps they have tender noses and spout blood throughout the game
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
Yup
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
I'm still very lukewarm on Fran. The way he's treated Dolph on occasion. Kicking the scorers table at Carver and narrowly missing Bobby Hansen's face ( Hansen suffered a career threatening broken jaw during his NBA career). His epic meltdown in Madison in 2014 (a game I attended) where I have absolutely no doubt he had to resist the impulse to take a swing at an official. Getting escorted off the court by the cops in Cedar Falls. Chasing a ref down the tunnel at Ohio State and calling him a "cheating m'fer". Issues in handshake lines because he is the moral police when it concerns how to finish a game once the dogs have been called off.
He says coach and play with passion. I never saw a teams play with more passion than the early Davis teams and Tom for the most part never acted like a raving lunatic on the bench-or require several coaches and players to restrain him.
For Fran's offense to run effectively he needs his players to cut and curl efficiently. But strong physical teams can bump and grind and grab and stick their rear end into players and in this league it doesn't get called. Players know that. Rival league coaches recruit players who excel in that style of play. If Fran hasn't figured that out in fourteen years he never will.
By the way I'm a proponent of getting rid of the handshake line. At all levels. It's asking for trouble as in the Wisconsin-Michigan ending a couple years ago. There's going to be an all out riot in one of those lines someday.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Carver needs
-the students in the first few rows surrounding the floor
-then a concourse, then the high rollers next. Because of the concourse the students could stand without obstructing the view of those immediately behind them.
-the top five rows, minimum, removed and replaced by corporate suites. And suites for high rollers.
If not, do what I've always said. Tear down the old Capitol Mall (talk about antiquidated) and build a 10,000 seat arena in the heart of downtown where all the students and bars and restaurants are. Downtown Iowa City would be nuts on a game night.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
It's So Obvious
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
I do get that there are those who just can’t get in line with Fran. Nothing wrong about that. If I read what I think is unfair criticism, I will express my contrary views. I have posted, more than once, my disappointment with our defense. Also get frustrated with our rebounding, though I think we have been pretty good this year. We are much more physical. I am here at the Drury and will be in CHA for Iowa vs Purdue tomorrow. Might find a Pagliai’s sausage and Canadian bacon pizza post game.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
For five years I lived less than three blocks from that place (and the Hamburg Inn right across the street and Magoo's next to Hamburg)
Who needed downtown? Though I frequented that area as well. I lived in Currier Hall, then an apartment on Linn Street. Didn't have a car then and didn't need one.
For pizza also liked Paul Revere, Rocky Rococo, Round Table. Had a girlfriend for a while that liked Vito's.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
A lot of Fran's meltdowns begin when other teams maul his players physically and get away with it. And to this day he generally doesn't recruit country strong physical players. And he has to know by now that the refs in this league allow physical play. It's been an open secret for decades and is brought up every year in the NCAA's. Even John Feinstein in his Bobby Knight book almost forty years ago mentioned how awful B1G officiating is.
Fran recruits angular, lengthy, free flowing players and has had consistent success doing it. But by now he should know how league officials are going to call most games and should be ready to deal with it without having to be held back by the bench or shown the door once a year.
InGoodCo
Well-Known Member
I like his style, competitiveness, his drive to win and the fact he doesn’t give a shit about anything other than that. If all that rubs you wrong, maybe look into what him and his wife have put back into the IC community, the children’s hospital and fighting cancer. Instead of judging him on his worse moments, take a look at what he’s done and accomplished. Dudes a fucking amazing person who does great things for people. He also produces great basketball players and winning hoops for Iowa. Go ahead and hold it against him that he told ref what he thought of his performance off the court or because he has a temper like literally every other coach in the game. Also, Dolph deserved it
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guffus
Well-Known Member
I have always felt since Carver Hawkeye opened that you can eliminate half the aisles in the bottom 12 rows. Just have half the aisles stop at 12 rows from the bottom in replace them with seats. That will get more people closer to the floor. If that causes problem with the fire Marshall, then take out an equal number of seats near the top.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
I've never questioned his off the court philanthropy efforts.. And I've always respected that he recruits high character people.
His weakest sauce moment was chasing the ref down the tunnel at Ohio State. If you're going to accuse a game official of cheating you better have solid evidence and be willing to put your own job and reputation on the line to prove it. Otherwise keep the mouth shut about the situation.
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HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
No. This makes no sense. And, you know it clam up.
