Div. II Arena Appreciation/Discussion

[Jeff]

Re: Div. II Arena Appreciation/Discussion

I decided to go through some recent D2 champions/runners up and see what arenas they have.

Multipurpose Building - Central Missouri



Kellogg Gym - Cal-Poly Pomona



Joe Retton Arena - Fairmont State

I haven't been able to upload a size of the image that the board will take, but this tweet has a more recent shot for Central Missouri with the center hung video board.

https://twitter.com/UCMMULES/status/...810363905?s=19

This one with a good shot of the court which was just redone with a supersized Mule:

https://twitter.com/CRich4/status/11...661663232?s=19

Shout-out to anyone who can assist on uploading photos!

[Predatory Primates]

Did I post San Bernardino's yet?

LOve that ceiling

[Predatory Primates]

I agree, but changing it is cost prohibitive and a drastic change to the facility. It hasn't changed much, other than the flooring, since it was built and many consider it sacred in it's current condition. It feels like it did years ago in really competitive big games. I hope the attendance increases this season, I think it will. However, to be in that facility, with that drop ceiling and a big crowd - usually means a pretty hectic and exciting game. I have been in the Sportscenter when you couldn't hear yourself yell, not often because I have a pretty loud and obnoxious voice. The fold up seats on the stage are for students and the band. It would be nice to hear a good band this season. The student section use to be behind the bench, and the band played near the bench on this side of the gym.

Being that old, it may be asbestos.If so, removal would be insanely expensive.

[IceBoxDragon]

Figured I'd add some pictures of the Dragon's Lair in Moorhead. It's a field-house rather than a standard arena because it hosts other sports, but it looks pretty good on gameday. Here's some examples, including some in "down time."

There's been a few improvements over the past decade, such as the new floor and jumbotron. The addition of title banners was also a good move, as is the use of curtains to block out some of the unused space.

Back in 2016 the Dragons played Augustana in a ranked matchup and it's probably the most energized the place has been. Here's the video recap from that game: https://youtu.be/N09NBj-HDW8

Although it was a loss, the facility has become a fun environment during Dragons games with their recent success.

[IceBoxDragon]

Dragons3.jpg

[IceBoxDragon]

Dragons1.jpg

[SW_Mustang]

Dragons1.jpg

It's not letting me view any of them - not sure if that's just me or if it's for everyone.

[SW_Mustang]

I haven't been able to upload a size of the image that the board will take, but this tweet has a more recent shot for Central Missouri with the center hung video board.

https://twitter.com/UCMMULES/status/...810363905?s=19

This one with a good shot of the court which was just redone with a supersized Mule:

https://twitter.com/CRich4/status/11...661663232?s=19

Shout-out to anyone who can assist on uploading photos!

Both of those are pretty cool. I love center-court video boards.

[SW_Mustang]

I made it back to Bresnan Arena last night. Here's a couple thoughts:

-Save for Minot's renovations of the Dome, their arena is hands down the best in the NSIC. I don't count Augie because they don't play at their own arena.

-They need to invest in better video boards. The one they have now is non-functioning and it looks really bad. Some kind of center-court scoreboard would be nice too.

-I like the intimacy of the arena, albeit I think the upper half looks a little bland. Reminds me of my middle school band room - we played in the old school garage. For a program with such dominant colors and logos, I'd expect to see more than just tan everywhere.

Not much can be done about the crowd, but other than those two little nitpicks, I really enjoyed the arena. Parking isn't great but that's neither here nor there for me. I hope to make it back later this year because I got a coupon for a free snack pack.