mjs
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RE: Next years tournament
(02-04-2013 08:57 PM)LRTrojan Wrote: (02-04-2013 08:22 PM)mjs Wrote: There is absolutely nothing near Lakefront arena (I guess there is a lake). In
You got that right. It's been ten years, but don't remember seeing anything to eat or motels within three or four miles of the arena. I stayed at a Ramada Inn about four or five miles away(the nearest I could find)in a real bad looking part of town. There was a restaurant on a casino boat on the lake about a couple of miles from the arena. The food wasn't worth a ****. One trip for a meal, and then it was a trip to the toilet. And back where the Ramada was, there were a few franchise restaurants that I wouldn't get out of the to car to eat in one of them. About the only time I didn't eat at the arena was when I went to the French Market.
I went to Biloxi a couple of times and that was quite nice. Everything right there on the road along the beach. A nice tourist town with seafood restaurants, casinos, and easy access to everything. I just don't see any positives having it at Lakefront Arena. Long ways from the French Quarter and good restaurants. Far from hotels. Zero local interest. I thought Southaven made sense, location-wise, as did Huntsville.
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02-04-2013 09:19 PM |
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Tom in Lazybrook
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RE: Next years tournament
Will the tournament be during Lent or during Mardi Gras next year. If Lent has started, there should be plenty of hotel rooms available at a cheap rate.
I think its a good idea to move the game around a bit. UALR/stAte did have a small advantage due to the location.
Kind of odd to be holding the game at a former conference members' home court.
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02-04-2013 09:25 PM |
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mjs
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RE: Next years tournament
(02-04-2013 09:25 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote: Will the tournament be during Lent or during Mardi Gras next year. If Lent has started, there should be plenty of hotel rooms available at a cheap rate.
I think its a good idea to move the game around a bit. UALR/stAte did have a small advantage due to the location.
Kind of odd to be holding the game at a former conference members' home court.
I think moving it around is only fair. Of course, Hot Springs was great for UALR fans. However, they embraced and welcomed the tourney. They set up a second court so that the men's and women's tournament could, not only held in one place, but could be completed in 4 day weekend. Having it on the home court of a former member also seems rather bizarre. Maybe we'll play it on MTSU's or UNT's court the following year.
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02-04-2013 09:40 PM |
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mjs
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RE: Next years tournament
(02-04-2013 09:40 PM)mjs Wrote: (02-04-2013 09:25 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote: Will the tournament be during Lent or during Mardi Gras next year. If Lent has started, there should be plenty of hotel rooms available at a cheap rate.
I think its a good idea to move the game around a bit. UALR/stAte did have a small advantage due to the location.
Kind of odd to be holding the game at a former conference members' home court.
I think moving it around is only fair. Of course, Hot Springs was great for UALR fans. However, they embraced and welcomed the tourney. They set up a second court so that the men's and women's tournament could, not only held in one place, but could be completed in 4 day weekend. Having it on the home court of a former member also seems rather bizarre. Maybe we'll play it on MTSU's or UNT's court the following year.
BurntheHorse just pointed out that the Sun Belt had a contract to have the tourney in Hot Springs next year. That's what I seemed to recall. If the Sun Belt is breaking the contract that is a tremendous slap in the face of Hot Springs. It is also simply wrong. We'll likely see the Southland Tournament move in, and the Belt will never see Hot Springs again.
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02-04-2013 09:44 PM |
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Ynocpirt
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RE: Next years tournament
(02-04-2013 07:33 PM)insideualr Wrote: (02-04-2013 04:36 PM)Scotto Wrote: The embrace that the host city offers is low on the list of priorities. Is the venue a good fit. Is there stuff to do. Are there places to eat that are not franchised-chains.
New Orleans gets 3 thumbs up.
Scott the arena is not by a bunch of high end food. Hot Springs has hotel and food within walking distance.
the area in hot springs is safe and I can take my kids. don't know that NO is not but I will not know.
I know I will go to the southland when it moves to hot springs in our place.
I promise you, Inside, if it's at Lakefront Arena, you and the kids will want to walk NOWHERE from there. I was uncomfortable driving there from the hotel in Metarie.
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02-04-2013 09:53 PM |
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LRTrojan
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RE: Next years tournament
(02-04-2013 10:16 PM)Scotto Wrote: Denver would be cool.
I think it should be held at Madison Square Garden. There is more to do in New York. Probably about as many Belt fans would go to NY as will go to NO. And you might even have more locals show up, since NY is so much more populated.
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02-04-2013 10:24 PM |
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mjs
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RE: Next years tournament
(02-04-2013 10:24 PM)LRTrojan Wrote: (02-04-2013 10:16 PM)Scotto Wrote: Denver would be cool.
I think it should be held at Madison Square Garden. There is more to do in New York. Probably about as many Belt fans would go to NY as will go to NO. And you might even have more locals show up, since NY is so much more populated.
Funny...you beat me to it. I was going to suggest New York as well. Makes just about as much sense. I'm sure you'd have a bigger walk-up crowd.
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02-04-2013 10:39 PM |
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insideualr
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Next years tournament
Boo. I will not go. ***** slap hot springs on the way out.
One of my friends left his hot wife for a crazy piece of tt one time and never recovered from it. This is the sbc leaving hot springs.
Sent while moving to the next race
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02-04-2013 10:44 PM |
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mjs
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RE: Next years tournament
(02-04-2013 10:44 PM)insideualr Wrote: Boo. I will not go. ***** slap hot springs on the way out.
One of my friends left his hot wife for a crazy piece of tt one time and never recovered from it. This is the sbc leaving hot springs.
Sent while moving to the next race
http://www.facebook.com/thatsrightracing
Good analogy. Can't believe the commissioner is such a low-life that he would leave Hot Springs before the contract is up. Hot Springs should sue the league big time. The tournament is still listed as being in Hot Springs in 2014 on the Sun Belt Website. I'll have to see it to believe they are actually breaking the contract to move to New Orleans.
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02-04-2013 10:47 PM |
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outsideualr
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RE: Next years tournament
I don't know about contracts, but Chris did say the tournament was moving to New Orleans next year. I guess we'll find out as we go along.
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02-05-2013 12:24 AM |
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DollarBill
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RE: Next years tournament
For sure, I don't know the facts about this matter. I tend to believe that Hot Springs just might not give a hoot whether the SBC stays or goes. I don't know if Hot Springs considers the tournament worth the effort. Last year watching the evening sports news I noticed the stands appeared to be filled to capacity for the High School tournaments. I don't recall it being like that for the SBC Tournament.
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02-05-2013 09:23 AM |
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outsideualr
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RE: Next years tournament
Problem with that is that if the host school goes out early, then the crowds go away. Even if you gave the game every year to the conference champion, unless you game them a bye to the finals, same problem. And would anyone show up until the final game?
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02-05-2013 09:55 AM |
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DollarBill
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RE: Next years tournament
Seems to me, the SBC and most other Mid-Major type conferences don't have the fan following that will do a lot of traveling. My thought is to play the tournament on the home floors based on seedings. What is to be gained by playing the championship game on a far away court i.e. New Orleans with a very small crowd on hand.
Back to SBC/Hot Springs. I do not know facts on either side. But if the incoming Commissioner has ben given orders to move the tournament I believe we can assume things are not very harmonious between the two.
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02-05-2013 10:11 AM |
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outsideualr
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RE: Next years tournament
I propose it to be held every year at the Jack Stephens Center. Great arena. Great city. What else could you ask for?
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02-05-2013 10:40 AM |
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RBL
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Next years tournament
Sunbelt has officially announce New Orleans as the site thru 2016
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02-05-2013 11:25 AM |
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insideualr
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Next years tournament
Some conference play the whole thing at home sites but they play it over about 10 days. Knock 2 games off the schedule and play the tournament that way.
The down side of this is poor schools like ulm usually field a losing team and would have to pay travel to go get beat.
Sent while moving to the next race
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02-05-2013 11:53 AM |
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LRTrojan
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RE: Next years tournament
(02-05-2013 09:23 AM)DollarBill Wrote: For sure, I don't know the facts about this matter. I tend to believe that Hot Springs just might not give a hoot whether the SBC stays or goes. I don't know if Hot Springs considers the tournament worth the effort. Last year watching the evening sports news I noticed the stands appeared to be filled to capacity for the High School tournaments. I don't recall it being like that for the SBC Tournament.
Don't kid yourself Gene, HS is making money or they wouldn't have bid on the tourney for the second time around. Yes, the high school tournaments may fill it up for some games. It's in state and the whole towns will come to games, especially when their teams make the finals. I would doubt that other than some fans that really love basketball and that live in HS, probably not many of the locals attend either the Belt or the high school tournament. While I agree that it's been nice having it in the state, I can understand some of the other schools wanting to see it moved around some. But moving while they still have a contract with HS is asinine. Like Mickey, I hope the city sues the **** out of the league.
(This post was last modified: 02-05-2013 11:59 AM by LRTrojan.)
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02-05-2013 11:54 AM |
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outsideualr
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RE: Next years tournament
(02-04-2013 04:11 PM)DollarBill Wrote: (02-04-2013 04:01 PM)outsideualr Wrote: They'll be sorry they moved it from Hot Springs. This was supposedly because Western and Middle complained about it, and the Western President was the one who hired our new commissioner and the first thing he told him was to move the tournament out of Hot Springs.
And Middle is leaving anyway, so what are they complaining about. Stupid!
Doc; Did you hear any reasons why some want the Tournament moved from HS?
Supposedly Western, and maybe Middle, were upset because they felt UALR and ASU had such a big fan support advantage. Hell. I remember both Middle and North Texas and maybe others having as many fans there as we did. Unfortunately politics plays a part in everything.
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02-05-2013 12:53 PM |
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LRTrojan
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RE: Next years tournament
Don't remember Western Kentucky fans being upset when the tournament was at Diddle a couple of years. But, again I can understand the rest of the league not wanting the tournament to be here forever. I'd say that it should be, don't know if it is or not, but should be an advantage for UALR or ASU. If I were a fan of another league school, I'd want to see it moved around some too.
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02-05-2013 01:00 PM |
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