I don't know if the corners of the JAR can be bumped out but without doing that, I can't see a way to do significant changes. It will still have the feel of a glorified gym. I wonder if Akron/Summit County have looked into bringing in a minor league hockey team to help anchor a new arena? If the city, county, and university combined their efforts, they could build a new arena in conjunction with the convention center (Knight?) which would probably be a very nice facility.

(01-02-2015 12:33 AM)RocketJeff Wrote:  I don't know if the corners of the JAR can be bumped out but without doing that, I can't see a way to do significant changes. It will still have the feel of a glorified gym. I wonder if Akron/Summit County have looked into bringing in a minor league hockey team to help anchor a new arena? If the city, county, and university combined their efforts, they could build a new arena in conjunction with the convention center (Knight?) which would probably be a very nice facility.

I think the corners hold up the ceiling.

As for the minor league hockey idea, Cleveland has an AHL team that plays in the Q and is owned by Dan Gilbert. It's impossible to compete with that.

(01-01-2015 11:20 PM)axeme Wrote:  Who are the CUSA teams that everyday Akron fans want to see?

Who are the MAC teams they want to see? Aside from Ohio and Kent, nobody in the MAC moves the needle that much. If Akron left, they could keep the games against the two or three MAC teams as home-and-home series. That would make scheduling easier for you guys, as well. It's hard to schedule similar mid-majors for OOC games when all the close ones are already in your conference.

(01-02-2015 12:49 AM)uakronkid Wrote:  

(01-01-2015 11:20 PM)axeme Wrote:  Who are the CUSA teams that everyday Akron fans want to see?

Who are the MAC teams they want to see? Aside from Ohio and Kent, nobody in the MAC moves the needle that much. If Akron left, they could keep the games against the two or three MAC teams as home-and-home series. That would make scheduling easier for you guys, as well. It's hard to schedule similar mid-majors for OOC games when all the close ones are already in your conference.

Sounds good. Good luck!

(I do agree that there is little interest in a lot of MAC opponents, but there won't be more in the current list of CUSA teams either. But if you just want a change of uninteresting opponents, have at it. )

(01-02-2015 12:45 AM)uakronkid Wrote:  

(01-02-2015 12:33 AM)RocketJeff Wrote:  I don't know if the corners of the JAR can be bumped out but without doing that, I can't see a way to do significant changes. It will still have the feel of a glorified gym. I wonder if Akron/Summit County have looked into bringing in a minor league hockey team to help anchor a new arena? If the city, county, and university combined their efforts, they could build a new arena in conjunction with the convention center (Knight?) which would probably be a very nice facility.

I think the corners hold up the ceiling.

As for the minor league hockey idea, Cleveland has an AHL team that plays in the Q and is owned by Dan Gilbert. It's impossible to compete with that.

I was afraid that the corners couldn't be bumped out. They might be able to come up with something that I'm not able to envision. As for the hockey team, it's very popular in Toledo so it works well here even though we're close to Detroit and the Red Wings. Of course, they're also major league. The University of Toledo had an opportunity to play its games in a new downtown facility, but after considering it, decided to renovate Savage Hall. Without our minor league hockey team, I don't think Toledo would have been able to build the new downtown arena which is a very nice facility. Using us as an example, I think you could do something similar in Akron, but you need an anchor attraction such as a hockey team, and a good promoter. Maybe your officials could take a look at what we've done. There's something going on at the Huntington Center most days of the week if they wanted to check it out.

(01-02-2015 12:49 AM)uakronkid Wrote:  

(01-01-2015 11:20 PM)axeme Wrote:  Who are the CUSA teams that everyday Akron fans want to see?

Who are the MAC teams they want to see? Aside from Ohio and Kent, nobody in the MAC moves the needle that much. If Akron left, they could keep the games against the two or three MAC teams as home-and-home series. That would make scheduling easier for you guys, as well. It's hard to schedule similar mid-majors for OOC games when all the close ones are already in your conference.

I'd suggest that Akron fans be wary of getting too smug.

Did they not fall in the MAC semis this past March?

Did they not lose the Tree?

Do they not face bigger challenges THIS year from Buffalo, Toledo, EMU, etc?

I'm suggesting that the MAC has brought in some really good coaches such as Hurley, ToddK, Rob Murphy, etc. (in addition to the solid coaches like Dambrot, Hawkins, etc.) and that the MAC is both better and more closely contested.

(01-02-2015 12:45 AM)uakronkid Wrote:  I think the corners hold up the ceiling.

So we just need to retrofit the roof with a suspension system, then we can remove the corners :) That would only cost a couple million, right?

http://suspensiondomes.com/existing/

(01-02-2015 01:13 AM)emu steve Wrote:  I'd suggest that Akron fans be wary of getting too smug.

Did they not fall in the MAC semis this past March?

Did they not lose the Tree?

Do they not face bigger challenges THIS year from Buffalo, Toledo, EMU, etc?

I'm suggesting that the MAC has brought in some really good coaches such as Hurley, ToddK, Rob Murphy, etc. (in addition to the solid coaches like Dambrot, Hawkins, etc.) and that the MAC is both better and more closely contested.

That's all great. Now tell me how any of that matters to somebody who isn't already a fan of the MAC. Because that's who Akron needs to attract to the games to fill up the arena.

(01-02-2015 12:58 AM)axeme Wrote:  

(01-02-2015 12:49 AM)uakronkid Wrote:  

(01-01-2015 11:20 PM)axeme Wrote:  Who are the CUSA teams that everyday Akron fans want to see?

Who are the MAC teams they want to see? Aside from Ohio and Kent, nobody in the MAC moves the needle that much. If Akron left, they could keep the games against the two or three MAC teams as home-and-home series. That would make scheduling easier for you guys, as well. It's hard to schedule similar mid-majors for OOC games when all the close ones are already in your conference.

Sounds good. Good luck!

(I do agree that there is little interest in a lot of MAC opponents, but there won't be more in the current list of CUSA teams either. But if you just want a change of uninteresting opponents, have at it. )

BTW, folks need to realize that the stability of the MAC is one of its greatest hallmarks.

I'm sure there are fans who think that something new every 5 or 10 years is good, but in reality, the stability of the MAC is a strength.

Most of the time, I can't name half the members of C-USA, SBC, Big East, etc.

Anyone think N. Texas and Florida Atlantic are big rivals?

Or is it novelty?

(01-02-2015 12:49 AM)uakronkid Wrote:  Who are the MAC teams they want to see? Aside from Ohio and Kent, nobody in the MAC moves the needle that much. If Akron left, they could keep the games against the two or three MAC teams as home-and-home series.

Though by the same token, if there were any teams in CUSA that moved the needle by the same amount, Akron could do the same thing with that school.

You could line up the MAC schools by how much they succeed or fail in moving the needle, and then line up the CUSA schools, and you'd never have a bigger excitement factor on the CUSA side until you run out of MAC schools to compare.

And especially for a school with a BBall tradition, looking at the RPI's or Sagarin rankings doesn't make the version 3.0 CUSA look like a very exciting move on the BBall side ... realtimerpi presently lists the MAC at 12th, at 0.5024, while CUSA is 19th, at 0.4803. Sagarin has MAC West as 9th and MAC East as 12th, with the Mountain West bracketed in between, and CUSA as 17th.

(01-02-2015 07:48 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(01-02-2015 12:49 AM)uakronkid Wrote:  Who are the MAC teams they want to see? Aside from Ohio and Kent, nobody in the MAC moves the needle that much. If Akron left, they could keep the games against the two or three MAC teams as home-and-home series.

Though by the same token, if there were any teams in CUSA that moved the needle by the same amount, Akron could do the same thing with that school.

You could line up the MAC schools by how much they succeed or fail in moving the needle, and then line up the CUSA schools, and you'd never have a bigger excitement factor on the CUSA side until you run out of MAC schools to compare.

And especially for a school with a BBall tradition, looking at the RPI's or Sagarin rankings doesn't make the version 3.0 CUSA look like a very exciting move on the BBall side ... realtimerpi presently lists the MAC at 12th, at 0.5024, while CUSA is 19th, at 0.4803. Sagarin has MAC West as 9th and MAC East as 12th, with the Mountain West bracketed in between, and CUSA as 17th.

Yeah, poster wants to move the basketball needle and arguably does the OPPOSITE.

I'm not sure how moving from the IMPROVING MAC to the DESCENDING C-USA is a good thing.

One of the lesser reported stories is how the MAC men's basketball is improving. I believe because of new coaches like Todd K, Hurley, Murphy, etc.

MAC coaching is getting better and the MAC has turned up the last couple years.

Just want to repeat a comment: Akron basketball THIS year might be mid-pack MAC. Akron has to be careful not to let its program slide, which is what I'd fear if I were an Akron fan.

Good programs with good coaches can slide too. Look at UofMichigan this year struggling. There can be valleys.

(01-02-2015 01:27 AM)uakronkid Wrote:  

(01-02-2015 01:13 AM)emu steve Wrote:  I'd suggest that Akron fans be wary of getting too smug.

Did they not fall in the MAC semis this past March?

Did they not lose the Tree?

Do they not face bigger challenges THIS year from Buffalo, Toledo, EMU, etc?

I'm suggesting that the MAC has brought in some really good coaches such as Hurley, ToddK, Rob Murphy, etc. (in addition to the solid coaches like Dambrot, Hawkins, etc.) and that the MAC is both better and more closely contested.

That's all great. Now tell me how any of that matters to somebody who isn't already a fan of the MAC. Because that's who Akron needs to attract to the games to fill up the arena.

So many Zippy fans keep thinking that the opponents are the issue when it comes to attendance. Or you fall back on the second-favorite excuse: The JAR sucks and people would flock to a new arena. This is misguided thinking. Considering how good the program has been over the last decade, your support is pathetic from students, alumni and the community. "No one cares about the MAC" is a terrible excuse considering your team plays in it. All MAC schools have to compete with B1G schools and many do it better than others. Why do Toledo fans support their team in the same league in a similarly sized city? Somehow the average Toledo fan can find it in their heart to give a damn about their school and the conference in which the Rockets compete.

(01-02-2015 08:53 AM)Copy Cat Wrote:  

(01-02-2015 01:27 AM)uakronkid Wrote:  

(01-02-2015 01:13 AM)emu steve Wrote:  I'd suggest that Akron fans be wary of getting too smug.

Did they not fall in the MAC semis this past March?

Did they not lose the Tree?

Do they not face bigger challenges THIS year from Buffalo, Toledo, EMU, etc?

I'm suggesting that the MAC has brought in some really good coaches such as Hurley, ToddK, Rob Murphy, etc. (in addition to the solid coaches like Dambrot, Hawkins, etc.) and that the MAC is both better and more closely contested.

That's all great. Now tell me how any of that matters to somebody who isn't already a fan of the MAC. Because that's who Akron needs to attract to the games to fill up the arena.

So many Zippy fans keep thinking that the opponents are the issue when it comes to attendance. Or you fall back on the second-favorite excuse: The JAR sucks and people would flock to a new arena. This is misguided thinking. Considering how good the program has been over the last decade, your support is pathetic from students, alumni and the community. "No one cares about the MAC" is a terrible excuse considering your team plays in it. All MAC schools have to compete with B1G schools and many do it better than others. Why do Toledo fans support their team in the same league in a similarly sized city? Somehow the average Toledo fan can find it in their heart to give a damn about their school and the conference in which the Rockets compete.

Toledo usually averages more people for the conference games compared to Bob conference games.

I could see CUSA being interested in Toledo or Buffalo, but CUSA doesn't really make sense for either in its current incarnation. Ohio might fit better than any other MAC team in CUSA, but I doubt they have the interest either.

(01-02-2015 10:57 AM)axeme Wrote:  I could see CUSA being interested in Toledo or Buffalo, but CUSA doesn't really make sense for either in its current incarnation. Ohio might fit better than any other MAC team in CUSA, but I doubt they have the interest either.

Yep, truth be told if a conference was going to raid the MAC, Toledo, Buffalo, maybe Ohio, maybe Miami, maybe NIU are places I'd start.

Toledo and Buffalo with their nice population bases are especially desirable.

(01-01-2015 09:18 PM)uakronkid Wrote:  

(01-01-2015 08:28 PM)axeme Wrote:  CUSA is just not an improvement for a Midwest school. Its changes have robbed it of most of its best programs. UTEP will head to MWC at first opportunity and with UAB leaving, who is left that makes it an upgrade? Seems very lateral.

BTW, current RPI as we finish up non-conference play: MAC #12, CUSA #19.

A lateral move that differentiates you from homogeneous group (at least in the minds of people you want to catch the attention of) doesn't seem like a bad idea.

This. It makes your name better known outside of Ohio/Michigan and helps establish new fertile recruiting grounds in places like Florida, Texas (2 of the top 3 most populous states), and the mid-Atlantic. It's the idea of broader and better recruiting leading to more fans wanting to watch better teams, rather than them being more attracted to a new/different set of opponents.

(01-02-2015 08:53 AM)Copy Cat Wrote:  

(01-02-2015 01:27 AM)uakronkid Wrote:  That's all great. Now tell me how any of that matters to somebody who isn't already a fan of the MAC. Because that's who Akron needs to attract to the games to fill up the arena.

So many Zippy fans keep thinking that the opponents are the issue when it comes to attendance...This is misguided thinking..."No one cares about the MAC" is a terrible excuse considering your team plays in it.

Completely agree with this. This line of thinking reminds me of (some) NIU fans complaining that their MAC opponents are the main reason they struggle to draw 20K in football despite their recent success.

Both arguments ring hollow. Proponents of these arguments need to take a good, hard look in the mirror.

Um .. please.. We are not going anywhere.

(01-02-2015 04:15 PM)Zippy989 Wrote:  Um .. please.. We are not going anywhere.

Of course not ... the notion of Akron leaving the MAC for CUSA is up to a Kittonhead level of silly (and, indeed, is one of Kittonhead's current notions).

On the topic, I don't know if a suspended roof lies inside the budget they are talking about here, but hopefully they can do a renovation that will look nice on ESPN3, as I reckon that by next year I'll have the ins and outs of access to ESPN3 from Beijing all sorted out (mind, ESPN3 will be thinking I am watching in Chicago).

Watching VCU@Fordum. There are worse venues than the JAR.