Just to clarify, I don't want games moved downtown. My post was simply about upgrading 5/3 (or starting from scratch, for that matter). The differences between the Yum Center and 5/3 are like comparing a 5 star resort to the Red Roof Inn. And I'm being generous.

(03-06-2013 08:53 AM)BJUnklFkr Wrote:  

(03-06-2013 07:29 AM)Vewb1 Wrote:  I think UC has it right to remain on campus. When I arrived on campus as a UC freshman in 1978, we played at US Bank arena (Riverfront Colliseum at the time). Students had to take a bus to the arena and wait an hour in the cold to return. How many students will do that now? Not many. Secondly, playing on campus is a great, great thing, something that eventually Louisville will struggle with and may be struggling with now. Sure they have a flashy arena and it looks good, but eventually the arena organization will raise prices for rent to the university, rent to someone else like an NBA team and use it for a number of other reasons. UL could be left out in the cold if a disagreement arises. UC does not have any of those concerns. Finally, the basketball player must like the on campus situation better. How better does it get to walk to the practice facility and walk to the arena on campus rather than take a bus to the downtown flashy arena. Many student athletes like the proximity of different things on the UC campus such as the fields or arena and classes. It's very nice. UC is going in the right direction. Personally, if we are going to spend 50 million to remodel, why not just spend 120 million, tear down Shoemaker and the adjoining buildings (Fieldhouse) and build a nice new flashy arena. We can do it, we can raise the money.

Excellent post. The younger guys on here don't appreciate the pain in the arse it was to travel down to Riverfront Coliseum/Staduim. It would be nice to tear down some of the surrounding buildings, but what would it entail? Is the Armory another one of those protected, historical deals? Hope not.

Agree that it would be a travesty to move basketball downtown. Our situation is completely different than Lousyville in that they have a long tradition of successfully playing their games off campus. We don't.
Maybe I'm mistaken but it seems like I've heard that the Armory is staying put. If there is expansion for the arena footprint it is likely to be east toward the short practice field.

(03-06-2013 09:27 AM)JPBearcat3 Wrote:  Just to clarify, I don't want games moved downtown. My post was simply about upgrading 5/3 (or starting from scratch, for that matter). The differences between the Yum Center and 5/3 are like comparing a 5 star resort to the Red Roof Inn. And I'm being generous.

I would venture to say that comparison holds true with 90% of the arenas in college basketball compared to Yum. Probably an unrealistic standard for what we need as an on-campus facility.

(03-06-2013 09:27 AM)JackieTreehorn Wrote:  

(03-06-2013 08:53 AM)BJUnklFkr Wrote:  

(03-06-2013 07:29 AM)Vewb1 Wrote:  I think UC has it right to remain on campus. When I arrived on campus as a UC freshman in 1978, we played at US Bank arena (Riverfront Colliseum at the time). Students had to take a bus to the arena and wait an hour in the cold to return. How many students will do that now? Not many. Secondly, playing on campus is a great, great thing, something that eventually Louisville will struggle with and may be struggling with now. Sure they have a flashy arena and it looks good, but eventually the arena organization will raise prices for rent to the university, rent to someone else like an NBA team and use it for a number of other reasons. UL could be left out in the cold if a disagreement arises. UC does not have any of those concerns. Finally, the basketball player must like the on campus situation better. How better does it get to walk to the practice facility and walk to the arena on campus rather than take a bus to the downtown flashy arena. Many student athletes like the proximity of different things on the UC campus such as the fields or arena and classes. It's very nice. UC is going in the right direction. Personally, if we are going to spend 50 million to remodel, why not just spend 120 million, tear down Shoemaker and the adjoining buildings (Fieldhouse) and build a nice new flashy arena. We can do it, we can raise the money.

Excellent post. The younger guys on here don't appreciate the pain in the arse it was to travel down to Riverfront Coliseum/Staduim. It would be nice to tear down some of the surrounding buildings, but what would it entail? Is the Armory another one of those protected, historical deals? Hope not.

Agree that it would be a travesty to move basketball downtown. Our situation is completely different than Lousyville in that they have a long tradition of successfully playing their games off campus. We don't.
Maybe I'm mistaken but it seems like I've heard that the Armory is staying put. If there is expansion for the arena footprint it is likely to be west toward the short practice field.

Whit has stated he would like to rehab the Armory. Mentioned something about its history to UC athletics and they can make it functional for everyday use.

(03-06-2013 09:27 AM)JackieTreehorn Wrote:  

(03-06-2013 08:53 AM)BJUnklFkr Wrote:  

(03-06-2013 07:29 AM)Vewb1 Wrote:  I think UC has it right to remain on campus. When I arrived on campus as a UC freshman in 1978, we played at US Bank arena (Riverfront Colliseum at the time). Students had to take a bus to the arena and wait an hour in the cold to return. How many students will do that now? Not many. Secondly, playing on campus is a great, great thing, something that eventually Louisville will struggle with and may be struggling with now. Sure they have a flashy arena and it looks good, but eventually the arena organization will raise prices for rent to the university, rent to someone else like an NBA team and use it for a number of other reasons. UL could be left out in the cold if a disagreement arises. UC does not have any of those concerns. Finally, the basketball player must like the on campus situation better. How better does it get to walk to the practice facility and walk to the arena on campus rather than take a bus to the downtown flashy arena. Many student athletes like the proximity of different things on the UC campus such as the fields or arena and classes. It's very nice. UC is going in the right direction. Personally, if we are going to spend 50 million to remodel, why not just spend 120 million, tear down Shoemaker and the adjoining buildings (Fieldhouse) and build a nice new flashy arena. We can do it, we can raise the money.

Excellent post. The younger guys on here don't appreciate the pain in the arse it was to travel down to Riverfront Coliseum/Staduim. It would be nice to tear down some of the surrounding buildings, but what would it entail? Is the Armory another one of those protected, historical deals? Hope not.

Agree that it would be a travesty to move basketball downtown. Our situation is completely different than Lousyville in that they have a long tradition of successfully playing their games off campus. We don't.
Maybe I'm mistaken but it seems like I've heard that the Armory is staying put. If there is expansion for the arena footprint it is likely to be west toward the short practice field.

UofL's lease for the Yum Center does not permit an NBA team to be a co-tenant and to the best of my recollection, it does not permit the arena operator to raise the rent charged to UofL. They have a sweetheart deal and it is one of the reasons their school's athletic budget has grown so substantially and has made them, along with their on-field/on-court success, an attractive target for other conferences.