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(12-19-2014 02:19 PM)BlazerPhil Wrote:  

(12-19-2014 02:17 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  Bartow Arena is way too big for UAB basketball, especially right now.

Shouldn't this be in blue ?

You know there were 6054 tickets sold last night, right?

Capacity is 8,500.

If this decision is allowed to stand then none of the programs at UAB are really safe (athletics and academics)

(12-19-2014 02:31 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  

(12-19-2014 02:19 PM)BlazerPhil Wrote:  

(12-19-2014 02:17 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  Bartow Arena is way too big for UAB basketball, especially right now.

Shouldn't this be in blue ?

You know there were 6054 tickets sold last night, right?

Capacity is 8,500.

And the students weren't in school. And Christmas is less than a week away. What do you propose ?

Maybe that we build a smaller arena and just move the game back and forth depending on how many show up ?

(12-19-2014 02:35 PM)BlazerPhil Wrote:  

(12-19-2014 02:31 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  

(12-19-2014 02:19 PM)BlazerPhil Wrote:  

(12-19-2014 02:17 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  Bartow Arena is way too big for UAB basketball, especially right now.

Shouldn't this be in blue ?

You know there were 6054 tickets sold last night, right?

Capacity is 8,500.

And the students weren't in school. And Christmas is less than a week away. What do you propose ?

Maybe that we build a smaller arena and just move the game back and forth depending on how many show up ?

I'm not proposing anything. I'm just stating the obvious. Bartow Arena is too big for UAB basketball in its present state. I hope UAB basketball turns the corner and starts drawing a lot more fans.

We closed football and diverted the extra money to basketball to help it excel. Unfortunately even with this additional support crowds have dwindled. Therefore I have no choice. The 2017-2018 academic year will be UAB's last in intercollegiate basketball. We won't be reducing our athletic budget. We will be diverting this money to other sports where UAB will excel. I firmly believe that the Sun Belt will let us remain in the conference because I believe in things like that and leprechauns.

(12-19-2014 02:58 PM)legalblazer Wrote:  We closed football and diverted the extra money to basketball to help it excel. Unfortunately even with this additional support crowds have dwindled. Therefore I have no choice. The 2017-2018 academic year will be UAB's last in intercollegiate basketball. We won't be reducing our athletic budget. We will be diverting this money to other sports where UAB will excel. I firmly believe that the Sun Belt will let us remain in the conference because I believe in things like that and leprechauns.

(12-19-2014 02:58 PM)legalblazer Wrote:  We closed football and diverted the extra money to basketball to help it excel. Unfortunately even with this additional support crowds have dwindled. Therefore I have no choice. The 2017-2018 academic year will be UAB's last in intercollegiate basketball. We won't be reducing our athletic budget. We will be diverting this money to other sports where UAB will excel. I firmly believe that the Sun Belt will let us remain in the conference because I believe in things like that and leprechauns.

Yep....that's the danger here. They can randomly pick whatever they perceive as a threat and just cut it with a wave of the magic wand (Ray Watts)

(12-19-2014 03:02 PM)kdblazer Wrote:  

(12-19-2014 02:58 PM)legalblazer Wrote:  We closed football and diverted the extra money to basketball to help it excel. Unfortunately even with this additional support crowds have dwindled. Therefore I have no choice. The 2017-2018 academic year will be UAB's last in intercollegiate basketball. We won't be reducing our athletic budget. We will be diverting this money to other sports where UAB will excel. I firmly believe that the Sun Belt will let us remain in the conference because I believe in things like that and leprechauns.

Yep....that's the danger here. They can randomly pick whatever they perceive as a threat and just cut it with a wave of the magic wand (Ray Watts)

I really don't think there is much danger in that, as I don't believe Ray Watts will be UAB President after the next BOT meeting. MHO

(12-19-2014 02:58 PM)legalblazer Wrote:  We closed football and diverted the extra money to basketball to help it excel. Unfortunately even with this additional support crowds have dwindled. Therefore I have no choice. The 2017-2018 academic year will be UAB's last in intercollegiate basketball. We won't be reducing our athletic budget. We will be diverting this money to other sports where UAB will excel. I firmly believe that the Sun Belt will let us remain in the conference because I believe in things like that and leprechauns.

Cub will be gone by then & Finis will be board president. There may not be a UaB to save after FSJ3 takes over.

(12-19-2014 03:06 PM)backyardblazer Wrote:  

(12-19-2014 03:02 PM)kdblazer Wrote:  

(12-19-2014 02:58 PM)legalblazer Wrote:  We closed football and diverted the extra money to basketball to help it excel. Unfortunately even with this additional support crowds have dwindled. Therefore I have no choice. The 2017-2018 academic year will be UAB's last in intercollegiate basketball. We won't be reducing our athletic budget. We will be diverting this money to other sports where UAB will excel. I firmly believe that the Sun Belt will let us remain in the conference because I believe in things like that and leprechauns.

Yep....that's the danger here. They can randomly pick whatever they perceive as a threat and just cut it with a wave of the magic wand (Ray Watts)

I really don't think there is much danger in that, as I don't believe Ray Watts will be UAB President after the next BOT meeting. MHO

The magic wand represents any puppet the BOT puts in the Presidents office.

(12-19-2014 03:10 PM)BlazerPhil Wrote:  

(12-19-2014 02:58 PM)legalblazer Wrote:  We closed football and diverted the extra money to basketball to help it excel. Unfortunately even with this additional support crowds have dwindled. Therefore I have no choice. The 2017-2018 academic year will be UAB's last in intercollegiate basketball. We won't be reducing our athletic budget. We will be diverting this money to other sports where UAB will excel. I firmly believe that the Sun Belt will let us remain in the conference because I believe in things like that and leprechauns.

Cub will be gone by then & Finis will be board president. There may not be a UaB to save after FSJ3 takes over.

Sure there'll be a UAB. What will FSJIV take over if FSJIII kills it? Gotta keep the family tradition going.

(12-19-2014 02:17 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote:  Bartow Arena is way too big for UAB basketball, especially right now.

Interesting comment. I recall that when Bartow Arena was built, Gene expected it to be used as a more intimate facility than the BJCC for the less interesting games on the UAB schedule. He stated at the time that he wanted UAB to have a real home court advantage in a smaller building for such games. The "big" games like the ones with DePaul, etc. were still to be played at the BJCC. Now we are saying that Bartow is too big.

I have noticed that Watts has put a real dampener on all things UAB since people first begin to realize that the possibility of losing the football team was very real. (I will never forgive him.) Maybe I am just judging by my on mood, but it seems to me that the feeling has pervaded the basketball crowds. It's something like. we had better enjoy this basketball team now, because it may not be here (at least in this form) in the future. It's like everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even the enthusiasm of the student section is more angry than joyous, though that is totally understandable. I think we are just starting to understand what Watts has done to us.

Capacity 8,500. I estimate about 4,500 in attendance. I thought the student section was respectable for them being out of school and Christmas break. They were very vocal on the "Fire Ray Watts" changes during LSU free throws. I'm on the back row of 104 and there were only a few yelling "Fire Ray Watts" but they might be the type that don't yell for or at anything. A lot of LSU fans in the section with tickets in hand. Trying to figure that one out.

(12-19-2014 03:46 PM)blzrclub80 Wrote:  Capacity 8,500. I estimate about 4,500 in attendance. I thought the student section was respectable for them being out of school and Christmas break. They were very vocal on the "Fire Ray Watts" changes during LSU free throws. I'm on the back row of 104 and there were only a few yelling "Fire Ray Watts" but they might be the type that don't yell for or at anything. A lot of LSU fans in the section with tickets in hand. Trying to figure that one out.

Heres the only 2 scenarios to explain that: 1. Seats in the best sections of UAB arena have not been sold for the season, freeing up game tickets in terrific locations for the asking at the ticket office. or 2. Folks who own seats in those sections were busy that night and gave their tickets to friends who happened to be LSU fans and/or they themselves also have some loyalty to LSU.

(12-19-2014 01:02 PM)CajunBlazer Wrote:  How did the student's chants of "Fire Ray Watts", etc come across on TV? Was there any discussion of the subject by the announcers?

IMO, not as well as it could have, there were a couple of moments when it resonated thruout the entire arena, but only once or twice did that occur. I sat right across from the student section that night and every time a group tried to get that chant started, I joined in, but even my mouth wasn't big enough to carry the moment thruout, there seemed to be a little reluctance in my section (109 F12) to do the chant. What surprised me more than anything were the cameramen that work for UAB actually getting the signs and FreeUAB T-shirts on the big screen, the last time when we tried this after the OCS fiasco, they were doing everything in their power to avoid showcasing them in Bartow Arena.