Big O, other ex-Bearcats recall ‘vintage’ Gardens
Tom Groeschen, tgroeschen@enquirer.com 4:20 p.m. EDT July 15, 2016
With a seating capacity of 11,000, the Cincinnati Gardenswas the seventh-biggest indoor stadium in the country when it opened its doors in 1949.
The Enquirer/Cara Owsley
Oscar Robertson will be sad to see the Cincinnati Gardens go. For one thing, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player probably scored more points in the Gardens than anyone.
Robertson played most of his home games with the old Cincinnati Royals in the 1960s, after a stellar career at the University of Cincinnati. Robertson’s UC teams played mostly in the on-campus Armory Fieldhouse, but also played occasionally in the Gardens.
“It was a good court and we got very comfortable there,” Robertson said. “It had great shooting hoops. Some arenas, you don’t get the feel for the court and it seemed like the basket was tilted. At the Gardens it was tilted just right.”
The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority recently entered a contract to buy the Gardens at 2250 Seymour Ave. in Cincinnati. The venue's current owner, Cincinnati Gardens LLC, would sell a nearly 20-acre property that includes the main arena, an adjacent skating center and three parking lots.
UC has a long history with the Gardens, including from 1949-54 before the Armory opened. UC continued to play occasionally in the Gardens, notably the annual Crosstown Shootout games against Xavier. UC moved downtown to Riverfront Coliseum (now U.S. Bank Arena) from 1976-87.
The Bearcats played home games in the Gardens in the 1987-88 and ’88-89 seasons, while the on-campus Shoemaker Center (aka Fifth Third Arena) was being built. The Coliseum had tried to raise the Bearcats’ rent, leading UC to opt for a two-year stint at the Gardens. UC moved into Shoemaker in the 1989-90 season.
Robertson and several other former Bearcats recently reminisced about what it was like to play in the Gardens. Some good memories, some not so good, but all said they will miss it.
Among the comments:
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ROBERTSON (UC 1957-60, Cincinnati Royals 1960-70, Milwaukee Bucks 1971-74), who still lives in Cincinnati:
“A lot of great players came through there. Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bob Pettit, Dave Bing, Walt Frazier. It was quite an arena.
“I haven’t been out there for a long time. I didn’t realize it was in such shape. I guess it just had to go.”
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ANDRE TATE (UC 1988-90, now head men’s basketball coach at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College):
“It was dark and cold,” Tate said with a laugh. “But, we had some great games in there. Florida State, Louisville, Memphis. It used be a rocking place, especially the Crosstown Shootout game.
“It was hard to shoot in there because of the backdrop, a lot of space in the background. I didn’t have a lot of problems because I liked to get to the basket, but I remember (Florida State star) George McCloud came in there and he couldn’t hit anything.”
(NOTE: Enquirer archives show that McCloud in a Feb. 4, 1989 game shot 4-for-11 against UC at the Gardens and was held to 12 points, with five airballs. Yet, McCloud also led a late rally that saw FSU beat UC 66-65).
Tate, who averaged 11.4 and 17.1 points, respectively, in his two UC seasons, said:
“I just remember some guys having trouble shooting there. For me, there are a lot of great memories.”
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LEVERTIS ROBINSON (UC 1987-91, lives and works in the Chicago area):
“The Gardens was great. I had my breakout game there.”
(NOTE: In his college debut on Nov. 29, 1987, Robinson had 23 points and 13 rebounds as UC beat Northern Kentucky University 76-65. Robinson went on to score 1,320 points at UC, which ranks No. 20 on the Bearcats’ career list).
“The atmosphere in the Gardens, wow,” Robinson said. “Everybody was right on top of you. They had that balcony at the one end, and it was in there tight. I really enjoyed the Gardens. I didn’t want to leave, until we got the new place on campus.
“I actually drove past the old place a couple years ago when I was in town. I’ll really miss that place.”
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LOUIS BANKS (UC 1987-91, No. 9 on Bearcats career scoring list with 1,644 points. Lives and works in Columbus, Ohio):
Banks said his most vivid Gardens memory was a 90-88 overtime loss to Xavier in his junior year on Jan. 31, 1990. XU won on a Jamal Walker 3-pointer with seven seconds left.
With 17 seconds left, XU was awarded the ball after Michael Davenport knocked the ball from UC's Banks out of bounds. UC fans were enraged when officials ruled XU ball, and some still dispute the call today.
“It was very disappointing, but that’s the biggest memory I have from there,” Banks said. “It came down to overtime, then Jamal hit the 3-pointer.”
Banks, like former teammate Tate, remembers the Gardens as being chilly in winter.
“It was cold in there but it was a good place to play,” Banks said. “We had some big games in there against Louisville, Memphis, Xavier. All the history that was there, it’s really sad to see the place closed for sports.”
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TERRY NELSON (UC 1991-93, starter on Bearcats’ 1992 Final Four team. Now director of Bearcats’ “C” Club for athletic alumni letterwinners. Also part-time UC basketball radio/TV broadcaster).
Nelson played just one game in the Gardens but it was a big one: The Crosstown Shootout played Jan. 29, 1992. Nelson was quoted as saying that UC would blow Xavier out, and the Bearcats delivered a 93-75 win.
“I just played that one game there, the one I predicted,” Nelson said. “I remember how the energy was in that building. It was an older building but it was like, vintage. It was like you were playing in (the movie) Hoosiers.
“I remember having to get there early to shoot because the backdrop was so weird, the way the seats went and the trajectory. You had to focus on the rim and not the depth way behind it. It was just a different setup.
“There’s a lot of history there. It’s sad that somebody couldn’t purchase it and turn it into an event arena again.”
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/2.../87141088/