Pearl locked down

[BHDAU1 240]

Like many on these boards I have been hoping Auburn would have the smarts to get this done for the last few years.  Bruce Pearl has been the PERFECT coach for Auburn in every way.  Every article I read online on the usual pages has a lot of good things to say about AU and Pearl's program but they end with mentioning about issues he has had with NCAA in the past...well guess what...who hasn't had issues that has been a winner at the highest level?  I can't think of any with certainty.  As a big-time big-school basketball coach I think you live and learn, and I think Coach Pearl has learned his lessons and has done all he needs to do to get Auburn where we are finally a destination school for some of the top recruits rather than the underdog hoping for a top ranked recruit every now than then.  With the massive increase in student and fan support that he has brought back, the improved facilities with more to come, and a QUALITY WINNING PRODUCT on the court, Auburn can be one of the best in the SEC for the foreseeable future with a coach that everyone can get behind.

[AU-24 3,063]

On 1/29/2022 at 9:47 AM, SuperAUsome09 said:

 

Thank you General Burgess for making this happen!

[steeleagle 2,945]

16 hours ago, AUBwins said:

4th highest paid in the nation, 2nd in SEC. Final 4 payment essentially. 

I thought Barnes was making more than 5.4m which still puts BP 3rd in the SEC. ?

[AUBwins 10,074]

4 hours ago, steeleagle said:

I thought Barnes was making more than 5.4m which still puts BP 3rd in the SEC. ?

I took mine directly from a tweet or something that evidently must have been wrong.  I did hear them say 3rd on the broadcast. 

[WarEagleT 122]

May have been covered here  when current facility was getting built, but should it have been bigger? Bammer and others in SEC besides KY have gyms almost twice our size. As great as the atmosphere is in the Jungle now how hard would it be for visiting teams with 5,000 more screaming maniacs?

Bet it would be bigger if just being built now- but wonder if there are any thoughts for 5-10 yrs down the line, with Bruce set now and a winning tradition likely ahead, to be thinking about a bigger arena?  

Then again the Athletic Dept. lost money this year.

[The Defiant 133]

Best decision Auburn has made, Bruce is not a flash in the pan. He us an excellent ambassador for our school and all athletic programs. When I think of how he carries himself, he is the perverbial lightning in a bottle. 

 

Excellent job 👏 👍 ro the administration, this is a no brainer.

[boisnumber1 2,818]

2 hours ago, WarEagleT said:

May have been covered here  when current facility was getting built, but should it have been bigger? Bammer and others in SEC besides KY have gyms almost twice our size. As great as the atmosphere is in the Jungle now how hard would it be for visiting teams with 5,000 more screaming maniacs?

Bet it would be bigger if just being built now- but wonder if there are any thoughts for 5-10 yrs down the line, with Bruce set now and a winning tradition likely ahead, to be thinking about a bigger arena?  

Then again the Athletic Dept. lost money this year.

I say definitely not. Keep it the size that it is.

[Gr82batigr 97]

2 hours ago, WarEagleT said:

May have been covered here  when current facility was getting built, but should it have been bigger? Bammer and others in SEC besides KY have gyms almost twice our size. As great as the atmosphere is in the Jungle now how hard would it be for visiting teams with 5,000 more screaming maniacs?

Bet it would be bigger if just being built now- but wonder if there are any thoughts for 5-10 yrs down the line, with Bruce set now and a winning tradition likely ahead, to be thinking about a bigger arena?  

Then again the Athletic Dept. lost money this year.

Don’t disagree with any of this. Prior AU leadership didn’t have “Pearl Vision”!

[TexasTiger 12,829]

2 hours ago, WarEagleT said:

May have been covered here  when current facility was getting built, but should it have been bigger? Bammer and others in SEC besides KY have gyms almost twice our size. As great as the atmosphere is in the Jungle now how hard would it be for visiting teams with 5,000 more screaming maniacs?

Bet it would be bigger if just being built now- but wonder if there are any thoughts for 5-10 yrs down the line, with Bruce set now and a winning tradition likely ahead, to be thinking about a bigger arena?  

Then again the Athletic Dept. lost money this year.

We have the most intimidating place to play in the country. Tickets go at a premium. We’re the new Cameron Indoor— let’s play this hand for a while.

[Grumps 3,704]

18 minutes ago, TexasTiger said:

We have the most intimidating place to play in the country. Tickets go at a premium. We’re the new Cameron Indoor— let’s play this hand for a while.

THIS.

[GwillMac6 20,666]

2 hours ago, WarEagleT said:

May have been covered here  when current facility was getting built, but should it have been bigger? Bammer and others in SEC besides KY have gyms almost twice our size. As great as the atmosphere is in the Jungle now how hard would it be for visiting teams with 5,000 more screaming maniacs?

Bet it would be bigger if just being built now- but wonder if there are any thoughts for 5-10 yrs down the line, with Bruce set now and a winning tradition likely ahead, to be thinking about a bigger arena?  

Then again the Athletic Dept. lost money this year.

It is absolutely perfect the way it is. Unlike what our wives and girlfriends tell us Bigger is not always better 😂😆. In college basketball it never is. Bigger arena's do not hold noise well and fans and more importantly the student section are further away from the court. Tennessee's arena is freaking huge. But the atmosphere always suuuuucks. Same with that airport hangar in Tuscaloosa. And when you are bad or even just mediocre? It's basically a mausoleum. See south Carolina's 17k multi purpose arena.

 

[gr82be 14,423]

5 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

It is absolutely perfect the way it is. Unlike what our wives and girlfriends tell us Bigger is not always better 😂😆. In college basketball it never is. Bigger arena's do not hold noise well and fans and more importantly the student section are further away from the court. Tennessee's arena is freaking huge. But the atmosphere always suuuuucks. Same with that airport hangar in Tuscaloosa. And when you are bad or even just mediocre? It's basically a mausoleum. See south Carolina's 17k multi purpose arena.

 

They could hang curtains along the baselines...🙄

 

That was as sad and depressing as it gets. So glad we went with the smaller intimate environment. 

[GwillMac6 20,666]

On 1/29/2022 at 8:20 AM, Jgarrett7 said:

Where is @GwillMac6? I need to know his thoughts on this move

Is Bruuuuuuuce going to Maryland?! 

[GwillMac6 20,666]

Is Bruuuuuuce going to Louisville?! 

[GwillMac6 20,666]

BRUCE HAS A MESSAGE TO ALL THE NATIONAL MEDIA THAT TRIED TO MAKE HIM LEAVING AU A THING!!!!! 

 

[GwillMac6 20,666]

HOW DO US AU FANS FEEL ABOUT BRUCE BEING LOCKED UP until he is 70?!??!! 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2022 by GwillMac6

[GwillMac6 20,666]

 

[Jgarrett7 957]

1 hour ago, GwillMac6 said:

HOW DO US AU FANS FEEL ABOUT BRUCE BEING LOCKED UP until he is 70?!??!! 

 

 

 

 

This is the confirmation I needed 

[WarEagleT 122]

On 1/30/2022 at 11:02 AM, GwillMac6 said:

It is absolutely perfect the way it is. Unlike what our wives and girlfriends tell us Bigger is not always better 😂😆. In college basketball it never is. Bigger arena's do not hold noise well and fans and more importantly the student section are further away from the court. Tennessee's arena is freaking huge. But the atmosphere always suuuuucks. Same with that airport hangar in Tuscaloosa. And when you are bad or even just mediocre? It's basically a mausoleum. See south Carolina's 17k multi purpose arena.

 

Bigger is a very good thing when done right.  Yes 9K works here and for Duke, and both fan bases rock the gym, but below are 50 college arenas with far larger capacity. Yes I know Carrier Dome is also football. I've been to many of those below- some suck because of design that spreads the rows way back from the court. But others have upper decks that look right down over the court so the noise when packed is unbelievable. 

We don't need another Rupp arena next week, but following provides some perspective. Note when some of these were built; many have since been modernized with more luxury boxes and the latest light and sound. Some seal off the upper deck for lower attended events-  gymnastics, women's bb, etc- and shut upper lights off so you don't even know anything is above the packed lower levels. But when they get sellouts against key rivals, some of these places rock:

 

Rank	Arena	Team	Capacity	Opened	Conference
1	Carrier Dome	Syracuse	35,446	1980	ACC
2	KFC Yum! Center	Louisville	22,090	2010	ACC
3	Dean Smith Center	North Carolina	21,750	1986	ACC
4	Thompson–Boling Arena	Tennessee	21,678	1987	SEC
5	Rupp Arena	Kentucky	20,545	1976	SEC
6	Capital One Arena	Georgetown	20,308	1997	Big East
7	Madison Square Garden	St. John's	19,812	1968	Big East
8	PNC Arena	NC State	19,557	1999	ACC
9	Bud Walton Arena	Arkansas	19,368	1993	SEC
10	Marriott Center	BYU	19,000	1971	West Coast
11	Value City Arena	Ohio State	18,809	1998	Big Ten
12	Thomas & Mack Center	UNLV	18,776	1983	Mountain West
13	Prudential Center	Seton Hall	18,711	2007	Big East
14	CHI Health Center Omaha	Creighton	18,320	2003	Big East
15	Freedom Hall	Bellarmine	18,252	1956	ASUN
16	FedExForum	Memphis	18,119	2004	The American
17	Colonial Life Arena	South Carolina	18,000	2002	SEC
18	Xfinity Center	Maryland	17,950	2002	Big Ten
19	Fiserv Forum	Marquette	17,500	1988	Big East
20	Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall	Indiana	17,472	1971	Big Ten
21	Kohl Center	Wisconsin	17,249	1998	Big Ten
22	Frank Erwin Center	Texas	16,734	1977	Big 12
23	Allen Fieldhouse	Kansas	16,300	1955	Big 12
24	State Farm Center	Illinois	15,544	1963	Big Ten
25	Save Mart Center	Fresno State	15,544	2003	Mountain West
26	Carver–Hawkeye Arena	Iowa	15,500	1983	Big Ten
27	The Pit	New Mexico	15,411	1966	Mountain West
28	Coleman Coliseum	Alabama	15,383	1968	SEC
29	Bryce Jordan Center	Penn State	15,261	1996	Big Ten
30	Times Union Center	Siena	15,229	1990	MAAC
31	Pinnacle Bank Arena	Nebraska	15,147	2013	Big Ten
32	United Supermarkets Arena	Texas Tech	15,098	1999	Big 12
33	Mizzou Arena	Missouri	15,061	2004	SEC
34	Arena-Auditorium	Wyoming	15,028	1982	Mountain West
35	Jon M. Huntsman Center	Utah	15,000	1969	Pac-12
36	Mackey Arena	Purdue	14,848	1967	Big Ten
37	Breslin Student Events Center	Michigan State	14,797	1989	Big Ten
38	Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum	Wake Forest	14,665	1989	ACC
39	Williams Arena	Minnesota	14,625	1928	Big Ten
40	John Paul Jones Arena	Virginia	14,593	2006	ACC
41	McKale Center	Arizona	14,545	1973	Pac-12
42	Hilton Coliseum	Iowa State	14,376	1971	Big 12
43	Memorial Gymnasium	Vanderbilt	14,316	1952	SEC
44	Desert Financial Arena	Arizona State	14,100	1974	Pac-12
45	WVU Coliseum	West Virginia	14,000	1970	Big 12
46	Pauley Pavilion	UCLA	13,800	1965	Pac-12
47	Gallagher-Iba Arena	Oklahoma State	13,611	1938	Big 12
48	Wolstein Center	Cleveland State	13,610	1991	Horizon
49	Cajundome	Louisiana-Lafayette	13,500	1985	Sun Belt
50	University of Dayton Arena	Dayton	13,435	1969	Atlantic 10

 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

On 1/30/2022 at 9:01 AM, WarEagleT said:

May have been covered here  when current facility was getting built, but should it have been bigger? Bammer and others in SEC besides KY have gyms almost twice our size. As great as the atmosphere is in the Jungle now how hard would it be for visiting teams with 5,000 more screaming maniacs?

Bet it would be bigger if just being built now- but wonder if there are any thoughts for 5-10 yrs down the line, with Bruce set now and a winning tradition likely ahead, to be thinking about a bigger arena?  

Then again the Athletic Dept. lost money this year.

The size is primarily because there’s no way they ever expected this, but the structure of it does channel audio into the middle. Like with a good sized women’s game I attended, it still sounded much louder than the size would’ve had you think. It’s good acoustically 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

Cameron indoor seats only 200 people more than AU arena and I can remember in my younger years when I first watched college basketball how loud that environment was, and how the energy and noise just seemed so crazy. I personally vote to keep it the same, it's what makes that environment so special.

[mustache eagle 2,397]

Well, people were not routinely going prior to the last few years.  
Those that want a bigger arena - pull out the checkbook and do 2 things- donate a big fat check and also buy a bunch of season tickets that an Auburn fan uses every single game.  Otherwise you dilute the experience and advantage.
I’d like to think when the arena was designed they had the foresight for modest expansion.  Maybe 500-1000 seats?  “Boxes” or something that would interest money folks?  I’ll have to look next time I’m down.