Practice Facility??

[ZachTheZip]

So I guess that on the radio broadcast of the game last night, Wistrcill mentioned building a basketball practice facility as a possibility. Pretty sure we would be the only team in the MAC with one, if true.

I'd rather see the money go into getting better seating for the JAR, personally. Still, the recruiting advantage that a nice practice facility should bring to the program is an exciting thought.

[zippy5]

Maybe the JAR will be the practice facility.

[akzipper]

Maybe the JAR will be the practice facility.

Always felt that would be the best option. We already have very nice team meeting rooms and locker rooms located at the JAR.

Unfortunately UA seems to be taking the lazy route and directing their efforts to renovating our glorified high school gymnasium. (Although most high school gyms are probably nicer)

So keep putting lipstick on that pig UA.

[ZachTheZip]

Always felt that would be the best option. We already have very nice team meeting rooms and locker rooms located at the JAR.

Unfortunately UA seems to be taking the lazy route and directing their efforts to renovating our glorified high school gymnasium. (Although most high school gyms are probably nicer)

So keep putting lipstick on that pig UA.

New seating is probably the biggest thing that could be done to help modernize the JAR. An HD scoreboard along with replacing the non-functioning stat boards with ribbonboards is the other big thing.

Aside from that, rearranging how fans get to their seats would help, such as allowing people with lower bowl seats to enter from the ground floor, enforcing student seating instead of allowing them to scatter around the GA seats, closing off the upper north bleachers on low-attendance days (helps the crowd look better on TV) would all help.

One out-of-the-box idea I have is to make the student entrance go through the "walkway to nowhere" that used to connect to Memorial Hall. It's closer to where the students are coming from, it's visible to campus and seeing a line there for big games would create some buzz among students (seeing other students gathering and being excited for something helps create more excitement, while tucking the student entrance away in a back corner of campus does the opposite), and it allows for an enforceable student seating arrangement, by only letting them go into the south bleachers (the walkway towards GA can be roped off to prevent students and GA from mixing). Best part is, it doesn't cost anything to implement and dramatically improves the gameday atmosphere.

All of this can be done for less than the cost of a practice facility. The JAR can be so much better than it is. There's a lot of potential there, but it takes looking beyond the current situation to see it.

[akzipper]

The JAR can be better. But it will never be bigger. Never have that big-time feel the Zips need to get to the next level. Unless they find a way to magically add an upper deck and 4k more seats. Most ideas people have would result in an even smaller arena.

[MaxZIP]

I hope the new practice facility has a locking mechanism that can only be opened with three consecutive made free throws.

[mcdezso]

I hope the new practice facility has a locking mechanism that can only be opened with three consecutive made free throws.

AMEN !!

[GoZips]

The Zips already have a fully functioning practice facility, the old Central-Hower high school gymnasium.

It was used numerous times last summer for practice. Its only real draw back is the high school sized floor.

The length of the floor is NOT easily upgraded to the standard ninty-four feet.

For me, replacing the old, HARD style floor with a cushioned floor, such as in the JAR is, a priority. Prior to

the upgrade to a cushioned floor in the JAR, the Zips suffered numerous leg, knee and foot injuries. Since the

upgrade injuries have been greatly reduced.

The lockers and showers are decent and quite usable.

However, I also like the previously posted suggestion of using the JAR as the practice facility. The locker room,

player lounge, weight room and thearpy equipment is already first class.