Favorite Road Venue in MVC

[Redbird23]

What I've seen of JQH it looks like a beautiful facility, hoping if the date is right to get to JQH next year. And make my annual trips to Carver and Gentile

[IndyTreeFan]

Hello all. Anyone who spends any time at all in Hulman Center knows it needs some updating. Thankfully, the City of Terre Haute and Indiana State are working together on a proposed $60,000,000 renovation/expansion project to turn Hulman Center into a state of the art basketball arena and convention center. I haven't seen the plans yet, but I would guess a reconfiguring of the seating areas, addition of club seats and a limited number of suites, restaurant facilities, an ISU apparel store, an Indiana State athletics "museum," and the addition of a convention center - basically a gutting of both the interior and exterior of the building. This would be a major change, one of many in the past decade, for downtown Terre Haute, and would be the largest construction project in Indiana State history.

Of course, this all needs the blessing of the state legislature, which is totally full of IU grads. Getting them to let ISU do anything is a fair bit of witchcraft...

[Redbird23]

I'd visit hulman twice a year if they redid it only bout a 3hr drive

[PantherSigEp]

During the first 15-20 years of the Knapp Center's existence UNI was playing in a blow up football dome. They literally had NO basketball facility. You're like a guy who has been driving a 92 Honda Civic for the past ten years who gets a new Impala and starts trashing his neighbors 2008 Taurus.

I do own an Impala, what's it to ya bub?

Say what you want about UNI playing in a Dome before wising up and investing in a quality basketball facility but at least when we were in the Dome the ushers didn't angrily wave canes at you and there were more than a couple hundred fans present (although I won't fight you on the crappy methods used to try and fill the place). The Knapp Center is just over 20 yrs old, you can't tell me that in 1992 that building was a glistening architectural achievement. The UNI-Dome is nearly twice as old and was never designed to be mainly a basketball/volleyball facility. That's a really terrible comparison. The Dome has always been primarily a football facility. We apologize for not being as innovative as Jerry Jones in converting a football stadium into a basketball venue. I'm sorry that while UNI decided to make upgrades to facilitate a growing and successful program, Drake has settled for a high school gym. I guess that's what happens when you aim high, rather than settling for a D+.

Also L O freaking L at whoever said the Knapp has the nicest fans. Every time I have been at that place I have been relentlessly ridiculed and yelled at by Drake fans simply for singing the UNI fight song and cheering my own players. No jeering or heckling of Drake players, but for having the audacity to support my alma mater.

You go to an instate rival's gym to sing your school fight song and then are surprised when people make fun of you? lol

But seriously, I apologize on behalf of the Drake fan base.
Maybe next time we can get you a mic and a few minutes at center court before tipoff so that people can more fully appreciate your vocal stylings.

No I'm just surprised that the local retirement center let's all 20 of their patients out past their bed time just to "pack" that gym. I don't think it's my singing that annoys them, just the fact that I'm actually able to muster up some semblance of pride and passion for my alma mater. New concepts are scary to the older generation.

[MoValley John]

UNI fans boasting about their crappynew high school gym, all the while making fun of Drake's crappy old high school gym.

Question of the day: Is the above funny, ironic or both?

I may be dating myself here, but this is like the owner of a Ford Maverick making fun of a guy who owns a Chevy Vega.

[PantherSigEp]

You have a very interestng definition of "boasting" considering I've hardly mentioned the McLeod Center. All I did was call it a "quality facility" for UNI. Not sure what's so laughable about that statement considering it's only 7 years old. Not sure what to tell you if you've been to the Knapp Center and the McLeod Center and came out thinking they were the same place...check with your optometrist, maybe?

[MoValley John]

You have a very interestng definition of "boasting" considering I've hardly mentioned the McLeod Center. All I did was call it a "quality facility" for UNI. Not sure what's so laughable about that statement considering it's only 7 years old. Not sure what to tell you if you've been to the Knapp Center and the McLeod Center and came out thinking they were the same place...check with your optometrist, maybe?

I never said they were the same. In fact, McLeod is nicer. I compared the statements of UNI fans to the owners of a Maverick knocking a Vega. The Maverick was a nicer car. But if you owned a Maverick, you had no business knocking any car. Not even a Vega.

The Knapp gets knocked for retractable bleachers but the McLeod Center also lacks a center hung scoreboard, has less seating than the Knapp and has a boatload, no, much larger than a boatload of wooden bleachers.

McLeod seating facts:

Seating
3,200 East and west chair backs
1,662 South wooden bleacher seats
655 North retractable seats
328 North concourse removable bleachers
500 Standing room observation decks
137 Court side seats
268 Concourse seats
6,750 Total sellable seats (including handicapped)
Total capacity 7,018

Probably best if UNI fans don't put down any arena. Ever.

[MoValley John]

Over 28% of the seats at McLeod are wooden bleacher seating. Quit knocking on the Knapp.

[Drakey]

Do they seriously count 500 people standing without seats in their seating capacity at UNI? When the place opened they listed their seating capacity at slightly over 6000. I assume that is more accurate. I assume 500 people could stand around just about anyplace.

[PantherSigEp]

The bleachers were put in place at the request of the student body prior to the construction of the McLeod Center. The students wanted the ability to not be limited (for games in which they show up in full force...a rarer sight nowadays) by individual seats but instead be able to pack together as many people as possible. The fact they are wooden is a result of wanting to have a "Purple & Gold" contrast between this section of the McLeod and the purple individual seats. I have a hard time believing we are the only school that put in bleachers for the students. The fact they are wood was intended and frankly looks much better than of they put in bright yellow or gold plastic ones. Blegh! Then there really would be something to complain about.

And no the 500 people for standing room is not usually considered in our seating capacity. 6500 is the typical capacity we reference, not 7000. Are we seriously being grilled now for not building an arena that would hold 10-20% of the CF-Waterloo population (10-20K seating capacity)? I've never been to Koch Arena or Redbird Arena but I'm pretty sure neither of those are coming close to those numbers. Considering the size of UNI's student population and the CF-Waterloo communities, 6500 is a good size.

My complaints about the Knapp still remain that a contingent of Drake spectators are crotchety fun-haters and the place does not look anything like a D-I venue. I'd bet it wouldn't even win "Nicest High School Gym" in the Des Moines area. I'm not going to proclaim the McLeod to be the jewel of the MVC but I can't imagine too many people having all that negative of an experience...unless wood and underutilized standing room really irks you I guess. Oh, and white people dancing.