Assembly Hall

[TomPritchard25 526]

wrong thread my man

I STARTED THIS THREAD. THIS IS MY THREAD. I AM KING OF THIS THREAD!!!

[KelleyHoosh 2,263]

I STARTED THIS THREAD. THIS IS MY THREAD. I AM KING OF THIS THREAD!!!

I'm sure this is in good humor but please tone it down

[TomPritchard25 526]

I'm sure this is in good humor but please tone it down

you come into my thread and tell me... I'm... I'm too.... Too rowdy? Chivalry is surely dead.

[Vauxhall and IU 317]

I really hope we don't go to a pro style arena. Keep it on the campus and keep it as a college venue.

Amen. People talk about the things they value about tradition, some of which we've kept (no names on jerseys) and some we haven't (ads in the Hall, etc.) For me, after names on jerseys the #1 tradition thing I value is an arena NOT named after corporate sponsors. That stuff is fine for pro sports, but there's something incredibly icky to me about colleges having to represent themselves with corporate branded facilities. I'd have us playing on the outdoor courts next to Willkie before I'd have us playing in an arena named after some bank.

Living in New Albany, I've been to the Yum a few times (not for games, but for concerts, etc.) Its the epitome of the modern "state of the art" pro-style off-campus arena, and I couldn't imagine us playing in a place like that in a million years. It's just not our style. It's fancy, sure, but it doesn't reverberate (figuratively or literally) like AH.

[schoosier 3,480]

Something like the YUM?

I've never been to the Yum. I'm looking for something state of the art with great seats, and I could do without all of the high $ suites. I understand you would need some of these for the high flyers though. Phillips Arena in Atlanta is one, nice facility.

[Hovadipo 56,178]

I'm not a fan of getting rid of The Hall (and let's be honest, we're about to dump 40 big ones into her, she's not going anywhere) but if we were to move on, let's get the guy who designed Banker's Life to design this. BLF is widely known as one of the best BASKETBALL arenas on the planet. Between Pacers and random IU games there, I've sat in just about every main area of that arena and haven't encountered anything resembling a bad seat. From the court level corner, to 4 rows from the ceiling in the corner, to the mid-level baseline, the sight lines are perfect. That's the type of arena I could get on board with.

[NoahW35 459]

I'm not a fan of getting rid of The Hall (and let's be honest, we're about to dump 40 big ones into her, she's not going anywhere) but if we were to move on, let's get the guy who designed Banker's Life to design this. BLF is widely known as one of the best BASKETBALL arenas on the planet. Between Pacers and random IU games there, I've sat in just about every main area of that arena and haven't encountered anything resembling a bad seat. From the court level corner, to 4 rows from the ceiling in the corner, to the mid-level baseline, the sight lines are perfect. That's the type of arena I could get on board with.

YUM is even better

[MartintheMopMan 7,765]

I'm not a fan of getting rid of The Hall (and let's be honest, we're about to dump 40 big ones into her, she's not going anywhere) but if we were to move on, let's get the guy who designed Banker's Life to design this. BLF is widely known as one of the best BASKETBALL arenas on the planet. Between Pacers and random IU games there, I've sat in just about every main area of that arena and haven't encountered anything resembling a bad seat. From the court level corner, to 4 rows from the ceiling in the corner, to the mid-level baseline, the sight lines are perfect. That's the type of arena I could get on board with.

Banker's Life is awful for atmosphere though. Anywhere on the hardwood you can barely hear the crowd. It just doesn't get LOUD.

I would be in favor of a whole new arena if I could get some serious reassurances that we're putting engineers on designing the loudest floor in the nation. Which, means hiring non-alum engineers. I want it to be so loud that the opposing team can only hear the crowd inside their own heads.

[BlueDevil 8,687]

Banker's Life is awful for atmosphere though. Anywhere on the hardwood you can barely hear the crowd. It just doesn't get LOUD.

I would be in favor of a whole new arena if I could get some serious reassurances that we're putting engineers on designing the loudest floor in the nation. Which, means hiring non-alum engineers. I want it to be so loud that the opposing team can only hear the crowd inside their own heads.

Man game 7 against the Hawks might have been one of the loudest atmospheres I've been in.

[Hovadipo 56,178]

Man game 7 against the Hawks might have been one of the loudest atmospheres I've been in.

Game 6 vs Miami 2 years ago was crazy too. Not AH loud, but for an NBA game it was wild.

[Hovadipo 56,178]

Banker's Life is awful for atmosphere though. Anywhere on the hardwood you can barely hear the crowd. It just doesn't get LOUD.

I would be in favor of a whole new arena if I could get some serious reassurances that we're putting engineers on designing the loudest floor in the nation. Which, means hiring non-alum engineers. I want it to be so loud that the opposing team can only hear the crowd inside their own heads.

The volume issue could be due to the difference between a college and pro fanbase at the game. I'm curious what BLF would sound like if you put an AH crowd in there. Also, one reason the Hall is so loud on the court is due to its terrible (view-wise) design isn't it?

[HoosierAloha 30,068]

Banker's Life is awful for atmosphere though. Anywhere on the hardwood you can barely hear the crowd. It just doesn't get LOUD.

I would be in favor of a whole new arena if I could get some serious reassurances that we're putting engineers on designing the loudest floor in the nation. Which, means hiring non-alum engineers. I want it to be so loud that the opposing team can only hear the crowd inside their own heads.

 

Imagine AH with the students surrounding the court too.  I wonder if they'll move the students when the suites are built.

[CottageGrove 563]

The volume issue could be due to the difference between a college and pro fanbase at the game. I'm curious what BLF would sound like if you put an AH crowd in there. Also, one reason the Hall is so loud on the court is due to it's terrible (view-wise) design isn't it?

 

You've taken the words right out of my mouth twice in this thread. BLF is a fantastic arena. Everything from the sight lines to the amenities to even the main entry works. In addition the design really epitomizes what basketball feels like in Indiana. I agree, too, that the noise issue probably has more to do with the NBA vs college crowd. NBA games don't typically get loud, especially for regular season games. But I've been there in the playoffs a few times over the past few years and the noise level has been pretty impressive.

 

I'm torn on the issue of renovation vs replacement because of how many fond memories I have of Assembly Hall. I wish they could do a renovation that would actually fix things like the sight lines, but I don't think that's possible. So in the end I come down on the side of wanting a new arena modeled after BLF.

[MartintheMopMan 7,765]

Man game 7 against the Hawks might have been one of the loudest atmospheres I've been in.

 

For the crowd. I've had the opportunity to be on the hardwood in both with people (though far  fewer and quieter) in the stands and it's a world of difference, the way the sound is funneled and reflected down to the center are polar opposites. You see it a lot with football stadiums too, you can hear the difference with mic'd up players between different designs regardless of the excitement level of the fans.

 

The volume issue could be due to the difference between a college and pro fanbase at the game. I'm curious what BLF would sound like if you put an AH crowd in there. Also, one reason the Hall is so loud on the court is due to its terrible (view-wise) design isn't it?

Absolutely the terrible sight lines are in part because of the unique funnel design of the place, the back mid level seats get their sound down to the court really effectively because it gets bounced down by the balcony that's blocking their view. I'm not an engineer so I don't know how you'd design around that besides a pure numbers game. A 27,000 seat arena has the potential to be louder than a 17,000 seat arena even if it isn't as well set-up for it.

[KelleyHoosh 2,263]

Assembly Hall is one of my favorite places to watch a basketball game because you can easily get wrapped up in the aura of it. 

 

But really, the view is awful from most seats IMO. I don't know where I stand on the idea of a new stadium, but I'm hoping a 40M face lift improves things

[hyzy 300]

Once again I must note - I am a newbie to IU BB, that being said, every time I watch a game on TV from AH the announcers are usually saying what a great place it is, and that it is (usually) a nightmare for the opposing team.  I have never been (on my bucket list to go with my kid before graduation in a couple of years) but it sounds like a great atmosphere, and a new venue could very well destroy that.  Also I LOVE that it is called Assembly Hall and not named after some corporation that bought the naming rights

[FortWayneHoosier 6,128]

I STARTED THIS THREAD. THIS IS MY THREAD. I AM KING OF THIS THREAD!!!

Tone it down there pritch!!!! All you were good for was dunks and fouls!!!!

[CottageGrove 563]

Once again I must note - I am a newbie to IU BB, that being said, every time I watch a game on TV from AH the announcers are usually saying what a great place it is, and that it is (usually) a nightmare for the opposing team.  I have never been (on my bucket list to go with my kid before graduation in a couple of years) but it sounds like a great atmosphere, and a new venue could very well destroy that.  Also I LOVE that it is called Assembly Hall and not named after some corporation that bought the naming rights

 

And every time I read a comment like this it pulls me from the new arena side of the fence to the keep AH and make improvements side. 

[LazOffTheBench 3,638]

The crappy AH sight lines and nosebleed seats build character!!!

[JSHoosier 20,213]

For the crowd. I've had the opportunity to be on the hardwood in both with people (though far  fewer and quieter) in the stands and it's a world of difference, the way the sound is funneled and reflected down to the center are polar opposites. You see it a lot with football stadiums too, you can hear the difference with mic'd up players between different designs regardless of the excitement level of the fans.

 

Absolutely the terrible sight lines are in part because of the unique funnel design of the place, the back mid level seats get their sound down to the court really effectively because it gets bounced down by the balcony that's blocking their view. I'm not an engineer so I don't know how you'd design around that besides a pure numbers game. A 27,000 seat arena has the potential to be louder than a 17,000 seat arena even if it isn't as well set-up for it.

You'd have to get a sound engineer involved and see what can be done about the acoustics.  They make special panels that can be mounted to the wall that just reflects sound back, so there are some things you can do to play with the acoustics of the building to help some.

 

How much it'd help, I'm not sure but there are things that could be done to help even with a more modern facility.