Nice for SHU to get a NY Times article on their 60 Million Dollar Hockey arena. Bobby Valentine is not as big of a name as Rick Pitino ..... but it does get coverage.
Nice for SHU to get a NY Times article on their 60 Million Dollar Hockey arena. Bobby Valentine is not as big of a name as Rick Pitino ..... but it does get coverage.
I wonder if, given the circumstances, there will be any delay in the execution of their project similar to what is happening to our Convocation Center?
I wonder if SHU and Valentine will have more success leveraging their now national position in hockey to grow the basketball program more than Quinnipiac has been able to do.
I wonder if SHU and Valentine will have more success leveraging their now national position in hockey to grow the basketball program more than Quinnipiac has been able to do.
While they are obviously going all in on hockey, the same doesn't seem to be true with basketball. No plans for a new arena for that sport or even upgrades to the Pitt Center which is not a great venue to watch a game. And talk about lack of interest. Most nights the Pioneers are playing in front of mostly family, friends, and maybe a couple of hardcore hoops fans (such as myself). They had a breakthrough year in division 1 yet I think their average attendance was well below 1,000 (I'm sure 73 will be right behind me with the "facts.") Also, and as this article pointed out, there are only about 60 schools that even compete in hockey nationally. Sacred Heart is already in a position based on conference where they could reasonably make the NCAA Tournament. They very well might have this season. And if they did, they might have a real shot at doing something special, like maybe making the Frozen 4. Not like that in hoops of course considering the amount of schools (353 last I counted) and the fact that even if they entered the tourney as NEC winners, you and I know they are never going to go very far. So in summary I believe they are putting almost all their eggs in the hockey basket in order to try to gain some national attention, at least in the athletic world.
They had a breakthrough year in division 1 yet I think their average attendance was well below 1,000 (I'm sure 73 will be right behind me with the "facts.")....
This past season SHU Men's Basketball (20-13)(12-6) had 3 home games on SNY and 1 on CBSSN and averaged just 626 fans (.303) at their 2,062 seat Pitt Center which was next to last in the NEC attendance and even below St. Peter's (636) in the MAAC.
Former Sox manager Bobby Valentine’s next project? Turning Sacred Heart into a hockey school. By Dave Caldwell, The New York Times Company March 30, 2020
All but two home games this season drew crowds of fewer than 1,000 spectators to the arena (WBA), which is primarily used by the Islanders’ top farm team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. It is a top-notch site, but there are two problems for the Sacred Heart teams: It is too big, and it is not theirs....
I wonder if SHU and Valentine will have more success leveraging their now national position in hockey to grow the basketball program more than Quinnipiac has been able to do.
There are like 4 states that care about college hockey. It doesnt bring any prestige or notoriety to a university, only to the die hard hockey fan.
Ask someone from even Maryland who the best college hockey team is and I bet they say they didnt even know colleges played hockey.
Last Edit: Mar 30, 2020 22:27:04 GMT -5 by stags10
I wonder if SHU and Valentine will have more success leveraging their now national position in hockey to grow the basketball program more than Quinnipiac has been able to do.
There are like 4 states that care about college hockey. It doesnt bring any prestige or notoriety to a university, only to the die hard hockey fan.
Ask someone from even Maryland who the best college hockey team is and I bet they say they didnt even know colleges played hockey.
Well, I think that is true of many sports. Asked someone in the northeast who the top NASCAR driver is and you'll hear crickets.
Targeting your customer will get major PR for your university. And where does SHU draw its students--the northeast. They know their market.
I always said SHU has the best PR machine in the state. The whole Bobby Valentine hiring was all about press. Do you really think Bobby V is as involved in the day to day operations as PS.
Sacred Heart is planning to build a $60 million 4,000 seat hockey arena while UCONN is going to build a 2,500 seat hockey facility on campus. SHU has an endowment of $167 million. Quinnipiac's hockey facility seats 3,386 and Yale's seats 3,500.
Currently, Atlantic Hockey spans a total of five states, reaching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. Members reside in Colorado (Air Force), Connecticut (Sacred Heart), Massachusetts (American International, Bentley, Holy Cross), New York (Army, Canisius, Niagara, RIT), and Pennsylvania (Mercyhurst, Robert Morris).
Seems as if Bobby Valentine may be getting restless at SHU.
Why former Mets manager Bobby Valentine says he's considering running for office 'The next two years are going to take some real leadership,' Valentine says www.sny.tv/mets/news/