The first two home games in 1958 at the new "Gym" (Alumni Hall) were losses.
1959-60 Stag Men's Basketball Season (17-9 overall) 12/5 - College of Holy Cross L, 53-72 12/12 - Assumption College L, 64-77 12/14 - St. Francis College N.Y. W, 83-59
Assuming that the first Arena & Convocation Center home game will be a well promoted 3,500 seat sellout, it really needs to be a win. Starting the new era back on campus with a loss would not be good.
The first two home games in 1958 at the new "Gym" (Alumni Hall) were losses.
1958-59 Stag Men's Basketball Season (17-9 overall) 12/5 - College of Holy Cross L, 53-72 12/12 - Assumption College L, 64-77 12/14 - St. Francis College N.Y. W, 83-59
Assuming that the first Arena & Convocation Center home game will be a well promoted 3,500 seat sellout, it really needs to be a win. Starting the new era back on campus with a loss would not be good.
In the ‘50s, future NBA players Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn played for Holy Cross and in the late ‘40s Holy Cross won the NCAA title. It was a desire to bring a highly regarded opponent in to open Alumni Hall that probably led to the Crusaders being our first opponent back in ‘58. Since college basketball financial considerations have changed dramatically since the late ‘50s, I doubt we’re going to see a national power come to be our first opponent when we only have a 3,500 seating capacity which is why I thought of Fordham, Sacred Heart, or Yale as potential first game opponents. If we really want a win, we might consider CCSU or Medgar Evers as potential first game opponents.
The first opponent to ever play in Alumni Hall was Holy Cross on December 5, 1959. In addition to the Cross being a longtime rival, there would be some historical significance if they opened it up.
Can't help but wonder if Ed Cooley and the Friars would be willing to be the first opponent?
There was mention that few teams want to come to the convocation center to be the first opponent and that scheduling that game might be a challenge.
There were also indications the arena may not be ready at the start of next season and the first opponent might be a MAAC team.
The first opponent to ever play in Alumni Hall was Holy Cross on December 5, 1959. In addition to the Cross being a longtime rival, there would be some historical significance if they opened it up.
Can't help but wonder if Ed Cooley and the Friars would be willing to be the first opponent?
There were also indications the arena may not be ready at the start of next season and the first opponent might be a MAAC team.
I think RF just defined it, so picking the perfect team to open with may be a luxury we just don't have.
The answer is probably when scheduling, try to get some good OOC teams for the early home schedule and hope for the best.
Last Edit: Oct 10, 2021 5:55:02 GMT -5 by paulie74
Post by jenningsbeach on Oct 10, 2021 9:48:17 GMT -5
Boston College is the best choice. Lots of history and a Power 5 game as well. The idea that we sold a home game back to BC is still mind-boggling to me.
Stags vs Iona (45-69) since 1949-50 Boston College (11-26) since 1951-52 Manhattan (50-56) since 1953-54 Georgetown (4-15) since 1959-60 St. Joseph's (5-19) since 1965-66 Loyola Maryland (38-23) since 1977-78
… center when completed will be on par or better then the Quinnipiac and Monmouth facilities. It will be the premiere facility in the MAAC IMO. I am confident the architects will be properly planning the building amenities, However, in any project there is not an “ unlimited checkbook” and trade offs will need to be determined. Once completed the CC center will be so much better then the “ classic alumni hall “ which IMO was in fact a dump.
The QU facility is about 15 years old. On par with that is not an accomplishment-it’s a nice place but i’d hope things could be improved on in that time frame. The Monmouth is great- again, id hope to be better than what our peers did 5 years ago.
Trade offs usually are “skimping”.
I graduated 30 years ago and Alumni hall was a should have been replaced around then. The experiment with harbor yards obviously failed and failed over 10 years ago. Alumni was poorly maintained and never really renovated- failures. Comparing anything new to it in light of that is a poor argument imo
Just for the record, the Monmouth Arena, while fine in many ways, is certainly lacking in one key important area, that is lack of legroom space between rows. I certainly hope this type of setup doesn't become problematic for this spectator who unfortunately has bad knees and can feel the pain of being in too tight a setup.
The QU facility is about 15 years old. On par with that is not an accomplishment-it’s a nice place but i’d hope things could be improved on in that time frame. The Monmouth is great- again, id hope to be better than what our peers did 5 years ago.
Trade offs usually are “skimping”.
I graduated 30 years ago and Alumni hall was a should have been replaced around then. The experiment with harbor yards obviously failed and failed over 10 years ago. Alumni was poorly maintained and never really renovated- failures. Comparing anything new to it in light of that is a poor argument imo
Just for the record, the Monmouth Arena, while fine in many ways, is certainly lacking in one key important area, that is lack of legroom space between rows. I certainly hope this type of setup doesn't become problematic for this spectator who unfortunately has bad knees and can feel the pain of being in too tight a setup.
Nash, it's funny that you mention leg space. I've never had a problem with that (one advantage of not being very tall) but I do remember attending a game many years ago at the Meadowlands Arena, and there was a rather tall fellow sitting at the end of the row nearby. It was 7'7" Manute Bol. The only way he could get any leg space was to extend out into the aisle!
Alumni Hall ground was broken in 1958 and opened on December 5, 1959.
1959-60 (17-9) Holy Cross L 53-72 Assumption L 64-77 St. Francis NY W 83-59 at Siena W 60-48 Yeshiva W 69-64 at Adelphi L 64-74 Iona W 60-47 Boston College L 67-78 at Bridgeport W 75-73 Georgetown L 74-91 Villa Madonna W 68-65 Fair. Dickinson W 78-69 at American Int’l W 67-57 at Upsala L 74-90 at Brooklyn W 94-80 CCNY W 75-58 Long Island W 87-59 St. Peter’s L 74-83 Hunter W 62-52 at Southern Conn W 81-76 at Rider W 70-61 Bridgeport W 94-72 at Providence L 57-100 at Bridgeport W 100-94 at Drexel* W 56-44 at American* L 74-75 * - NCAA College Div. Playoff s
The first opponent to ever play in Alumni Hall was Holy Cross on December 5, 1959. In addition to the Cross being a longtime rival, there would be some historical significance if they opened it up.
Can't help but wonder if Ed Cooley and the Friars would be willing to be the first opponent?
There was mention that few teams want to come to the convocation center to be the first opponent and that scheduling that game might be a challenge. Ugh
There were also indications the arena may not be ready at the start of next season and the first opponent might be a MAAC team.
That wouldn’t be a surprise. Nor would a December or later opening considering the supply chain problems and shipping bottlenecks.
Stags vs Iona (45-69) since 1949-50 Boston College (11-26) since 1951-52 Manhattan (50-56) since 1953-54 Georgetown (4-15) since 1959-60 St. Joseph's (5-19) since 1965-66 Loyola Maryland (38-23) since 1977-78
All of these, along with Holy Cross, seem like pretty good options to me. But then you also want to win the opener so it be nice to try to schedule a winnable game with some history to it. Fordham makes the list of a team with some history (series started in 1961-62 season). Here's some other long time opponents
Providence 5 32 1948-49 Holy Cross 19 22 1949-50
Here's some in the winnable game category:
Army 18 8 1975-76 Canisius 49 38 1962-63 Central Conn 21 4 1949-50 (formerly new Britain State)
Not really sure I care much who we play. Looking forward to the game and hoping we will win.
Post by ctghostman on Oct 10, 2021 21:20:42 GMT -5
If you’re going to get a big name such as a BC to come to the new place, it’s a mistake to have them open it-the first game will be a big draw no matter who it is. BC or the like as a second game gets a big crowd too-hopefully two sellouts and momentum for future crowds.
Those in charge in Athletic Department will have a serious problem if the home opener on campus at the $51 million Arena & Convocation Center isn't a complete sellout no matter who the opponent is.