Men's basketball
Athletic director Tom Wistrcill recently traveled to Toledo to visit its new downtown arena.
The company that built the Lucas County Arena invited him to take a look at it, so he went with associate athletic director Hunter Yurachek and a representative from FirstEnergy.
"We took a peek at it," Wistrcill said. "You can always learn."
Wistrcill said he has not had a chance to put much thought into building a new basketball arena. "It doesn't mean it won't happen sometime in the future," he added.
Building a new basketball arena has long been on the minds of Zips fans and people within the athletic department. While the University of Akron was the sole driver for a football stadium, the city might be the engine that helps land a basketball arena. The project would likely coincide with bringing to Akron a pro sports team, such as hockey or arena football. Major concerts and events would be sure to follow.
Within the next week, Lucas County Arena will host WWE Raw and a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. It is also home to an arena football team and independent hockey team. The arena is owned by a non-profit corporation that is set up to pay off its mortgage with the earnings.
Wistrcill denied a rumor that FirstEnergy CEO Anthony Alexander and Akron mayor Don Plusquellic also attended the meeting in Toledo.
One firm designed an arena that would sit on Main Street across from Canal Park. Click here, then click "indoor" to take a look. That does not necessarily mean that the city of Akron hired the firm to design that drawing.
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Mike, ask coach Dambrot or someone on his staff about his feelings on how soon an arena will be built. You might be surprised by their optimism.
Oh, please. Akron can barely attract 3,800 people to see a very good team last year and you need a new, off-campus arena? More debt for the university, which is already saddled in debt and pays its faculty peanuts?
hey joe, go blow. This isn't about you, and every University is "saddled with debt". Any place that grows, or does anything in research, is "saddled with debt". As for "pays professors peanuts" the University pays adjunct professors what adjunct professors make. It's not the University's problem they gave up their day jobs.
I know when I work part-time jobs I never give up my full time job.
As for why the University hires so many adjunct, it's because they typically work in the field they teach, thus being able to give real world experience to students. As opposed to scholars who typically fit the stereotype "those who can't; teach".
If UA pays for it, it better go on the actual campus and not downtown. It makes no sense for UA to put a great deal of time, talent, treasure and emotion into an on-campus stadium and then turn around and build an off-campus arena. An on-campus arena will have a better draw because it will project a true college campus atmosphere. There is a sense of campus spirit that goes a long way in attracting people to not only basketball games but concerts and other sporting and non-sporting events. Build The new UA arena on the East end of campus with the remaining sports, recreation and physical education facilities and not downtown. And spare us the spin about the campus being downtown just because UA bought the Polsky Building. If the Polsky Building makes downtown on-campus, then the Rubber Bowl makes the Airdock on-campus too.
G-Mann: That's BS about why the university hired so many adjunct. It's all about dollars and cents — they don't want to spent on instruction (which is what universities are all about, BTW). The university's expenses on instruction are pitifully short of other Ohio schools…which helps explain why Akron has PITIFUL retention and graduation rates and poor scores in most quality studies.
Joe, what explains Kent's pitiful retention and graduation rates (49% graduation rate I believe from the last Ohio report) and please remember Akron is open enrollment and gives everyone an opportunity to educate themselves, unlike selective Kent.
The adjunct do a great job "One finding at the University of Michigan bears out what one of my readers commented about with regard to student-to-faculty ratios: often the non-tenure track faculty have much better teaching evaluations than the tenured faculty. Adjuncts are often better teachers." – http://greatcollegeadvice.com/adjunct-faculty-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-universities-dont-know/
Oh and Go Zips – How you doing Jake?
Akron's grad rate is in the low 30s. Very impressive.
Bottom line…spend money where there's a demonstrable need. How many B-ball games have even come close to selling out in past five years?
G Mann is correct. UA's poor graduation rate is caused by the fact that it is an open enrollment university (tier 4) and not how much it pays its adjuncts. KSU is not open enrollment and that explains why its graduation rate is a hair higher than UA's (tier 3). Frankly, KSU's selectivity poses very little challenge to enrollees who are serious about going to college. UA lets in anyone. That's a problem in my book.
By the way, Lynyrd Skynyrd played in UA's Memorial Hall as well as The Eagles, Dave Mason, The J. Geils Band and more back in the mid '70s. Every one of those shows were filled to capacity and more. If we can make a hole like Memorial Hall multi-purpose, we shouldn't have a problem making a new state-of-the-art, on-campus arena multi-purpose as well. The same goes for the new on-campus football stadium. Just claiming a facility is multi-purpose doesn't make it so. The proof is in the pudding. I remember when The Rhodes Physical Education Building (it's not an arena and never was one) was built and how the press and university stated that "concerts will soon follow". For the most part, that never really happened. If UA wants concerts in its stadium or arena, it has to make it happen. UA can't lay back and wait for the tooth fairy to bring it a concert.
Oh, and the city of Akron and Summit County are hardly in the finanial situation to even take on a fraction of the cost of bringing an arena to town unless they plan on getting UA to bend over while Don and Russ drive.
Show me the interest in more "fans" attending basketball games, then we can talk.
As for concerts, isn't that what E.J. Thomas and The Civic are for? There are plenty of venues already, and UA doesn't seem interested in scheduling concerts, anyway. How many have they even attempted at the JAR? I'm so tired of stupid excuses to waste more millions. You built the football stadium, and interest lasted….oh, one week.
UA, like all entertainment venues use promoters, agents and its own budget to schedule concerts in an ongoing manner. UA has Steely Dan scheduled for two shows on campus at its PAH (aka: E.J. Thomas.). The orchestra level and much of the grand tier are already sold out for both shows and they don't take place until November 16th and 17th. Cheech and Chong is scheduled for a return show there as well by the university. UA also has scheduled, Manheim Steamroller and Celtic Woman and many more in its PAH. UA schedules concerts all the time in its PAH. So, UA is interested is scheduling concerts and has been for the past 5 decades contrary to your statement. Both the Civic and UA are small hall venues (approx. 3,000 seats) and cannot handle big-time acts that an 8 – 10,000 seat arena would be able to handle. So the two existing facilities in this community are not for all concerts as you maintain.
And, as far as the stadium goes, interest is continuous there and has not just lasted for one week. Stop being so negative and dishonest. It's absurd to make the statement that people are looking for "excuses to waste money." What people are interested in is building up the university and region and not tearing it down as you seem to be hell-bent on doing.
Hey Jake, enough with the on campus mantra. UA will likely need help with costs and the city and county will help. Your Rubber Bowl/ Polsky analogy is absurd.
The Rubber Bowl/Polsky analogy is not absurd. It's right on target. Downtown Akron and the Polsky building looks no more on-campus than the the Rubber Bowl and area around it. Anyone with eyes and a brain has already agreed with me. And, enough with your downtown arena mantra. On campus is the way to go and I'll repeat it until it happens. If it bothers you, then too bad. UA does not need help with an on-campus arena and the city and the county is in no position to offer such help. Call my position a mantra all you want. Saying so doesn't make it so. I'm being steadfast and that quality is the very quality that got us an on-campus stadium and a campus that looks authentic, park-like and pedestrian friendly. So go blow it out your blow hole.
Jake, no one said the Rubber Bowl was on campus so your analogy is not only absurd, it's stupid. Where exactly is the "blow hole"? And thanks for getting the football stadium on campus, you rock!
The Rubber Bowl is not on campus nor is the Polsky Building on campus. That is my point. A minority of delusional people (aka: Akron dinasours) are claiming that downtown is on campus just because UA bought the Polsky Building. That is the absurd position and not the analogy between The Rubber Bowl and The Polsky Building. One can't claim that the Polsky Building is on campus while claiming that the Rubber Bowl is not. The only thing the two have in common is the fact that UA ownes them both. Proximity does not count. Again, downtown Akron is not part of the UA campus no more than the area around the Rubber Bowl is on campus.
It is a big fat Duuuuhhhh!!!!
As Dr. Proenza and Ted Cutis said in their TV marketing specials: " If we are going to build a stadium, we better do it right the first time because we won't have another chance to build another stadium, at least for a long, long time."
Think about that. UA will also not have another chance to build a new arena for a long, long time. If they don't do it right the first time and that would mean building it downtown and not on campus, THEY CANNOT UN-RING THE BELL. They will have to live with their mistake and more importantly make the university and region live with their mistake for a "long, long time."
Think about it, people. UA did the right thing in building a campus arena clearly on its campus. UA would be foolish to think that that strategy and marketing objective would not apply to a university, multi-purpose, on-campus arena.
Again, you cannot unring the bell!!!
That should have read, "Think about it, people. UA did the right thing in building a campus stadium…"
The right thing to do is to build this across from canal park, right beside Polsky and the parking deck there. Buy the Mayflower too and turn it into dorm space. The CBA is there too. Make this area on campus. This will directly be a big boost for downtown, having a large, multi-purpose facility that will host a major college basketball program, and potentially a few other pro sports and major concerts. The city can be more involved with the arena if it's located here, which means UA gets a bigger fan base and a better relationship with the City. It's a good thing.
It's good to see the usual characters(Jake/Bilbo and jupitertoo) were drawn into discussion.
Jupitertoo, we get it. You're from Akron and enjoy ripping on it. OU is so great, and we are all fools for not realizing it. You, my friend, are the smart one. Your OU education has made you such an important person in society that you spend 90 percent of your time on Akron related message boards trying to rile up Akron fans. You must lead an important life.
Jake, we understand. You obviously know some of the trustees or administrators on campus. Judging by your odd robot like rants, you must be Proenza's retarded step brother or something.
Who's Jake?
Eric, it's obvious that you get off on personally attacking people because they have a positive outlook on the world. Talk about odd robotic rants. Your derrogatory comments put you right up there with the rest of the Akron negaholics.
ZT, let's make St Bernard Catholic Church, The Justice Center and The Peanut Shoppe on campus too. It makes as much sense as your suggestion to pretend that a busy, metropolitan downtown street, obsolete department store and hotel can ever be part of and look like a campus. UA did not go through all the expense and energy of making its campus look like a real university with visual boundaries and a pedestrain, park-like setting, only to undo it all by disintegrating it like it was back in the days of Hilltop High. The city can be just as involved with an on-campus arena as it would with a downtown arena and the fan base won't change one bit.
It works with an on-campus stadium and it will work with an on-campus arena.
You sound as if Doc Proenza built a mote with allegators around the university. Nothing can be further from the truth.
And if UA needs help with its on-campus arena, it can get that help from First Energy and other corporations just like it did with InfoCision and The Summa Foundation for the on-campus stadium.
Sounds like you want to expand Cleveland State or Youngstowns State instead of The University of Akron, eh ZT?
There are many other churches within the campus footprint, so I'm not worried about St. Bernard. Buying the Mayflower and improving it will only help the area and the University.
The space as it sits now is largely empty and those businesses that are present could/should get dibs on space in the new arena complex. A great arena and multi-purpose facility that holds many shops and retail/bars will be fantastic to the area and really help the university and city grow. The drawing on the website linked above is fantastic, and overpasses can be built to make the streets a non-factor (they already are for the most part, the CBA over broadway to the parking deck, and deck to Polsky building).
I don't see why your against seeing the University grow apart from the city instead of with it. Put the arena complex across from Canal Park, where the main feature is the Zips basketball. Then get an AFL team (if the league gets back together), a hockey team, and keep it packed with concerts. It's just the perfect place to host these events, and will add to both the University and City, instead of the just the city.
There are many other churches within the campus footprint, so I'm not worried about St. Bernard. Buying the Mayflower and improving it will only help the area and the University.
The space as it sits now is largely empty and those businesses that are present could/should get dibs on space in the new arena complex. A great arena and multi-purpose facility that holds many shops and retail/bars will be fantastic to the area and really help the university and city grow. The drawing on the website linked above is fantastic, and overpasses can be built to make the streets a non-factor (they already are for the most part, the CBA over broadway to the parking deck, and deck to Polsky building).
I don't see why your against seeing the University grow apart from the city instead of with it. Put the arena complex across from Canal Park, where the main feature is the Zips basketball. Then get an AFL team (if the league gets back together), a hockey team, and keep it packed with concerts. It's just the perfect place to host these events, and will add to both the University and City, instead of the just the University
Mike,
I see that the OSports rendering is for a 12,000-seat facility. The new downtown Toledo facility that UA recently toured is an 8,000-seat facility. Do you have any idea what size of arena the U wants?