Texas MBB falls to VCU 54-53 for third straight loss
- Thread starter BringBackRoyal
- Start date
It's all about online degrees. They will continue to push tuition costs down while killing the small to medium universities out of business. If their ranking is better and costs lower, well then bye.
Now Texas needs to hire a basketball coach that can make the Horns a top 5, 10, or 15 team year in and year out. There is no reason why this program shouldn't be elite in basketball. Smart has got to go soon.
So if you guys don't think we don't have another one and done with this team you guys are wrong we do have one......
20th pick going to the Boston Celtics Jaxson Hayes
20th pick going to the Boston Celtics Jaxson Hayes
Height: 6’11” | Weight: 220 | Freshman It seems more likely the Celtics move a pick or two than actually draft four times in the first round. Regardless, taking the opportunity to develop someone like Hayes here would be prudent. The unheralded freshman is still making his case as a first-rounder, but he’s flashed substantial athletic ability and defensive instincts, coupled with a 7’4” wingspan. Hayes does not have much of an offensive skill set, nor has he been a consistent presence on the glass, but he does have loads of natural talent and will be able to turn pro if he feels he’s ready. His situation is airing toward the side of one-and-done at the moment.
I think this smaller (10K), on campus venue we'll have in 3 years will do wonders for this program. I've always hated the Drum as a home court. Cavernous. Excited to see this.
(McComas)
This afternoon, the UT Board of Regents, as expected, approved UT’s proposal to begin an agreement with Oak View Group and its partners to build a new arena for Texas Basketball, UT events, concerts, and more.
“The University of Texas at Austin (UT) and a group led by the Oak View Group (OVG) will build a world-class arena on campus that will be home to Texas Men’s and Women’s basketball games, graduations, concerts and other events. It is expected to be opened in 2021,” said Texas in its press release earlier today.
“The innovative 35-year agreement between UT and ArenaCo — which includes OVG, Live Nation, C3 Presents and Matthew McConaughey — will be groundbreaking in college athletics and provide a public benefit for UT and the City of Austin for decades to come. The $338 million venue will be constructed on land fully owned by UT without using any university or public money.”
Orangebloods.com was on campus earlier this afternoon at the press conference to announce the partnership and upcoming arena project. Some notes, takeaways, and more:
--- I assumed this project, from the design standpoint, was still in the early stages, but I didn’t realize just how early. After reading the Inside the 40 Acres Forum for a while, I knew the execution of limiting the capacity for basketball games was a hot topic. So, I asked the group the plan for executing that and also if any examples of other arenas have been used.
“We have yet to figure that out. I’m just joking. We knew there was a size of the arena that they needed for concerts. From my particular perspective of being here for a year is looking at our venue we average about 9,000. It’s a 16,000-seat arena. It’s way too big,” said Chris Del Conte. “We can have those moments when we all think, ‘yeah, we had a Kansas game,’ or a one-off game. But it’s like building a baseball stadium – you don’t build it for the weekend series. You build it for the Tuesday game. A 10,000-seat arena is fantastic and perfect for us because it’s loud, it’s jam-packed, it’s sold out, and a sold out arena has an unbelievable impact on the outcome of the men’s or women’s basketball game just like this year a sold out football stadium created the magic for us to come back and beat the teams we beat on the field this year. You look at USC game, Iowa State, so many games we had it jam-packed and the student section creates unbelievable environment.
“So, we think 10,000 is the right size for us, but the component of this here (points to drawing with top level seating covered) above that is those seats, and we’re working on how that will be designed. We met with [someone] yesterday, they have awesome ideas. But we still have to make sure they mechanically work. I came in one day and said I don’t understand why a garage door can’t work. They looked at me and said, 'That’s the biggest garage door we’ve ever seen'…. But that’s why they’re here. The very best in the business is designing this arena, folks.”
Del Conte and the group seemed very committed to the idea of limiting the capacity of the arena no matter what. As for the plan about how to specifically limit the capacity of the arena and the execution, that sounds like a bridge the group has yet to approach, and certainly hasn’t crossed.
“I think that’s a great idea on Chris’s part. Anytime you have a setting that’s full or almost full, it just creates a more intimidating homecourt atmosphere for the opponent, and a more energetic atmosphere for your own team,” Shaka Smart said when asked about the capacity. “The reality is hopefully there will be several games where we have more people come than that number, but that’s a good problem to have.”
--- “The arena project will be built and operated by a premier organization, the Oak View Group — without university or public money. This agreement with OVG combines the best of the university with the operating expertise and capital resources of the private sector,” said UT President Greg Fenves in an e-mailed statement today announcing the news.
According to Fenves, funding the new arena without university or public money was very important. Del Conte mentioned Fenves telling him this idea when the two first met to discuss Del Conte being offered the Athletics Director position, and Del Conte joked that he thought there was no way.
“It was a very high priority that we first of all had a replacement for the Erwin Center… it’s not really a modern concert arena and it has some problems as a basketball arena. And, of course, the site is going to be needed for the future expansion of Dell Medical Center. We knew we needed a new arena. I’m cheap, so if I can build something with no cost, I try to do it,” he said.
When later asked to elaborate on how this arena can be built without university of public money, Fenves wasn’t willing to offer any details.
“We got a great deal,” he said with a smile.
If you’re wondering if there will be naming rights, yes, there will be.
“We will work on naming rights… that decision will be a decision between us, Chris, and the University and we work in lockstep in trying to make sure we do this the right way and that goes back into the arena and creating the revenue necessary for this to [get built] and us the ability to pay for it,” said Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiwicke.
--- From what I initially heard a while back, the plan for the new arena included practice and team facilities. Now, the plan doesn’t include practice facilities for the men and women.
“We had conversations with Shaka and Karen – Cooley facility is phenomenal. We just renovated that facility in the last couple years, and we know that’s a phenomenal practice facility,” Del Conte said. “So, we feel in the short-term we can really focus on the arena because that’s what our partnership was about and at a later time when the facility is no longer serviceable, we’ll have that discussion. But we just renovated Cooley, and it is a first-rate facility.”
My expectation, based on what I’ve heard, is eventually after the arena is completed a space nearby will become a new team facilities area. But it’s clear the cost of doing that led to the decision of the group not to include those facilities in the new arena. If I was a college coach, I would be shaking my head.
Although Cooley Pavilion recently had upgrades, I’d describe those upgrades more as a facelift than a renovation. But those updates, some courtesy of Kevin Durant, look even more important now that a new practice area won’t be included in the new arena.
“That was really important in the moment, and it’s still important every day because that’s more than anything our basketball home because that’s where our guys are every day; that’s where they train in the offseason, where they lift weights, where they eat a lot of meals,” said Smart about the importance of the upgrades to Cooley Pavilion. “So, for our players to feel comfortable in that home setting is very important. The upgrades we did and Kevin really helped with were huge because we want to create a situation where our guys feel they can train and live from a basketball standpoint in a very home-like atmosphere.”
--- With the announcement, Smart can now use the new arena as a tool in recruiting for those players – not the Jaden McDaniels types – that plan to be around a while.
“Absolutely. It’s one of those things that guys look at as a key factor in their recruitment is where they’re going to play, and this is an unbelievable upgrade from our current homecourt situation,” Smart stated. “So, it is a few years away, and we do work in a sport where the cycle is quick, especially in guys’ minds and sometimes in reality. Certainly, it’s something we can point to.”
--- As we reported a few times now, there will be plans to – because there isn’t any other way to really do it – change the roads and design of the infrastructure in the area of the new arena.
“City of Austin has been a great strategic partner with the University… we’re working closely with the city leaders to plan for the construction of this project, and to make sure we have the infrastructure in place, including realigning Red River to return it to a grid structure, which will also improve transportation in this part of the city," Fenves stated.
--- And make no mistake, this is a partnership that includes UT, Oak View Group, the city of Austin, C3, Matthew McConaughey, and more. That became even clearer today, and the UT Board of Regents today approved Texas entering an agreement with a group of people and a company to build a new arena, but not a specific arena plan itself. So, the arena will be constructed with the input of multiple companies/people with different interests. This is going to be a new basketball arena, but it’s not going to be an arena with basketball as the only main interest.
“This is an amazing accomplishment and it’s going to be an amazing facility not just for the university; not just for the students, alumni, athletes. For this city. I will complement the President and his team to not only find a private-public relationship that ultimately can find a way to do this without burdening taxpayers or the campus. But in addition to that, they were very focused on the city of Austin. This is one of the great markets in all the country, one of the fastest growing markets in the country” Leiwicke said. “It’s why we’re here – the dynamic marketplace. So, the ability for the university to always have that vision and want to do something spectacular for both this community and campus was unique and their enthusiasm made us very excited.
“We understand we’re now part of the Longhorn family, and we’re proud of it. And we’ll make sure this gets built on time, and we hope on budget. And in addition to that, we create one of the great points of destination for sports and entertainment anywhere in the country.”
--- While Gregory Fenves and Chris Del Conte deserve a lot of credit for this agreement happening and the plan of a new arena officially moving forward, don’t forget about Mike Perrin’s role. From what I’ve heard, Perrin was a very integral piece in pushing this process forward while he served as AD, a process that’s basically taken almost three years to reach today’s point.
(McComas)
This afternoon, the UT Board of Regents, as expected, approved UT’s proposal to begin an agreement with Oak View Group and its partners to build a new arena for Texas Basketball, UT events, concerts, and more.
“The University of Texas at Austin (UT) and a group led by the Oak View Group (OVG) will build a world-class arena on campus that will be home to Texas Men’s and Women’s basketball games, graduations, concerts and other events. It is expected to be opened in 2021,” said Texas in its press release earlier today.
“The innovative 35-year agreement between UT and ArenaCo — which includes OVG, Live Nation, C3 Presents and Matthew McConaughey — will be groundbreaking in college athletics and provide a public benefit for UT and the City of Austin for decades to come. The $338 million venue will be constructed on land fully owned by UT without using any university or public money.”
Orangebloods.com was on campus earlier this afternoon at the press conference to announce the partnership and upcoming arena project. Some notes, takeaways, and more:
--- I assumed this project, from the design standpoint, was still in the early stages, but I didn’t realize just how early. After reading the Inside the 40 Acres Forum for a while, I knew the execution of limiting the capacity for basketball games was a hot topic. So, I asked the group the plan for executing that and also if any examples of other arenas have been used.
“We have yet to figure that out. I’m just joking. We knew there was a size of the arena that they needed for concerts. From my particular perspective of being here for a year is looking at our venue we average about 9,000. It’s a 16,000-seat arena. It’s way too big,” said Chris Del Conte. “We can have those moments when we all think, ‘yeah, we had a Kansas game,’ or a one-off game. But it’s like building a baseball stadium – you don’t build it for the weekend series. You build it for the Tuesday game. A 10,000-seat arena is fantastic and perfect for us because it’s loud, it’s jam-packed, it’s sold out, and a sold out arena has an unbelievable impact on the outcome of the men’s or women’s basketball game just like this year a sold out football stadium created the magic for us to come back and beat the teams we beat on the field this year. You look at USC game, Iowa State, so many games we had it jam-packed and the student section creates unbelievable environment.
“So, we think 10,000 is the right size for us, but the component of this here (points to drawing with top level seating covered) above that is those seats, and we’re working on how that will be designed. We met with [someone] yesterday, they have awesome ideas. But we still have to make sure they mechanically work. I came in one day and said I don’t understand why a garage door can’t work. They looked at me and said, 'That’s the biggest garage door we’ve ever seen'…. But that’s why they’re here. The very best in the business is designing this arena, folks.”
Del Conte and the group seemed very committed to the idea of limiting the capacity of the arena no matter what. As for the plan about how to specifically limit the capacity of the arena and the execution, that sounds like a bridge the group has yet to approach, and certainly hasn’t crossed.
“I think that’s a great idea on Chris’s part. Anytime you have a setting that’s full or almost full, it just creates a more intimidating homecourt atmosphere for the opponent, and a more energetic atmosphere for your own team,” Shaka Smart said when asked about the capacity. “The reality is hopefully there will be several games where we have more people come than that number, but that’s a good problem to have.”
--- “The arena project will be built and operated by a premier organization, the Oak View Group — without university or public money. This agreement with OVG combines the best of the university with the operating expertise and capital resources of the private sector,” said UT President Greg Fenves in an e-mailed statement today announcing the news.
According to Fenves, funding the new arena without university or public money was very important. Del Conte mentioned Fenves telling him this idea when the two first met to discuss Del Conte being offered the Athletics Director position, and Del Conte joked that he thought there was no way.
“It was a very high priority that we first of all had a replacement for the Erwin Center… it’s not really a modern concert arena and it has some problems as a basketball arena. And, of course, the site is going to be needed for the future expansion of Dell Medical Center. We knew we needed a new arena. I’m cheap, so if I can build something with no cost, I try to do it,” he said.
When later asked to elaborate on how this arena can be built without university of public money, Fenves wasn’t willing to offer any details.
“We got a great deal,” he said with a smile.
If you’re wondering if there will be naming rights, yes, there will be.
“We will work on naming rights… that decision will be a decision between us, Chris, and the University and we work in lockstep in trying to make sure we do this the right way and that goes back into the arena and creating the revenue necessary for this to [get built] and us the ability to pay for it,” said Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiwicke.
--- From what I initially heard a while back, the plan for the new arena included practice and team facilities. Now, the plan doesn’t include practice facilities for the men and women.
“We had conversations with Shaka and Karen – Cooley facility is phenomenal. We just renovated that facility in the last couple years, and we know that’s a phenomenal practice facility,” Del Conte said. “So, we feel in the short-term we can really focus on the arena because that’s what our partnership was about and at a later time when the facility is no longer serviceable, we’ll have that discussion. But we just renovated Cooley, and it is a first-rate facility.”
My expectation, based on what I’ve heard, is eventually after the arena is completed a space nearby will become a new team facilities area. But it’s clear the cost of doing that led to the decision of the group not to include those facilities in the new arena. If I was a college coach, I would be shaking my head.
Although Cooley Pavilion recently had upgrades, I’d describe those upgrades more as a facelift than a renovation. But those updates, some courtesy of Kevin Durant, look even more important now that a new practice area won’t be included in the new arena.
“That was really important in the moment, and it’s still important every day because that’s more than anything our basketball home because that’s where our guys are every day; that’s where they train in the offseason, where they lift weights, where they eat a lot of meals,” said Smart about the importance of the upgrades to Cooley Pavilion. “So, for our players to feel comfortable in that home setting is very important. The upgrades we did and Kevin really helped with were huge because we want to create a situation where our guys feel they can train and live from a basketball standpoint in a very home-like atmosphere.”
--- With the announcement, Smart can now use the new arena as a tool in recruiting for those players – not the Jaden McDaniels types – that plan to be around a while.
“Absolutely. It’s one of those things that guys look at as a key factor in their recruitment is where they’re going to play, and this is an unbelievable upgrade from our current homecourt situation,” Smart stated. “So, it is a few years away, and we do work in a sport where the cycle is quick, especially in guys’ minds and sometimes in reality. Certainly, it’s something we can point to.”
--- As we reported a few times now, there will be plans to – because there isn’t any other way to really do it – change the roads and design of the infrastructure in the area of the new arena.
“City of Austin has been a great strategic partner with the University… we’re working closely with the city leaders to plan for the construction of this project, and to make sure we have the infrastructure in place, including realigning Red River to return it to a grid structure, which will also improve transportation in this part of the city," Fenves stated.
--- And make no mistake, this is a partnership that includes UT, Oak View Group, the city of Austin, C3, Matthew McConaughey, and more. That became even clearer today, and the UT Board of Regents today approved Texas entering an agreement with a group of people and a company to build a new arena, but not a specific arena plan itself. So, the arena will be constructed with the input of multiple companies/people with different interests. This is going to be a new basketball arena, but it’s not going to be an arena with basketball as the only main interest.
“This is an amazing accomplishment and it’s going to be an amazing facility not just for the university; not just for the students, alumni, athletes. For this city. I will complement the President and his team to not only find a private-public relationship that ultimately can find a way to do this without burdening taxpayers or the campus. But in addition to that, they were very focused on the city of Austin. This is one of the great markets in all the country, one of the fastest growing markets in the country” Leiwicke said. “It’s why we’re here – the dynamic marketplace. So, the ability for the university to always have that vision and want to do something spectacular for both this community and campus was unique and their enthusiasm made us very excited.
“We understand we’re now part of the Longhorn family, and we’re proud of it. And we’ll make sure this gets built on time, and we hope on budget. And in addition to that, we create one of the great points of destination for sports and entertainment anywhere in the country.”
--- While Gregory Fenves and Chris Del Conte deserve a lot of credit for this agreement happening and the plan of a new arena officially moving forward, don’t forget about Mike Perrin’s role. From what I’ve heard, Perrin was a very integral piece in pushing this process forward while he served as AD, a process that’s basically taken almost three years to reach today’s point.
The land for the new arena is somewhat across the street from the Drum, and will not be built exactly where the Drum currently stands, right?
It'll be in the parking lot directly South of the soccer/track stadium on campus. Walk right by the rec center and you're there. More students = better atmosphere
Keeping it to 10K seats closer to the court will make it louder and seem less lethargic than the Erwin morgue too.
I'm totally going down there when they demolish the Drum. They'll expand the new medical school where that land is.
I'm totally going down there when they demolish the Drum. They'll expand the new medical school where that land is.
