https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/the-court-report-why-programs-should-follow-baylor-downsize-arenas-for-better-college-basketball-experience/
Matt Norlander on why Foster Pavilion was a stroke of genius:
Later in the article:
And for those who hate the camera angle (me included), he added this tidbit:
He goes on to list schools that would benefit from downsizing, including Tech and WVU.
Great piece, overall. Highly recommend reading it.
Matt Norlander on why Foster Pavilion was a stroke of genius:
Quote:
A few years ago, Baylor University approved a move that will likely benefit its athletic department and uplift its basketball programs for decades: it put hundreds of millions of dollars into building a smaller basketball arena.
At the time of the decision, the Ferrell Center had existed for barely more than 30 years. Yet the school committed more than $210 million to build a new venue that would reduce capacity by 27%.
The twinkling-new Foster Pavilion wasn't ready in time for the start of the 2023-24 season, but in an interesting wrinkle, it did clear inspection for an in-season launch. On Tuesday night, Baylor had its first big matchup in its new home. The No. 14 Bears beat 18th-ranked BYU 81-72 in their second game in the new digs, which is tucked alongside the Brazos River in Waco. What seems obvious one week in is that the school has landed in the coveted territory of playing in an arena that feels intimidating for opponents but shouldn't suffer from swaths of empty seats.
Later in the article:
Quote:
Drew had gently been pushing Baylor to build a better basketball building for at least a decade. Now he's got a recruiting asset that will stack up alongside almost any other program.
Texas recently went smaller, and a few years before that, TCU did as well. Baylor isn't the first, but for basketball purposes, it might have the best. Foster Pavilion has the potential to be one of the elite home-court environments in addition to being one of the best arenas in college basketball.
And for those who hate the camera angle (me included), he added this tidbit:
Quote:
The crowd looked terrific on television Tuesday night. (The camera perch is a bit vertical, however!)
He goes on to list schools that would benefit from downsizing, including Tech and WVU.
Great piece, overall. Highly recommend reading it.
