Legal perks on campus

[GooseMutt]

Take warmups.

Listen to JB for last minute coaching.

Anything but shooting pool and eating potato chips.

Well if you google setups in pro locker rooms they have what I described and ping pong I am not trying to put anyone to sleep just trying to appease finicky recruits and be competitive with other programs on every level. Kids love bells and whistles and want to be catered to. I'm a believer that it improves recruiting Sitting on the folding chairs as the only option to relax is not appealing

 

[310Pigpen]

It's 2017. We have metal lockers.

No matter how outdated they are I would love to have one in my closet or coat closet. Don't care what the girlfriend thinks.

 

[AlaskaSU]

Look at all the NBA players that many of these youngins aspire to. Tell me that bling is immaterial. Now take a look at the University of AZ locker room complete with individual portraits for each locker. Melo Center is nice, but more needs to be done, much more. We are not keeping up.

 

[JLine]

It's 2017. We have metal lockers.

That's rough. Can we at least get some chairs that look comfortable? Maybe a notch up from something that I sat in two decades ago.

I don't think we need to go all out, but it wouldn't hurt to add a few things. If I wasn't a diehard Syracuse fan, and a top rated recruit, and I see a locker room with TVs, fancy lockers, some games to relax, and a nice comfy chair, then I would be impressed. It wouldn't be what makes my decision, but I'm not in my teens anymore. Unfortunately.

 

[pfister1]

This argument is inane. Clearly our locker room is not up to the standards of what other programs our caliber have. It doesn't need to be renovated to be a palace, for the reasons that many here have stated (players spend more time in the Melo center than the Dome). But it should be upgraded so that it doesn't look worse than locker rooms some of these kids use at their High Schools. Moderate upgrades could be done pretty economically. I could go to Costco and buy a set of chairs that would look better and be more comfortable than the ones we appear to be using in that picture. There really is no argument here.

 

[Arangeman]

Not an easy fix due to the dimensions and the fact that it's multi-use but it's long overdue. May not spend as much time there but the time spent there is important.

 

[two3zone]

This argument is inane. Clearly our locker room is not up to the standards of what other programs our caliber have. It doesn't need to be renovated to be a palace, for the reasons that many here have stated (players spend more time in the Melo center than the Dome). But it should be upgraded so that it doesn't look worse than locker rooms some of these kids use at their High Schools. Moderate upgrades could be done pretty economically. I could go to Costco and buy a set of chairs that would look better and be more comfortable than the ones we appear to be using in that picture. There really is no argument here.

It's amazing to me how out of touch some are, not sure how that locker room can be defended.

May not be the sole reason one doesn't come here, but I get it.

 

[sabach]

Hideous

They actually use the blue chairs.

 

[pfister1]

It's amazing to me how out of touch some are, not sure how that locker room can be defended.

I suspect that most of us here don't truly know what is market/average/normal by today's standards. Clearly UK and KU aren't market. I think people here pining for locker room facilities on par with UK and KU are wasting their time, just isn't likely to happen unless we build a new facility. Professional sports teams have palatial locker rooms, most collegiate programs don't. But by that same token most collegiate locker rooms don't look like mid 80's meat lockers either, it wouldn't take all that much to make some cosmetic upgrades.

 

[UnknownOrange]

I really believe that nowadays basketball facilities are important to elite recruits. Since you can not pay student athletes you can maybe entice them with luxury and comfort legally. The Melo center is nice but our locker room is small and doesn't have lounge chairs, pool table etc. A modern tricked out player dorm would probably help. We need an awesome film room. I know they are doing Dome renovations but they better be to the level of Kansas if we want to recruit like them( prob never gonna happen). Point is the program makes a ton of money for the school( wherever the heck it goes I don't know) and the more tricked out the facilities are the better recruits we will get and the more successful the program will be making more money. When you interview for a job you always wear your best suit. Desperate for solutions

For the record -- the Melo center has a pool table, they have a great film room, and the basketball players who live on campus live at UV apartments (nicest on campus)

so..

 

[UnknownOrange]

That's rough. Can we at least get some chairs that look comfortable? Maybe a notch up from something that I sat in two decades ago.

I don't think we need to go all out, but it wouldn't hurt to add a few things. If I wasn't a diehard Syracuse fan, and a top rated recruit, and I see a locker room with TVs, fancy lockers, some games to relax, and a nice comfy chair, then I would be impressed. It wouldn't be what makes my decision, but I'm not in my teens anymore. Unfortunately.

Still the chairs used for the student section, behind the other basket, and preferred A seating. LOL

 

[sabach]

For the record -- the Melo center has a pool table, they have a great film room, and the basketball players who live on campus live at UV apartments (nicest on campus)

so..

So there has been an effort by the University to provide the things that other schools provide. But all that does is beg the question, why has that effort not been applied to the locker room?

I'm not saying we need the locker room to look like Yankee Stadium but as great as the Dino Babers speech was last year, it was sort of embarrassing that the whole world got to see our metal lockers that the players kept pounding on as Coach was speaking.

 

[UnknownOrange]

So there has been an effort by the University to provide the things that other schools provide. But all that does is beg the question, why has that effort not been applied to the locker room?

I'm not saying we need the locker room to look like Yankee Stadium but as great as the Dino Babers speech was last year, it was sort of embarrassing that the whole world got to see our metal lockers that the players kept pounding on as Coach was speaking.

The locker room at the dome stinks. That's not news.

However my educated guess on why it hasn't been updated is because there really hasn't been a concentrated fundraising effort on this (see Gary Gait for WLAX locker room)

Yes. I know you'll all say ACC MONEY! However, I don't think the locker room is on the highest of priorities because it just isn't all that important since players spend very minimal time inside them.

 

[sabach]

The locker room at the dome stinks. That's not news.

However my educated guess on why it hasn't been updated is because there really hasn't been a concentrated fundraising effort on this (see Gary Gait for WLAX locker room)

Yes. I know you'll all say ACC MONEY! However, I don't think the locker room is on the highest of priorities because it just isn't all that important since players spend very minimal time inside them.

I think that if we claim to be an elite basketball school and just below "blue blood" status, then our locker rooms should show it.

 

[GooseMutt]

I think that if we claim to be an elite basketball school and just below "blue blood" status, then our locker rooms should show it.

Thank you! The point of my OP is to offer something special and competing with elite programs Why not? Why them not us. How did Oregon get so competitive in recruiting on east coast. What boosted their program? We want champagne results on a beer budget. They even underpay Boeheim

 

[UnknownOrange]

I think that if we claim to be an elite basketball school and just below "blue blood" status, then our locker rooms should show it.

We play in one of the most iconic basketball arenas of all time.

 

[Bayside44]

I think that if we claim to be an elite basketball school and just below "blue blood" status, then our locker rooms should show it.

Our locker room is at Melo for hoop and when the players get on the court they are playing in from of 25K plus fans for any conference game and usually on national TV.

 

[UnknownOrange]

Thank you! The point of my OP is to offer something special and competing with elite programs Why not? Why them not us. How did Oregon get so competitive in recruiting on east coast. What boosted their program? We want champagne results on a beer budget. They even underpay Boeheim

So call the orange club. See if there's a locker room fund to donate too. If not, have patience for renovations.

 

[UnknownOrange]

Thank you! The point of my OP is to offer something special and competing with elite programs Why not? Why them not us. How did Oregon get so competitive in recruiting on east coast. What boosted their program? We want champagne results on a beer budget. They even underpay Boeheim

If you can name me oregon's basketball arena without looking it up i'd be stunned.

 

[pfister1]

Thank you! The point of my OP is to offer something special and competing with elite programs Why not? Why them not us. How did Oregon get so competitive in recruiting on east coast. What boosted their program? We want champagne results on a beer budget. They even underpay Boeheim

Most of the schools that you are drawing comparisons to are state institutions, not private universities. Funding is different, alumi bases are larger. Oregon has the Nike money, so they are probably never a good point of comparison. Doesn't mean we can't be better than they are, just probably not going to be when being better is directly measured by the amount of money we are able to spend.

 

[UnknownOrange]

Most of the schools that you are drawing comparisons to are state institutions, not private universities. Funding is different, alumi bases are larger. Oregon has the Nike money, so they are probably never a good point of comparison. Doesn't mean we can't be better than they are, just probably not going to be when being better is directly measured by the amount of money we are able to spend.

Lol the Oregon argument STINKS.

 

[UnknownOrange]

Thank you! The point of my OP is to offer something special and competing with elite programs Why not? Why them not us. How did Oregon get so competitive in recruiting on east coast. What boosted their program? We want champagne results on a beer budget. They even underpay Boeheim

 

[GooseMutt]

Lol the Oregon argument STINKS.

Stinks how? You don't think the facilities there matter to recruits. What is the Oregon draw now? Their basketball legacy? Is it purely the coaching? I love when people on here who don't believe it is a real issue tell me to personally pay for it. My OP was not to bash the university but to have a discussion about how we might improve our recruiting/program. These updated facilities would compliment our iconic dome. The dome alone isn't drawing in 5 stars right now. Some folks on the board have a real sense of entitlement feel everyone should be clambering to play here. If we don't adapt to the times we will be left behind.

 

[Brooky03]

For the record -- the Melo center has a pool table, they have a great film room, and the basketball players who live on campus live at UV apartments (nicest on campus)

so..

The Melo Center is awesome. The locker rooms don't have to get to that level but, like a lot of us have said, something that at least resembles a 21st century setup would be nice. The Melo Center isn't all that close to the Dome. If players are relaxing in the Melo Center before gameday in early February, they have to then walk out into 20 degree snowy weather to get to the Dome where they're greeted by uncomfortable chairs and bare, metal lockers. They don't even get a personalized locker. I know it's a multi-use locker room, but some level of removable personalization so a player can feel like he has his own locker would be an easy thing to add. It'd be better than the strip of athletic tape with Scoop's name written in Sharpie that I saw in there.

 

[GooseMutt]

View attachment 95636

Very nice generous man and I'm happy for Oregon