UCAFANS.COM | GO UCA BEARS!

Just an opinion question here. I was flipping channels on Sat and FSN was showing the mens game between Northwestern State and Southeast Louisiana. SE LA had a pretty nice arena. If I had to guess I would say it held about 9-10,000. I don't know if all SLC venues are this nice, but I think that the Farris Center needs an update. Maybe chairbacks on both ends and maybe bowl in the corners. I mean we have talked about upgrades to Estes and the Baseball field, but I think a new look for the Farris Center would be extra nice. Just my $.02

Phil

I'm not sure it needs an update as much as it needs cleaned up outside and inside. It is not a bad little facility, especially for no more people than we pack it out with on a given night. I did notice they took out the stands in what would have been the north end and made a room of some sort. How long has it been like that?

The Henderson game I went to was pretty nice, I had not sen that many people in there for a basketball game. In the years I was at UCA it was bone dry for attendance to say the least.

Here's a little sampling. UTA is getting a new facility. You better go there while you can! They play on a STAGE known as Texas Hall!

Don't believe me?



Here's Johnson Coliseum at SHSU:
http://bearkats.shsu.edu/facilities/johnson.html

Montagne at Lamar:
http://lamarcardinals.collegesports.com/facilities/montagne-center.html

Strahan at TxSt-SM:
http://txstatebobcats.collegesports.com/facilities/strahan-coliseum.html

Johnson Coliseum at SFA:
http://sfajacks.collegesports.com/genrel/081505aab.html

of those he posted, the Farris Center fits in very nicely with those, with only Lamar being head and shoulders above the Farric Center, and since Lamar doesnt have football, that doesn't totally shock me. On this site the Farris Center is said to hold 5,500 seats...so add standing room to that you can get 6-6,500 maybe in there on a given night?

I would like to see a new more modern scoreboard over midcourt I think. Although, the one we have isn't all bad.

BearFan, I got to UCA in Jan 2000, and I believe the north end was the room of some sort since prior to then. I am not saying that Farris is in bad shape as I have seen some of the gyms of our GSC counterparts (especially Henderson, those guys and girls have to play in a gym that probably couldn't host a High School regional tourney), but in a few years I think it would be a nice addition. I saw where there were 1,577 in attendance for the UAM game last night. Not bad, I guess. I do remember when the Sugar Bears were in the Regional Championship to go to the Final Four in Hot Springs last year, and there were something like 4,500 or so. That would be great to see each night.

that 4,500 for a women's game would outdraw Texas State's women's team's record by 3000 or so according to Texas State's records on that link above.

I'm all for upgrading, updating once we can consistantly fill Farris game in and game out. You hit on something, Regional Championship game to go to the Elite 8. Heck yeah that is going to draw, especially if the students are on campus. It is the nonconference games vs. patsies where you don't want a huge cavernous gym echoing with the sound of nothing, which I sat through many a night when I was there. I like your idea and your question is a good one, maybe they can add some chair backs or more permanent seating, find a way to build stands up to the patio in the north end or something along those lines.

My main complaint about the facility is that people are so far away from the games. Take for example this picture:

or this one


Sure, the fans at Duke are just better than 99%, but part of that is how dang close they are to the floor.
I feel the same way about high schools with 25' wide sidelines. The fans are just so far away! The Farris Center is perfect for graduation though...

But who am I kidding, this little girl is the loudest fan we have. (If you've ever make it to a game, just listen for the deafening "Miss Iiiiiiiiiiiiit" while the opponent shoots free throws.) Changing the way the building is set up probably won't change that. Anyway, I don't really think the place is too out of date, I just wish it was designed differently all together - a lot to ask for. Maybe one day I'll be able to donate $26 million for the TreyUCA Center.

those are dang nice pictures...

Seating capicity is not the issue as I see it. Heck, even UALR's new arena "only" seats 5600. However, if you have not been to a game there you need to go.

The Farris center would be great if:

(1) A few rows of leather chair-back seats closer to the floor.

(2) Updated "concourse" level where you could see game while getting food and drink (tv monitors).

(3) Updated concessions, restrooms, coaches offices, etc.

(4) Better concessions, our food at both football and basketball games SUCKS!

1) That would be interesting, would that be for donors or Purple Circle or some type of promotion for every game?
2) Excellent idea, couldn't agree more.
3) Again I like this idea, something to help 'wow' recruits
4) Yes...BarBque, other specialty items would be a huge upgrade over just m&m's popcorn pepsi and water for the most part.

Ideally you'd blow the thing up and start over, but that's not going to happen.
The building seats 5,500 which is fine and all, but UCA doesn't need that many seats – obviously. It needs that many seats once in May, August, and December. It's pretty impressive when it's full, but that's not happening for basketball anytime soon.

I would like to have a smaller venue (see what UALR did? Better to play to small crowds in a small arena than the monstrosity that is Alltel), but I guess you don't want to be too shortsighted and handcuff yourself if your attendance steadily grows.

Really, you could keep a 5,500-6,000 seat arena, but go about it a little differently. Permanent baseline seating on both ends would be fantastic, and as has been said above, bowl it around the arena. And, having seats within 48 yards of the court probably wouldn't be such a horrible deal either. A place where more of the seats are closer to the court and arranged in a bowl instead of two sides would be great for acoustics with whatever fans you had in there because your ceiling could be considerably lower and what noise is made wouldn't be escaping through an empty baseline area.

The Farris Center is head and shoulders above most of the other GSC arenas, but getting the flu is a lot better than getting syphilis or chlamydia.

UAM, OBU, SAU, and HSU's gyms look like Arkansas AAA high school gyms, maybe worse in a lot of instances. CBU's is an Arkansas A high school gym with brighter lights and a bigger scoreboard.

Harding's is small, in a dump of a building, and has horrible scoreboards – but at least it has some character, a little soul.

Delta's is just odd, and Tech's is too (it also has the distinction of being the only arena in the nation with seats farther from the court than the Farris Center). Nice structure, interesting seating arrangement ... I've never been there when it was close to full so I don't know how well the arena-style seating works when all the seats are 17 ft. above the court, which is bowled in. It just seems entirely too open, too.

So, the Farris Center is the class of the GSC West but that does you zero good now. You're competing against the GSC and hosting GSC games for another month or so. Of the SLC arena links above, only Texas' State's was sub-Farris level.

Johnson Coliseum at SFA looks a lot like what the Farris Center could look like with some work, which would be a huge improvement. You've got the grey walls, purple seats cascading down ... but you've got enclosed end zones.

I guess if you can't convince Pippen to toss you some cash to have a basketball-only facility built with his likeness plastered all over it, then you could fashion something up along the lines of SFA's place for the Farris Center.

But, lest we forget, we're talking about a place where there wasn't even a wooden court until what ... three, four years ago?

Capacity is certainly not an issue. And won't be for a long time - unfortunately.

#2 is definitely not that difficult since they already have someone with a wideshot running a camera. It would just take a cable running from that setup to another location where it could be split to the different televisions. 90% of the cost would be the televisions themselves.

Excellent point. I remember the whole attempted removal of "Sugar" from the basketball team/sit in. I don't remember it well, so someone else will have to give details if necessary, but I know something happened.

Well, the coaches do at least have it better than the athletic administration.

But when you're recruiting on the D-I level and you're having to show kids the Farris Center when they're also touring the Stephens Center and/or the Convocation Center, you're behind the 8-ball already. The locker rooms need upgrades, and the concourse area needs a lot of stuff done to it – the food in the concession stands being the least of my worries. Although, that could use an upgrade too.

I'd shoot for selling Stoby's cheese dip or some Hog Pen BBQ sandwiches or get a deal struck up with one of the pizza places, something. You'd think that would've been a bigger deal already, with the double-headers and all. It won't be nearly as big a deal in the future with just one game at a time, as it's easier to hold out for real food elsewhere.

And you could always go UALR style and serve beer.

even if, we couldnt sell beer because we aer an on campus facility could we?

But I agree on the stuff the recruits would have the most exposure to should be update first, coaches offices, locker rooms, concourses, etc...I'm preachng to the choir I know.

I do remember the whole sit in on the attempted removal of the Sugar Bears from the court. Glad they didn't remove it! Sugar Bears is as much a part of this school as Victor E....well ok Suagar Beras are more a part of this school than Victor E.