MVP Arena Atmosphere

[loudonville9]

With a team worth getting excited for and more than a month between home games, I want to bring up a topic we've debated in the past - a better atmosphere and home-court advantage. We should not rely on a good product on the court to drive attendance and energy in the area. The school, Dog Pound leadership (is there still a President of the group?), and arena need to take a more active approach to improve the support of the team.

I love our fan base, but let's be honest, we're largely older and only really only get off our butts when we go on a run. We can do better and it starts with the students. Support isn't what it once was, but there are students peppered around the arena. Only a dozen or so are on the floor with the band. They have to be together and create/feed off their own energy. Not knowing the exact economics of the tables behind the Siena bench end zone, my opinion is the benefit of money generated by those fans is short-sighted. Wouldn't it be better to seat all fans in a U configuration around the lower bowl then turn the open end zone into a wall of bleachers to seat a couple hundred students with free tickets? Bring back the DEAD chants, start new traditions with the students begore games like Gonzaga's Zombie Nation, Grand Canyon's pregame party, Virginia Tech's Enter Sandman, or South Carolina's Sandstorm. Find a song to be ours like Wisconsin's Jump Around or Avalanche fans signing All the Small Things at the under 12 or under 8 timeouts in the second half. Make games events for the students they can't miss and help them go crazy throughout the games. I have to think the improved atmosphere helps the team, which in turn gives back to the fans and leads to better results in W-L, recruiting, and overall attendance - long-term making up for what's lost in the game-by-game revenue of the lounge tables.

Maybe I have too rosy an outlook when it comes to Siena Basketball. I wouldn't expect any changes to happen overnight, before the next home game, or even this season, but we should be doing better collectively rather than sitting on our hands and hoping the team itself can get us back to 6,000+ fans and a little energy in the building. What ever happened to the fan experience committee that was in the works maybe 6 or so years ago?

[poopsickle]

We will always struggle with getting students for weekday games as long as the arena is off campus. Gotta take the bad with the good of having a big off campus venue.

[loudonville9]

You’re right in that a big off-campus arena creates additional challenges in getting students to games. But plenty of students took advantage of the constant buses to and from campus to the arena when I attended and for many years after. Just another piece of the puzzle that should be a point of emphasis with the Athletics Department and student leadership.

[poopsickle]

Nov 14, 2024 12:03:02 GMT -5 loudonville9 said:

You’re right in that a big off-campus arena creates additional challenges in getting students to games. But plenty of students took advantage of the constant buses to and from campus to the arena when I attended and for many years after. Just another piece of the puzzle that should be a point of emphasis with the Athletics Department and student leadership.

You have to have a really good team for students to deal with the bus situation, which usually devolves into lord of the flies going back to campus. I was there during the Fran/Mitch years and even I as a diehard found it to be almost enough friction to skip games. One creative solution could be trying to work out some sort of promo with Uber/Lyft for students with a registered siena.edu account for game days. I don't know if that's even possible, but you have to solve the headache of getting students back and forth to ever get the student turnout we all want.

[hoopdad]

Students today are much different than those during the Siena glory days. Having the arena off campus and playing games weeknights presents additional challenges. The programs mentioned above are at schools where students attend specifically because of the sports teams. Pretty sure that is not the case at Siena. Getting more students to MVP will help, but I think the program also needs to target young professionals and families. Of course winning always attracts more fans.

[greengold4ever]

Nov 14, 2024 11:47:43 GMT -5 loudonville9 said:

With a team worth getting excited for and more than a month between home games, I want to bring up a topic we've debated in the past - a better atmosphere and home-court advantage. We should not rely on a good product on the court to drive attendance and energy in the area. The school, Dog Pound leadership (is there still a President of the group?), and arena need to take a more active approach to improve the support of the team.

I love our fan base, but let's be honest, we're largely older and only really only get off our butts when we go on a run. We can do better and it starts with the students. Support isn't what it once was, but there are students peppered around the arena. Only a dozen or so are on the floor with the band. They have to be together and create/feed off their own energy. Not knowing the exact economics of the tables behind the Siena bench end zone, my opinion is the benefit of money generated by those fans is short-sighted. Wouldn't it be better to seat all fans in a U configuration around the lower bowl then turn the open end zone into a wall of bleachers to seat a couple hundred students with free tickets? Bring back the DEAD chants, start new traditions with the students begore games like Gonzaga's Zombie Nation, Grand Canyon's pregame party, Virginia Tech's Enter Sandman, or South Carolina's Sandstorm. Find a song to be ours like Wisconsin's Jump Around or Avalanche fans signing All the Small Things at the under 12 or under 8 timeouts in the second half. Make games events for the students they can't miss and help them go crazy throughout the games. I have to think the improved atmosphere helps the team, which in turn gives back to the fans and leads to better results in W-L, recruiting, and overall attendance - long-term making up for what's lost in the game-by-game revenue of the lounge tables.

Maybe I have too rosy an outlook when it comes to Siena Basketball. I wouldn't expect any changes to happen overnight, before the next home game, or even this season, but we should be doing better collectively rather than sitting on our hands and hoping the team itself can get us back to 6,000+ fans and a little energy in the building. What ever happened to the fan experience committee that was in the works maybe 6 or so years ago?

here is the stark reality of todays landscape for college basketball..........for mid-majors like Siena, any successful season and you can expect a complete roster overhaul thanks to the transfer/portal rules and also NIL money.........the run that was experienced during the Fran yrs unfortunately will be almost impossible to duplicate...........so it becomes much harder for any fan to really "buy in" with what you refer to......the bigtime schools that have these unique fan type traditions are easier to continue because those schools more times than not just simply reload, many times poaching the stars of the mid-majors.........just saying.

[MTS]

Nov 14, 2024 12:52:38 GMT -5 greengold4ever said:

Nov 14, 2024 11:47:43 GMT -5 loudonville9 said:

With a team worth getting excited for and more than a month between home games, I want to bring up a topic we've debated in the past - a better atmosphere and home-court advantage. We should not rely on a good product on the court to drive attendance and energy in the area. The school, Dog Pound leadership (is there still a President of the group?), and arena need to take a more active approach to improve the support of the team.

I love our fan base, but let's be honest, we're largely older and only really only get off our butts when we go on a run. We can do better and it starts with the students. Support isn't what it once was, but there are students peppered around the arena. Only a dozen or so are on the floor with the band. They have to be together and create/feed off their own energy. Not knowing the exact economics of the tables behind the Siena bench end zone, my opinion is the benefit of money generated by those fans is short-sighted. Wouldn't it be better to seat all fans in a U configuration around the lower bowl then turn the open end zone into a wall of bleachers to seat a couple hundred students with free tickets? Bring back the DEAD chants, start new traditions with the students begore games like Gonzaga's Zombie Nation, Grand Canyon's pregame party, Virginia Tech's Enter Sandman, or South Carolina's Sandstorm. Find a song to be ours like Wisconsin's Jump Around or Avalanche fans signing All the Small Things at the under 12 or under 8 timeouts in the second half. Make games events for the students they can't miss and help them go crazy throughout the games. I have to think the improved atmosphere helps the team, which in turn gives back to the fans and leads to better results in W-L, recruiting, and overall attendance - long-term making up for what's lost in the game-by-game revenue of the lounge tables.

Maybe I have too rosy an outlook when it comes to Siena Basketball. I wouldn't expect any changes to happen overnight, before the next home game, or even this season, but we should be doing better collectively rather than sitting on our hands and hoping the team itself can get us back to 6,000+ fans and a little energy in the building. What ever happened to the fan experience committee that was in the works maybe 6 or so years ago?

here is the stark reality of todays landscape for college basketball..........for mid-majors like Siena, any successful season and you can expect a complete roster overhaul thanks to the transfer/portal rules and also NIL money.........the run that was experienced during the Fran yrs unfortunately will be almost impossible to duplicate...........so it becomes much harder for any fan to really "buy in" with what you refer to......the bigtime schools that have these unique fan type traditions are easier to continue because those schools more times than not just simply reload, many times poaching the stars of the mid-majors.........just saying.

A Fran run would be much tougher but not impossible. The thing is you need a strong coach and people willing to fund the NIL collective to consistently reload the roster and retain certain players when possible.

Siena needs to look at D2 (Shoats) and JUCO (Freeman). You can get some HM talent coming down like Carey/Ducharme but they’re not likely to be stars at least not initially.

You hope to be able to keep enough guys for at least a two year window.

Quinnipiac was able to keep most of their guys from last year’s team that won the regular season title.

[loudonville9]

I understand everything you’re saying about the current state of college basketball. But with so many things out of our control, isn’t that all the more reason to control whatever you can? Generating student interest by making it easier to get to and from games, making sure they have a dedicated section as close to the court as possible to have fun and go crazy with some traditions rather than being separated out among the rest of the crowd. This atmosphere is better when you have a consistent winner, but if these things were mainstays among the student population then they could continue as long as we aren’t dismal then ramp up with better teams.

Grand Canyon didn’t have a D-I program until 10 years ago then decided athletics were a priority and built it from nothing. A for-profit school is different and we’re not the major universities I listed above, but I’m asking for a couple hundred students sitting in one section, not many thousands.

[greengold4ever]

Nov 14, 2024 13:00:52 GMT -5 MTS said:

Nov 14, 2024 12:52:38 GMT -5 greengold4ever said:

here is the stark reality of todays landscape for college basketball..........for mid-majors like Siena, any successful season and you can expect a complete roster overhaul thanks to the transfer/portal rules and also NIL money.........the run that was experienced during the Fran yrs unfortunately will be almost impossible to duplicate...........so it becomes much harder for any fan to really "buy in" with what you refer to......the bigtime schools that have these unique fan type traditions are easier to continue because those schools more times than not just simply reload, many times poaching the stars of the mid-majors.........just saying.

A Fran run would be much tougher but not impossible. The thing is you need a strong coach and people willing to fund the NIL collective to consistently reload the roster and retain certain players when possible.

Siena needs to look at D2 (Shoats) and JUCO (Freeman). You can get some HM talent coming down like Carey/Ducharme but they’re not likely to be stars at least not initially.

You hope to be able to keep enough guys for at least a two year window.

Quinnipiac was able to keep most of their guys from last year’s team that won the regular season title.

MTS, no coach is staying even as long as Fran (5 yrs) in this current climate, more so at Siena...............so your not only having to try to keep talent at our level (really hard to do because of NIL being more at the next stop), but dealing with replacing the head coach..................and as you know any coach with a modicum of success at Siena will leave at the first great opportunity for a bigger payday/higher challenge...........tough enough that it is also impossible to put together that type of streak...........and what accomplishments has QU done keeping those few players? answer is nothing...........

[greengold4ever]

Nov 14, 2024 13:09:37 GMT -5 loudonville9 said:

I understand everything you’re saying about the current state of college basketball. But with so many things out of our control, isn’t that all the more reason to control whatever you can? Generating student interest by making it easier to get to and from games, making sure they have a dedicated section as close to the court as possible to have fun and go crazy with some traditions rather than being separated out among the rest of the crowd. This atmosphere is better when you have a consistent winner, but if these things were mainstays among the student population then they could continue as long as we aren’t dismal then ramp up with better teams.

Grand Canyon didn’t have a D-I program until 10 years ago then decided athletics were a priority and built it from nothing. A for-profit school is different and we’re not the major universities I listed above, but I’m asking for a couple hundred students sitting in one section, not many thousands.

I definitely agree with your student angle for sure.........they had in the past the Tee Pee Indians (way long time ago) and of course the Dog Pound for student fan interest........that's on the school, AD (athletic dept) and student body to come together in some manner............no reason there can't be a solid participation from the students at all the men's game, it simply is just another way to get involved in the college experience..........

[hardwood]

It’s a new world with kids, who knows what interests them anymore? Basketball doesn’t seem to be high on the list.

[Papi]

The days of 7 k crowds are gone. The way we watch and follow sports is easier and just a click away. Many will go to a game occasionally but won't go to every game like years ago because they can watch at home. Unfortunately the bulk of the Siena fanbase is in their 70s and up and they can't get around like they did during the glory days. What's needed is some big boosters to buy tickets and give them away to the high schools in the area. Give them away to the cyo teams get people into the arena.

[hoopjunkie]

Carm drove a lot of fans away. They're still out there but want to see what GMac brings to the table. A whole roster turnover hurts fan/player familiarity.

A win over UAlbany will help our numbers. Weak schedule and 2 games on Mon and Tues certainly didnt help.

We keep playing winning basketball and play some of our MAAC rivals, on the weekend, we can creep back up to 6-7K a night.

[hankla]

It has been my opinion for a long time that the atmosphere at the Arena has not been a College basketball one. I have contrasted what happens on Pearl St. with what I had seen at Providence College's
off campus downtown arena formerly called the Dunkin Donuts Arena. The majority of the crowd there was non-students ,but a facilitator(local radio personality(?) was on the floor every time out with cheerleaders and dance teams
getting the crowd fired up. I noted that even though the Donut company had its name on the building there was no such thing as dancing coffee cups lamely entertaining the crowd during timeouts. This year during much of the At the Brown game there seemed to be a increased use of the student pep band ,cheerleaders and dance team. The script at the American game seemed to have reverted back to heavy use of canned music, endless shooting contests and the band and cheer/dance teams as an after thought when the lame contests were finished.

[gfieldallstar]

In my opinion there are levels to this… The on-court product needs to be better (which so far seems to be the case this year). Better/winning basketball will get more fans in the seats. Scheduling high-profile non-conference games will result in better attendance. Siena should be negotiating two and ones (or three and ones – whatever it takes to get good teams here) with Syracuse, UConn, Rutgers, St. Johns, Seton Hall, Nova (etc.). Two years at their place, one at the MVP (a potential NCAA host site that these programs could be playing at).

Weeknight games are difficult for everyone and not sure if there is a legitimate solution from a scheduling perspective.

Obviously, one of the biggest issues is student turnout. Good student turnout will foster a lively atmosphere. The Dog Pound should be throwing pre-game parties at City Beer Hall (or maybe a Siena alum owned watering hole) with cheap food/drink options. I personally believe a contributing factor is the outrageous price of alcohol at the arena. $16 or so for a Miller Lite… That is more expensive than 90% of NFL stadiums. If I’m a student at Siena and I can get a 30 pack of Miller Liter for $20 and watch the game on ESPN+ at my townhouse I’m likely taking that option over a bus ride and $16 beers. College students party, Siena should responsibly lean into that.

I also have no issues with a change to the arena layout to accommodate students (100+ loud students right behind the away team bench would be awesome).

At the end of the day this should be about having fun and watching good basketball. Personally, I’ve had fun at both home games this year and the basketball has been great to watch. Go Saints!