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Updates to the Joel?

I doubt anyone here would not prefer a new, smaller venue. Everyone probably agrees that it belongs best on (or closer to) campus if possible. The only thing we seem to disagree about is what impact that has had on our record over the last 32 years. So if we agree on those things, why do we keep arguing? Need some big wallets to pony up and make it happen. Easier said than done, but now is the best possible timing. Numerous schools have taken a similar course and our program looks poised for 10-15 years of success if Currie continues on this track.
 
After going to Cameron last night I came away with a few things we should try and replicate as best as possible. And what should be completely different.

-We need to keep it at 10k MAX. We have a tough time getting 10k in there anyways, I wouldn't hate it being 9k.
-Students do not need seats, they need risers where they are forced to stand. If possible, put them along the sideline like at duke, even if only a few rows deep. Then put the rest behind one of the baskets. Even a
few hundred along the sideline helps. The seats above the students are still amazing seats.
-We need a better sound system, and it needs to be loud as hell. Plus our tiny ass band would actually be able to be heard in a smaller arena.
-There does not need to be an "upper deck". It all needs to be on the same level besides courtside/student risers. Enter from the concourse in the middle of the section and go up or down to your seats (how football is). No true second level.

Now, we need it to be extremely more modern than Cameron, we cannot recreate that, as it's largely a Coach K production.
-We need larger concourses, with several good food options/drink options. It is tight walking around Cameron, kind of annoying.
-It somehow needs to feel special and very Wake Foresty. The Joel does neither very well.

And Forbes needs to be the one ringing this new building in, so the longer we wait the less likely that is going to happen. He's going to be a problem for Hubert, Scheyer and whoever the hell state gets. I'd take Forbes over any of them going forward.
 
deacfan123 -- Excellent post. When you actually go other places, it makes it a lot easier to be rational.

Wish we had won for you. I was jammed down in the student risers last night. It was uncomfortable as hell and I couldn't see the whole floor--which is exactly what makes venues like this so awesome for the home team. Duke didn't put on a basketball game last night for my comfort. They wanted to win.

Glad Forbes recognizes reality when it comes to Cameron and the advantage it provides Duke. Forbes is always a breath of fresh air. He ain't going to give a Ron Wellman type answer ever.
 
donaldross said:
I was jammed down in the student risers last night. It was uncomfortable as hell and I couldn't see the whole floor--which is exactly what makes venues like this so awesome for the home team. Duke didn't put on a basketball game last night for my comfort. They wanted to win.
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Did you wear a wake shirt or a duke shirt?
 
Glad to see DR is finally coming around to seeing what the rest of us saw in Forbes.
 
deacfan123 said:
After going to Cameron last night I came away with a few things we should try and replicate as best as possible. And what should be completely different.

-We need to keep it at 10k MAX. We have a tough time getting 10k in there anyways, I wouldn't hate it being 9k.
-Students do not need seats, they need risers where they are forced to stand. If possible, put them along the sideline like at duke, even if only a few rows deep. Then put the rest behind one of the baskets. Even a
few hundred along the sideline helps. The seats above the students are still amazing seats.
-We need a better sound system, and it needs to be loud as hell. Plus our tiny ass band would actually be able to be heard in a smaller arena.
-There does not need to be an "upper deck". It all needs to be on the same level besides courtside/student risers. Enter from the concourse in the middle of the section and go up or down to your seats (how football is). No true second level.

Now, we need it to be extremely more modern than Cameron, we cannot recreate that, as it's largely a Coach K production.
-We need larger concourses, with several good food options/drink options. It is tight walking around Cameron, kind of annoying.
-It somehow needs to feel special and very Wake Foresty. The Joel does neither very well.

And Forbes needs to be the one ringing this new building in, so the longer we wait the less likely that is going to happen. He's going to be a problem for Hubert, Scheyer and whoever the hell state gets. I'd take Forbes over any of them going forward.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It's time to get the shit going.
 
kernersvillan said:
The Joel is a fossil, just like 3/4 of the people you see on tv in attendance. An update is much needed and welcomed. Regardless of if we have a packed house, it’s still a very outdated place
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As a fossil,I resent this remark.
 
morrison2951 said:
If the Joel is a fossil, what do you call Cameron?

A shithole??
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Some of you all really don’t get it. 99% of people will never go to a game at Cameron, much less drive by it - it doesn’t fucking matter if it’s a 70 year old piece of shit. All anyone sees of Cameron is the court on TV, and the court looks awesome on TV because hundreds of screaming fans are jumping around on the sidelines and going nuts. It looks crazy and it sounds very loud. That is what we want.
 
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Speak for yourself. I do not want an arena that is inaccessible to the public. I think the location and ease of access of our arena is a huge asset. The Joel is too big and the levels aren’t steep enough, but it’s close to campus and still easily accessible to the public. Making it easy for the public to get to games is a big deal with a small spread out alumni base like Wake.
 
BeachBumDeac said:
Speak for yourself. I do not want an arena that is inaccessible to the public. I think the location and ease of access of our arena is a huge asset. The Joel is too big and the levels aren’t steep enough, but it’s close to campus and still easily accessible to the public. Making it easy for the public to get to games is a big deal with a small spread out alumni base like Wake.
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No, you “speak for yourself” and get real. 9500 seats is more than enough capacity for “accessibility”to Wake Forest basketball games. Let’s win 4 or 5 Championships before you start whining about how hard it is to get a ticket. Horses before carts and all that.
 
myDeaconmyhand said:
No, you “speak for yourself” and get real. 9500 seats is more than enough capacity for “accessibility”to Wake Forest basketball games. Let’s win 4 or 5 Championships before you start whining about how hard it is to get a ticket. Horses before carts and all that.
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It will be interesting to see what a smaller arena means for ticket values. Lower sideline seats today were $75 each. That’s likely pricing many local fans out of attendance. I do wonder what the correct price point for wake games is.
 
Part of the advantage of a smaller arena is it doesn’t matter if local fans show up or not.
 
Probably will equal higher ticket prices. I know a lot of people (myself included) that didn’t go to Wake but still buy tickets.
 
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