Don't be a tease, Sammy. No one will hold you responsible for mentioning specific needs. In fact, I think reading your thoughts would be quite illuminating.Personally I think Basketball needs a lot of things, things that would make people upset.
I think IU needs to get rid of Assembly Hall. I get the history and the memories (I went through this with Yankee Stadium), but the arena is just not a good venue for the modern game. While the renovations were really nice, there's not much more IU can do to add suites, better seats and other amenities that can generate revenue. ~1/2 the seats stink too and having old school bleachers around the court is no longer charming.
Give me names on the back of the uniforms (at least on some alternates) and modernize the uniform while keeping it classic.
I am also of the mindset that "IU Guy" is not a positive resume bullet. The program needs to get out the 1980s. While the Knight Era was legendary, the sport has changed (a little for the worse) and hanging on to how things ran back then has held IU back. I believe that's also why Cignetti worked because he was an outsider and blew up the "IU way of thinking" as far as football. There is no reason IU can't be modern and also honor the past.
Also, and this is nitpicking, I get why the chair throw is historical, but I would love to see other Knight moments get immortalized. If I was a Purdue Fan (gross) I would never cease to make fun of IU that arguably the best coach in CBB history's most commemorated moment was a temper tantrum in a double-digit home loss to your rival.
*Ducks*
It’s only his most commemorated moment by people that don’t understand the game or what we had as a program.
@thehoosierhuddle All valid points, especially regarding AH and the "IU guy" thing.
I grew up with AH, but take away the nostalgia, acoustics, and how it looks from the outside, and it doesn't exactly shout 2026. I'd love IU to have a mini Lucas Oil. That place is a gem for viewing. Great call.
Ditto on the "IU guy" nonsense. Thankfully, I think the Woody/Quinn circus put that to bed ... possibly forever.
Don't be a tease, Sammy. No one will hold you responsible for mentioning specific needs. In fact, I think reading your thoughts would be quite illuminating.Personally I think Basketball needs a lot of things, things that would make people upset.
I think IU needs to get rid of Assembly Hall. I get the history and the memories (I went through this with Yankee Stadium), but the arena is just not a good venue for the modern game. While the renovations were really nice, there's not much more IU can do to add suites, better seats and other amenities that can generate revenue. ~1/2 the seats stink too and having old school bleachers around the court is no longer charming.
Give me names on the back of the uniforms (at least on some alternates) and modernize the uniform while keeping it classic.
I am also of the mindset that "IU Guy" is not a positive resume bullet. The program needs to get out the 1980s. While the Knight Era was legendary, the sport has changed (a little for the worse) and hanging on to how things ran back then has held IU back. I believe that's also why Cignetti worked because he was an outsider and blew up the "IU way of thinking" as far as football. There is no reason IU can't be modern and also honor the past.
Also, and this is nitpicking, I get why the chair throw is historical, but I would love to see other Knight moments get immortalized. If I was a Purdue Fan (gross) I would never cease to make fun of IU that arguably the best coach in CBB history's most commemorated moment was a temper tantrum in a double-digit home loss to your rival.
*Ducks*
I could not agree more .., AH is a terrible venue , I never liked it as a spectator.
names on the back... alternates with them but I'm ok
IU guy ... well that doesn't mean much because the IU guys these kids remember didn't win so ... I'm ok with that phrase going out the window. Get me players who can and want to win.
I also think it's important to recognize the past and the tradition ... nothing Cig had to confront because football had none. It's important to evolve and move forward. Both can be achieved without ignoring one or the other.
@hoosiers94 I agree. There’s a way to do it. But that’s what people who get paid way more than me can figure out
Thank you for reading Hoosier Huddle
@hoosiers94 I still find the $35M renovation in 2016 perplexing. I love AH, but wasn't that like putting lipstick on a pig in some respects? The escalators, scoreboard, etc. certainly helped, but those things didn't change the seating/aisle situation. I mean, if you're stuck in the middle of an aisle, good luck hitting concessions or the restroom without tweaking an ankle.
@gthomas There’s also that one stair that is like a millimeter higher than the rest that I swear someone put in to laugh every time someone stumbled over it.
Thank you for reading Hoosier Huddle
I agree AH has had its day. It has history, but the place is haunted by the ghost of RMK and it just isn't a great venue by today's standards.
At least it's better than Mackey though.
I think IU needs to get rid of Assembly Hall. I get the history and the memories (I went through this with Yankee Stadium), but the arena is just not a good venue for the modern game. While the renovations were really nice, there's not much more IU can do to add suites, better seats and other amenities that can generate revenue. ~1/2 the seats stink too and having old school bleachers around the court is no longer charming.
Agreed that AH sucks to watch a game but it's not why we haven't been winning. It's still easily one of the 5 most difficult arenas to play in when it's rocking. Self said recently it's the loudest arena he's ever coached in outside of Allen. You're saying a new arena would mean better recruits? I don't buy that at all. They want NIL $ and a ticket to the NBA.
As much as in pains me, I'm with dbm on this one. 
Buildings don't make programs, people do. A new arena for our currently meh program wouldn't help.
There might have been a time when everyone was trying to one-up each other with luxury locker rooms and player lounges and the like, hoping to land the kids who might be impressed with that kind of stuff, but nowadays it's all about the money in the bag and a shot at the League.
@unclemark I absolutely agree it's not the first thing that needs to change, but when the winning comes back it would be nice for the fans to have a modern comfortable arena. And for other events -- AH is loud for games but those acoustics are absolutely terrible for concerts or anything like that.
@unclemark I absolutely agree it's not the first thing that needs to change, but when the winning comes back it would be nice for the fans to have a modern comfortable arena. And for other events -- AH is loud for games but those acoustics are absolutely terrible for concerts or anything like that.
I saw a handful of concerts there in the 70s and didn't have a beef, but I was always intoxicated in one way or another so I'm not a good judge. What I do remember is there being a big name artist canceling a gig because Knight wouldn't allow them in the building in time to get everything set up. His practice time and place could not be changed.
@thehoosierhuddle None of that would be nearly as soothing a salve as a good coach and a winning program would be. If we were winning consistently, that stuff wouldn't amount to a hill of beans. Spend the money for a stadium, change the traditions, still lose because of horrible coaching hires.
Brand wanted the basketball program burned to the ground, and he succeeded. Every admin since has either been clueless or gutless.
Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for. - Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and likely Hoosier basketball fan.
POTFB
Don't be a tease, Sammy. No one will hold you responsible for mentioning specific needs. In fact, I think reading your thoughts would be quite illuminating.Personally I think Basketball needs a lot of things, things that would make people upset.
I think IU needs to get rid of Assembly Hall. I get the history and the memories (I went through this with Yankee Stadium), but the arena is just not a good venue for the modern game. While the renovations were really nice, there's not much more IU can do to add suites, better seats and other amenities that can generate revenue. ~1/2 the seats stink too and having old school bleachers around the court is no longer charming.
Give me names on the back of the uniforms (at least on some alternates) and modernize the uniform while keeping it classic.
I am also of the mindset that "IU Guy" is not a positive resume bullet. The program needs to get out the 1980s. While the Knight Era was legendary, the sport has changed (a little for the worse) and hanging on to how things ran back then has held IU back. I believe that's also why Cignetti worked because he was an outsider and blew up the "IU way of thinking" as far as football. There is no reason IU can't be modern and also honor the past.
Also, and this is nitpicking, I get why the chair throw is historical, but I would love to see other Knight moments get immortalized. If I was a Purdue Fan (gross) I would never cease to make fun of IU that arguably the best coach in CBB history's most commemorated moment was a temper tantrum in a double-digit home loss to your rival.
*Ducks*
No. 1, none of those things are likely to happen anytime soon.
No. 2, Except for the IU guy part, that’s all window dressing stuff that really isn’t going to have an impact anyway.
It reminds me of the stuff that was constantly bandied around about football. Change the uniforms! Change the helmets! Change the stadium! Improve the band/cheerleaders! Post-Cignetti, now no one cares. Or at least not nearly as much…