Did you hear that Bradley is building a replacement arena for Robertson Field House?
Of course you have. Everybody has.
Well, it’s official now:
The arena would be the new home for BU women’s basketball and volleyball and would also include a weight-training facility for all student-athletes and a dedicated practice gym for men’s basketball.
My wife asked a good question tonight regarding that last item — the “dedicated practice gym for men’s basketball.” Is it going to be on ice?
Every year, one of the excuses given whenever Bradley is losing is that they don’t get to practice at the Civic Center where the hockey floor (ice) is covered with the basketball court, and they’re not used to all of the condensation and slippery surfaces that result.
So, since the school is spending in excess of $100 million, can we expect them to replicate their actual playing surface so they’re prepared for that first icy step on the court and can have a huge advantage over their opponents?
We had a running joke when I worked in a small theatre in Seattle, about doing this or that show “on ice!” How funny and silly and cool we’d be if we pulled it off! “Hamlet – On Ice!” or redo some big current musical, “On Ice!” You get it.
So now you have me thinking of “The Braves – On Ice” as if they were some Ice Capades show. That’d be pretty funny too.
Or maybe we could put together a parody, “College Basketball – On Ice!”. God knows there’s plenty about the enterprise (not just BU) to spoof! Ha!
It actually does make a huge difference when the playing surface is laid over an ice hockey rink. I used to work for a minor league hockey team in Florida, and they would usually put the basketball court down right after the game. It makes the floor cold, for one. That’s why Kobe Bryant wears those ridiculous leggings under his uniform. Secondly, if the climate control isn’t done right, or the humidity is high (as it was EVERY NIGHT in South Florida), a slippery layer of condensation will form on the floor making everyone’s life hell.
I’m sure it DOES make a big difference in the playing surface. However, Bradley has been playing down there for nearly 25 years now… don’t you think, if the Braves were important to the Civic Center, they would have gotten the flooring and climate control right by now? And shouldn’t the players be more adapted by this time?
If not, then maybe that should be incorporated in the new facility. After all, what’s a few $million more amongst friends and alumni?