OFFICIAL: The College Basketball Experience (NABC Hall of Fame) building design

[KCMax]

I think a sell out is a bit of a stretch. You look at most of these pre-season tourneys, and they're pretty empty. I think 12-14,000 would be a fantastic number.

[Maitre D]

I think a sell out is a bit of a stretch. You look at most of these pre-season tourneys, and they're pretty empty. I think 12-14,000 would be a fantastic number.

What tourneys are empty?

Maui & Anchorage get very good crowds (Maui like 4K only b/c they play in a small college gym)....NY gets 10K probably.  Just saying that if you want to host a HOF tourney at your HOF, you better support it.

Tehy're not bringing in dogs, either, for this.  The premier programs.

[KCMax]

What tourneys are empty?

Maui & Anchorage get very good crowds (Maui like 4K only b/c they play in a small college gym)....NY gets 10K probably.  Just saying that if you want to host a HOF tourney at your HOF, you better support it.

Tehy're not bringing in dogs, either, for this.  The premier programs.

The Hawaii and Alaska tourney sell out easily because they play in 4,000 seat high school gyms.

The NIT Finals last year drew 9,498. Madison Square Garden holds close to 20,000. Granted, it wasn't a sexy matchup (Butler vs. Gonzaga). They only drew 12,000 the year before with Duke-Memphis.

The Finals of the Coaches v. Cancer tourney in Madison Square Garden, an exciting game between Maryland and Michigan State, drew 7,500.

Louisville vs. Arizona at MSG drew 10,000 for the Jimmy V Classic

The CBE should draw well, but asking for a sellout is a bit much, especially if Mizzou doesn't make the finals.

[LenexatoKCMO]

The CBE should draw well, but asking for a sellout is a bit much, especially if Mizzou doesn't make the finals.

I don't think the MU fanbase is currently in much shape to sell out any game at the sprint center (short of playing KU) finals or no finals.  Their home attendence was miserable last year and I can't imagine that they are real pumped about this year.  Besides the Tiger fans are all way too busy buying into the notion that Gary Pinkel is going to lead them to a national title this year to think a lick about bball. 

[Maitre D]

That's what I'm saying tho Max - NYC has wayyyy more to do than go to those games, and they get 10K per.  I'm not suggesting KC can compete with NYC on much of anything, but this should be a much bigger event for us than them.

I was at the V Classic in 1999 to see Duke vs. UConn at Madison.  Not sure the attendance but it was sure full to me.  Matchups do matter, agreed.


Look, if we can't get 12K for this at SC, let's keep it at the Muni.  Where 5K looks ok.  5K at SC will make us look like Jack-asses on TV.

[KCMax]

I used New York because the other preseason tourney I could find were generally in rinky dink gyms, and even then only drew 1,500-3,000 people.

How the hell do these things make money?

[LenexatoKCMO]

I bet they get respectable numbers.  Come November there will be a lot of sports fans and others in this town that wake up and realize the SC is open and want to get a peak at it.  This is probably one of the easier and cheaper tickets to come by that doesn't involve ice shows, etc.  

[jlbomega]

Guardians Classic Final between Mizzou and Iowa didn't even sell out Kemper.  Don't remember exact attendnace figure but it looked to be around 10-12k.  This shouldn't even be a Mizzou, KU, KSU, etc. thing.  All four teams in the tournament bring something interesting.  How many chances do you get to say you saw UCLA, Tom Izzo, Coach K, etc in person playing another top program/coach?  What we will be getting year in and year out at the SC is as close to the Final Four as you will get until the actual event in March/April.

What I'm trying to say it, even if you are a KU or KSU fan you should be anxious to get to at least one night of this tournament.  I'm planning to go next year too although Kansas, not Mizzou is in it.

[Maitre D]

Guardians Classic Final between Mizzou and Iowa didn't even sell out Kemper.  Don't remember exact attendnace figure but it looked to be around 10-12k.  This shouldn't even be a Mizzou, KU, KSU, etc. thing.  All four teams in the tournament bring something interesting.  How many chances do you get to say you saw UCLA, Tom Izzo, Coach K, etc in person playing another top program/coach?  What we will be getting year in and year out at the SC is as close to the Final Four as you will get until the actual event in March/April.

Exactly.  So, if we can't get 12K minimum, put it in the Muni.  Save our city from embarrassment.

[GRID]

Exactly.  So, if we can't get 12K minimum, put it in the Muni.   Save our city from embarrassment.

It should go in the muni anyway.

[Maitre D]

They why the hell is the College Hoops HOF attached to the Sprint Center rather than the Muni?

[KC-wildcat]

Exactly.  So, if we can't get 12K minimum, put it in the Muni.   Save our city from embarrassment.

12,000 for a holiday tournament would not embarrass Kansas City.  Name me another holiday tournament in another city that draws substantially more than 12,000 or sells out an 18,500 seat arena.  These tournaments are nice vacations for the coaches, players, and fans.  That's it.   

That said, hopefully the momentum of the SC's opening and the unveiling of the NABC will attract more than 12,000. 

[LenexatoKCMO]

12,000 for a holiday tournament would not embarrass Kansas City.  Name me another holiday tournament in another city that draws substantially more than 12,000 or sells out an 18,500 seat arena.  These tournaments are nice vacations for the coaches, players, and fans.  That's it.     

Exactly - I think it would have to be far lower than 12k to qualify as an embarrasment to the city.  Sometimes the turnout can be an embarrasment to a school's fanbase . . . cough . . . Texas Longhorns v. Kentucky a couple years ago . . . cough

[KC-wildcat]

I just can't really imagine a t.v. viewer tuning into the CBE classic on ESPN2 and looking down on Kansas City because there are some open seats in the SC.  I mean, half of these holiday tournaments are played in highschool gyms or casinos (Las Vegas tournys). 

Now, if KC draws 12,000 for an NCAA regional game, I'll concede the point.  That would indeed be embarrassing.   

[Highlander]

This year attendance should not be a problem.  I suspect sufficient numbers of people will be curious enough about the Sprint Center to give the city a good showing.  In any event, it's a November basketball tourney, these generally do not go over well regardless of where they are.  The city won't be embarrassed unless the scoreboard doesn't work or something hideous goes wrong with the arena.  I'd love to go myself....it's a great line up of teams. 

[KCTigerFan]

I worked on the original marketing proposal for the NABC.  It was designed and planned for the lower level of Municipal Auditorium.  The fundraising never took off and the project was on a pretty long development timeline.  Then when MKB and the City pitched the SC concept and the P&L took off, it was natural win-win.  NABC kick-started their fundraising, higher traffic flow, custom designed facility.  The City got a cool feature to tout for the arena and another draw adjacent to the P&L.  The planned entrance on the east side of Municipal would never have been very prominent.  Not saying it wouldn't have been successful there, but i would have wanted the City to add the 14th street features and a lot more around it to guarantee the buzz.    

[LenexatoKCMO]

The building may not be to everyone's taste, but personally I am pretty impressed with the scale and execution of it for the budget - it doesn't seem like $20m buys much these days. 

[aknowledgeableperson]

Is AKP really bitching about the appearance of the portion of a building that faces the back alley?  I am sure that all of the folks that like to hang out in the COA parking lot will be terribly disapointed with the architecture and promptly decide to never come back DT.  &&&&

I would not say that the east side faces a back alley.  It is a side that is very visible from the street especially since directly east of the building is the courts parking lot, it is not a narrow alley.  There are also doors from the arena going into this area so it is very possible that people going to or leaving the arena from/to the north will walk past this wall.

Go ahead, drive past or walk past it from the street and give an opinion.  Take a picture and post it.

[anniewarbucks]

I would like to see a picture of this Backside since it is nearly finished. I took pics there (when the NABC was not even built) of the SC I would like to see how the area turned out.

[moderne]

Its visible but certainly not a featured or visually framed facade.  I've seen some unsightly backsides and this is not one.