During the 1995 season, each time Pete Lisicky, Glenn Sekunda, Dan Earl or others buried a triple, the cheerleaders in the northwest corner of the basketball cathedral would grab pre-bundled shirts and fire them into the crowd. These were the days when stadiums weren't as big as towns and you could actually reach the top rows without a hydraulic cannon or giant slingshot. I wasn't lucky enough to catch one, but my parents sent me down to the merchandise stand to pick one up, which to me was just as good.
There were mixed emotions that season when Penn State hoops cut its ties to Rec Hall and moved across campus to the palatial Bryce Jordan Center. The new facility was state of the art in every way, and became a model for what other on-campus facilities would become. It had the largest portable wooden floor in North America and was a perfect way to distinguish Penn State's recent move into the Big Ten, home of college basketball royalties like Indiana, Michigan and Michigan State.
On the other hand, the Lions were leaving behind a gym that held one of the most raucous atmospheres in the country, and a place with nearly 70 years of history. It had packed nearly 9,000 fans in for a victory against Virginia in 1973 and hosted the 1991 A-10 tournament that Penn State won to earn an automatic bid to March Madness. It was a place that opposing Big Ten coaches like Gene Keady and Bobby Knight hated to come to - too sweaty, undignified and loud for their proud programs. It mimicked famed courts like The Palestra and Cameron Indoor, not in its team's success or quality of players that it saw, but in the way that the walls would sweat and referees had to clear fans out of the way before an inbounds pass could be made.
Still, as great as Rec Hall was, The Bryce Jordan Center was clearly a step in the right direction, especially for the 1995-96 squad that was off the best start in Penn State history. In the BJC's first few years, the building was rarely empty, despite having a capacity twice that of Rec Hall. Then, as the product began to slip so too did the gate. The Jordan Center began to resemble a morgue more than a basketball court. Ominous black curtains hanging from the rafters to hide empty seats and dim lighting that seemed to induce a relaxed mood, or maybe to keep fans calm while the home team stumbled through another ugly loss. Soon, the arena became better known for its concerts than its role as an athletic facility.
Finally, a few years ago, a combination of aggressive marketing by the athletics program and a well-organized effort by a small but vocal group of students helped to slowly give the BJC some presence again. Now, after back-to-back crowds of over 15,000, a whole new crop of fans are getting to see the true potential of this building. Featuring minor-league baseball type gimmicks of $1 hot dogs and buy one get one free student tickets, the BJC is luring fans in and actually delivering a great product. For all of the argument about how to get the BJC going again as a home-court advantage, the real answer was simple, just win baby, and Penn State is doing it.
The Lions are 15-3 at home this year and going to games is fun again. Don't believe me? Just ask the crowd that rushed the floor on Thursday night after the buzzer-beating win against Illinois or the multiple cheering sections that are popping (pun not intended Stanley) up for individual players just like in football. The structure might never feel as intimate as Rec Hall does or shake the way the old building used to when the Lions were on a run, but it can be turned into a home court advantage and the Lions are doing their part to make it one.
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Do you think the dim lighting comes from dim bulbs? I have some extra 90 watts that I don't need. WAY to strong for my bathroom...I never need to see myself naked that clearly. Anyway, here's to the hope that people continue to come out year after year (and early in the year) regardless of what happens in the remainder of this season.
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