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Basketball/CEC Facilities

Coors has needed serious renovations for about 20 years now. I remember the first basketball game played there and we were told the bleachers were temporary and would all become seats with chair backs. All these years later and it hasn't happened.

The elevator acts like it can barely make it from floor to floor.

Bathrooms and concessions need serious renovations. Only thing decent about Coors is the practice facility.
 
I love the old dump, I really do. They need to put some wider black seats with cupholders in them, but I wouldn't want them to be padded because it absorbs noise. I like the bleachers actually, and there are very few bleachers that are reserved anymore after they moved a lot of the student section chairbacks to the reserved sections. Some new scoreboards and a new sound system are absolutely essential.
 
I think that with all of the investment recently made in the basketball and football facilities, the University would best make do with what they have until they have paid off some of the debt and have a positive annual cash flow in the Athletic department. There are a like of nice to have things in life, but right now the CU family credit card is seriously in debt. The notion that the current Keg facilities are a deterrent to recruiting high caliber players sound like a reach to me. Many schools have done well with less overall opulence than CU currently has.
 
I think that with all of the investment recently made in the basketball and football facilities, the University would best make do with what they have until they have paid off some of the debt and have a positive annual cash flow in the Athletic department. There are a like of nice to have things in life, but right now the CU family credit card is seriously in debt. The notion that the current Keg facilities are a deterrent to recruiting high caliber players sound like a reach to me. Many schools have done well with less overall opulence than CU currently has.

I agree that getting the endowment up is important but think we need to continue to make improvements to facilities all over the campus, even small ones. We don't need to make $160mm upgrades every other year but upgrading smaller items like the sound systems, bathrooms, etc. can be done as smaller projects and go a long way to improving the gameday experience.
 
Hey XJ and others...
(A) I assume you've been through the nearly brand new offices, lockers, practice gyms connected to the CEC. It was done for YOU, your teammates and the other teams that use that space. I've been through it and it is very nice. And I'm told it's on par with some of the best basketball programs in the nation.

(B) I assume you realize that most of the football stadium additions/renovations are sort of inline with what you recently received at the CEC. They are player areas and not really improvements to the general field of play or general stands where most fans sit. I'd say Folsom is mostly getting what CEC already received with 'team space, lockers, practice area, meeting space, etc.

(C) There has been some minor modification to the general CEC space and a year or so ago I saw a document detailing future phase goals including center video/scoreboard, premium seating (I don't get why a player would even care about that other than general and revenue benefit), improved concessions, etc.

Now, XJ and teammates.....get healthy and go win big and more money flows and CEC gets Phase 2.
Go Buffs
 
Hey XJ and others...
(A) I assume you've been through the nearly brand new offices, lockers, practice gyms connected to the CEC. It was done for YOU, your teammates and the other teams that use that space. I've been through it and it is very nice. And I'm told it's on par with some of the best basketball programs in the nation.

(B) I assume you realize that most of the football stadium additions/renovations are sort of inline with what you recently received at the CEC. They are player areas and not really improvements to the general field of play or general stands where most fans sit. I'd say Folsom is mostly getting what CEC already received with 'team space, lockers, practice area, meeting space, etc.

(C) There has been some minor modification to the general CEC space and a year or so ago I saw a document detailing future phase goals including center video/scoreboard, premium seating (I don't get why a player would even care about that other than general and revenue benefit), improved concessions, etc.

Now, XJ and teammates.....get healthy and go win big and more money flows and CEC gets Phase 2.
Go Buffs
Amen to that!
 
A couple years ago I made a trip out to Boulder and got to see the game against I think NCCU in the CEC, and it was my first and only time in your team's arena. I really enjoyed it, I loved the top down entrance to the seats with the concourse at the top. The old speaker system hanging down and the goals hanging from the ceiling were wonderful. Call me a hoops weirdo, but man, I love that type of stuff. I really enjoyed it all and can't pinpoint exactly what it is about the overall arena, I guess just a little je ne sais quoi. I wish more places renovated arenas than tearing down and rebuilding new. The only thing I'd do to update things would be just concourse upgrades and bathroom upgrades. Add a sound system and modern scoreboard that places are installing more recently with the round scrolling info bars top and bottom and that place is good to go. But it would be cool if the design still incorporated the old stylings. Just a random opinion from someone with no dog in the fight.
 
A couple years ago I made a trip out to Boulder and got to see the game against I think NCCU in the CEC, and it was my first and only time in your team's arena. I really enjoyed it, I loved the top down entrance to the seats with the concourse at the top. The old speaker system hanging down and the goals hanging from the ceiling were wonderful. Call me a hoops weirdo, but man, I love that type of stuff. I really enjoyed it all and can't pinpoint exactly what it is about the overall arena, I guess just a little je ne sais quoi. I wish more places renovated arenas than tearing down and rebuilding new. The only thing I'd do to update things would be just concourse upgrades and bathroom upgrades. Add a sound system and modern scoreboard that places are installing more recently with the round scrolling info bars top and bottom and that place is good to go. But it would be cool if the design still incorporated the old stylings. Just a random opinion from someone with no dog in the fight.
Coors is a bit of a dump but I love it. There really aren't enough arenas/stadiums like it anymore. The place has character and when things are going right it gets very, very loud.
 
I can't imagine tearing it down and spending millions of dollars on a brand new facility. Personally, I don't think of Coors as a "dump," or old and run down. All the site lines are good, it's on campus and it's relatively easy to get to - although I know that for those that drive the parking can be a pain.

Of course there are the new practice facilities which should make it very attractive to recruits in basketball and volleyball. So for me what needs to change is widening the concourse to make movement much more fluid for fans, especially during half time. Perhaps another addition would be a space dedicated for a team shop which could also be open before and after football games as many people who come early to tailgate are parked near the CEC. Yes, the bathrooms could be moved to the exterior to make room for more seats as well.

So, don't build a new basketball facility. Keep Coors and upgrade the fan experience! It's already good for the players, so not a lot of need in that area.
 
I would much prefer to see it renovated than torn down and replaced.

For me, it really depends on what they could replace it with. Odds are, I'd really like a brand new arena and what they'd do with the design. I would really trust the leadership on this one. RG and Ceal wouldn't let us down.
 
Paint the ceilings. Improve lighting. Brand new sound. All of a sudden it's fine. We really want to get top notch, we change the concourse around so we can have luxury boxes in the corners.
 
Paint the ceilings. Improve lighting. Brand new sound. All of a sudden it's fine. We really want to get top notch, we change the concourse around so we can have luxury boxes in the corners.
Bathrooms too please.
 
Definitely improve the antiquated bathrooms and the elevator.

If they did decide to build something new, I agree that Ceal would not let us down. Don't know George well enough to know.
 
Of all the upgrades I can imagine or that have been suggested here, the great majority are geared toward the fans. With the practice gyms/lockers/office the players have a sweet setup. Add in the design and materials in the arena can make it loud and fans are close to the court space. So from a players perspective, life is good. For fans, the additions can be done without a rebuild:
-Widen concourse
-New bathrooms
-Center hung video board
-Luxury seating in corners or middle

If football can start to climb a better trajectory, RGeorge can focus a next phase of $ at the CEC.
 
I love the CEC and don't see an urgent need for upgrading.

Goose's suggestions are on target. plus the bathrooms, but that's not a biggie.

I don't see a need to widen the concourse, at least not one commensurate with the expected cost -- there's plenty of space for walking as well as tables/booths for handouts, free massages, etc... Unless CU is going all-in and adding boxes, anyway.

I absolutely don't get the requests for a center-hung board. they're a distraction to me and I prefer a corner mounted arrangement. I also suspect at the CEC that most center-hung units would cause visual interference for the cheap seats.
 
I absolutely don't get the requests for a center-hung board. they're a distraction to me and I prefer a corner mounted arrangement. I also suspect at the CEC that most center-hung units would cause visual interference for the cheap seats.

We have been told the roof wont support it.
 
We have been told the roof wont support it.

It is a huge span. Would make sense. However if they were to put in luxury boxes in the corners, a reworking of the roof would be necessary so maybe that would allow for the retrofit.

Coors needs to put in a ceiling, paint it black, put in better lighting. Then create a new concourse where the booths and bathrooms are all along the perimeter keeping the walking area free and open. Also wouldn't mind them walling off the concourse from the arena. Keeps in noise, and forces people to quickly get back to their seat to not miss any game action.
 
I think an eventual expansion of the concourse, with a simultaneous expansion of the seating area and moving the bathrooms to the outside of the concourse, is something they could do reasonably easily and without much (if any) disruption to the operations of the facility itself. Ideally, I think a capacity of somewhere around 14,000 is about right. If they're thinking of adding an extra 3,000 seats, they should also think about where those extra people will park. There's more to this than just seating.
 
Scoreboards, wherever they are, need to be updated. I get 10x more information much faster on my IPhone. When I get a connection. That needs to be improved as well. I don't care about concessions or bathrooms. I'm probably as old as the average season ticket holder (if you throw out sections 7,8, and 9, who never show up anyway,) and I have no need for either of them. I had one $9 beer at my first game as a season ticket holder, and never had one again.

11,000 is about as big as a town like Boulder is ever going to need. It ain't getting any bigger. Denver is a pro sports town, and the CU grads probably mostly live down South in Littleton or Highlands Ranch, and probably can't even make it a weeknight game.
 
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I would love to see the player introductions in the dark and with all the fog machines.

Sorry, I am aging fan and I do use the bathrooms when I am at a game. I would like a decent bathroom. No, I don't live in Colorado at present so I don't get to attend as many games as I would like. When I do come out, it's for women's basketball and volleyball. I do want decent public bathrooms.
 
I don't see any any 4 or 5 star recruits walking thru the door, definitely not with consistency. So, is it the coach, the coach's program or the facility, perhaps a combination of all three. Change is required to become relevant again in the PAC12 and even nationally. CEC, while some here may like it for nostalgic purposes, isn't a draw for an 18 year old 6"8 stud who can impact games. Knock it down and built a Picasso. If the kids still are not signing on the dotted line, bring in someone who will get it done
 
Ted's in trouble with this team. Obviously there was a lot of dissension and chemistry issues last year. Tad is getting whooped on the recruiting Trail. Since then when he got hurt the buffs R about five games under 500. that's a year and a half of bad basketball. I hope I'm wrong but I don't see the buffs finishing outside of the bottom four
 
Scoreboards, wherever they are, need to be updated. I get 10x more information much faster on my IPhone. When I get a connection. That needs to be improved as well. I don't care about concessions or bathrooms. I'm probably as old as the average season ticket holder (if you throw out sections 7,8, and 9, who never show up anyway,) and I have no need for either of them. I had one $9 beer at my first game as a season ticket holder, and never had one again.

11,000 is about as big as a town like Boulder is ever going to need. It ain't getting any bigger. Denver is a pro sports town, and the CU grads probably mostly live down South in Littleton or Highlands Ranch, and probably can't even make it a weeknight game.

There are a ton of strong opinions in this post.
I am a season ticket holder in Section 9.
I am a CU grad.
I live in Denver.
I go to weeknight games.
I typically have 2-3 beers at Coors when I go.
Tall boys might be $9 but that number sounds high, I want say its more like $7 but i can find a link to prove it.
I have a 3 year old when she's at the game she likes food/dirnks
Beer sales at Coors gross 11,000-12,000 per game split with the AD.

Concessions are much higher and also paid back in % to the AD. Upgrading the concessions and making them faster and better means a better fan experience and more $$$ for the AD.
 
Yeah, it's just my opinion, take it for what it's worth.
I'll admit that 7 and 8 are much worse than section 9. It's embarassing to me to see so many empty seats right behind our bench. I just don't get the consessions issue, but I know a lot of people like them. I am already paying for the game and my "donation", I don't see any point in paying $5 for popcorn or a hot dog. I can get a burger and a couple of beers at the DH before the game for half of what it costs inside. I just don't like that economic model so I don't support it. It's much worse in pro sports.
Oh, and the parking garage just sucks. You couldn't pay me to park there at a sold-out game. It takes literally an hour to get out if you're on the upper levels. I know there's not a lot of room around the facility, but it is what it is.

Oh, and regarding Denver, it just seems that if you work until 5 at the Tech Center, getting home, getting the family together, and driving to Boulder for a 7PM start would be a real chore, especially if there's bad weather.
 
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Yeah, it's just my opinion, take it for what it's worth.
I'll admit that 7 and 8 are much worse than section 9. It's embarassing to me to see so many empty seats right behind our bench. I just don't get the consessions issue, but I know a lot of people like them. I am already paying for the game and my "donation", I don't see any point in paying $5 for popcorn or a hot dog. I can get a burger and a couple of beers at the DH before the game for half of what it costs inside. I just don't like that economic model so I don't support it. It's much worse in pro sports.
Oh, and the parking garage just sucks. You couldn't pay me to park there at a sold-out game. It takes literally an hour to get out if you're on the upper levels. I know there's not a lot of room around the facility, but it is what it is.

Oh, and regarding Denver, it just seems that if you work until 5 at the Tech Center, getting home, getting the family together, and driving to Boulder for a 7PM start would be a real chore, especially if there's bad weather.

Unless we are playing Auburn at 11 at night, the drive from south Denver for a weekday night game doesn't work. It is unfortunate because I would be at a ton more games during the week if it wasn't the case.
 
I'm hoping they do this kind of introduction for both basketball teams! Now to add the fog machine.

I'm in Section 9, but I live in Iowa. That does mean my seat will not be filled. I have followed the women's game since it started. All of the years I lived in Boulder and for 3 when I lived in Fort Collins, I rarely missed a game. Had to be out of town for work or sick to keep me home. I so miss Boulder, especially during basketball season.
 
The one thing they need to work on with the player intros with the turn the light out thing is to light the players a lot better, although I understand them having an issue or two with something new (for the Keg).
 
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