How small is the Jungle at IUPUI?

bbtds · February 27, 2013, 12:28:11 AM

I've attended many Valpo at IUPUI live games from the Jungle (IUPUI's gym) when we were in the Mid-Con and knew the place was small when all the seats are pulled out from the wall but this is the first time I have seen TV/video coverage from the Jungle and it looks very small. I never have watched a Summit League TV/video from the Jungle because, well, it cost money I don't want to spend.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/60457950?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0"

StlVUFan · February 27, 2013, 12:33:18 AM

Quote from: bbtds on February 27, 2013, 12:28:11 AM
I've attended many Valpo at IUPUI live games from the Jungle (IUPUI's gym) when we were in the Mid-Con and knew the place was small when all the seats are pulled out from the wall but this is the first time I have seen TV/video coverage from the Jungle and it looks very small. I never have watched a Summit League TV/video from the Jungle because, well, it cost money I don't want to spend.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/60457950?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0"

I still have a VHS tape of a 2001 Mid-Con game of the week on FSN at The Jungle (YSU beat IUPUI something like 73-71). Maybe it's the HD and the full screen effect, or maybe it's that and the 21" monitor I just watched it on, but that didn't look nearly as tiny as what I remember

historyman · February 27, 2013, 12:42:25 AM

You can almost look down the hallway and see into the Natatorium from the opposite side of the gym. Now that is small. There is probably 15 feet from the doorway of the Natatorium to the doorway of the IUPUI gym. You can definitely see the doorway of the gym, just past the left side basket as you look out from the camera on the far wall of the gym.

zvillehaze · February 27, 2013, 11:00:09 AM

Quote from: StlVUFan on February 27, 2013, 12:33:18 AM
Quote from: bbtds on February 27, 2013, 12:28:11 AM
I've attended many Valpo at IUPUI live games from the Jungle (IUPUI's gym) when we were in the Mid-Con and knew the place was small when all the seats are pulled out from the wall but this is the first time I have seen TV/video coverage from the Jungle and it looks very small. I never have watched a Summit League TV/video from the Jungle because, well, it cost money I don't want to spend.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/60457950?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0"
I still have a VHS tape of a 2001 Mid-Con game of the week on FSN at The Jungle (YSU beat IUPUI something like 73-71). Maybe it's the HD and the full screen effect, or maybe it's that and the 21" monitor I just watched it on, but that didn't look nearly as tiny as what I remember

If you haven't been there for a while, they "renovated" The Jungle in 2007. All seating is now chairback and capacity dropped from around 2,000 to 1,215. Former coach Ron Hunter put a lot of effort into getting a new facility built, but had no luck. Playing at BLF (like the Valpo game last year) doesn't make economic sense, so looks like they'll be stuck in The Jungle for a while.

valporun · February 27, 2013, 11:12:02 AM

I just saw this video from the Jungle Gym...I'd never seen the facility before. People here complain about the ARC looking like a high school gym? Check out the Jungle, Loyola Marymount had something that looked more like a high school facility. Chicago St. had a high school gym in the old Jacoby Dickens Center. Also, try some of the facilities in the Northeast Conference, America East, and other smaller conferences. They don't have 10,000 seat arenas, and Valpo shouldn't until they have a marketing plan that gets community and students coming regularly to fill the place. If the basketball team starts seeing the ARC filling beyond seat capacity regularly, i.e. EVERY game, we have the right facility for the attendance we do get, whether the game is on ESPN or HLN.

zvillehaze · February 28, 2013, 10:52:39 AM

I just heard someone comment that IUPUI is considering a move to the Pepsi Coliseum (Indiana State Fairgrounds) for home games once the renovation is completed in July of 2014. It will be a very nice once the renovation is complete and would be a great move for IUPUI. http://www.in.gov/statefair/fairgrounds/venues/pepsi_coliseum.html Playing off campus shouldn't impact them as much since most of their students live off campus anyway.

bbtds · February 28, 2013, 01:31:49 PM

Quote from: zvillehaze on February 28, 2013, 10:52:39 AM
I just heard someone comment that IUPUI is considering a move to the Pepsi Coliseum (Indiana State Fairgrounds) for home games once the renovation is completed in July of 2014. It will be a very nice once the renovation is complete and would be a great move for IUPUI. http://www.in.gov/statefair/fairgrounds/venues/pepsi_coliseum.html Playing off campus shouldn't impact them as much since most of their students live off campus anyway.

Is the state still planning to have all the horse and animal shows in the Pepsi Coliseum during the state fair in 2014 and beyond? My wife drags me in there every year and it smells like a barn. Kind of hard to remember the Pacers and former pro basketball teams used to play there. Even the Beatles played there in 1965.

When I have gone to some Indiana Ice games there the smell isn't as bad but any bad smells aren't good in a college basketball venue. The PC would be more the size that IUPUI needs. I guess if they were still using it for the animals during the state fair they could still call it "the Jungle."

EDIT: I just noticed that the renovation model shows an "Equestrian Layout" (along with basketball and hockey layouts) so I guess the horses will still be coming into the Pepsi Coliseum. That new scoreboard looks nice as does the remodeling. It will look a lot better than it does now.

Kyle321n · February 28, 2013, 02:11:05 PM

I hate city schools that have off campus stadium. Depaul has terrible attendance because they're up in Rosemont. I think IUPUI would do a lot worse drawing in fans on an off campus stadium.

bbtds · February 28, 2013, 02:17:42 PM

Quote from: Kyle321n on February 28, 2013, 02:11:05 PM
I hate city schools that have off campus stadium. Depaul has terrible attendance because they're up in Rosemont. I think IUPUI would do a lot worse drawing in fans on an off campus stadium.

Since IUPUI is in downtown Indy there is probably a greater chance that the students live closer to the Pepsi Coliseum, which is on the state fairgrounds on the east side of Indy on 38th Street and Fall Creek Pkwy (in a more residential area), so it would probably bring in better attendance. Especially if the PC is newly renovated.

StlVUFan · February 28, 2013, 02:29:08 PM

Quote from: Kyle321n on February 28, 2013, 02:11:05 PM
I hate city schools that have off campus stadium. Depaul has terrible attendance because they're up in Rosemont. I think IUPUI would do a lot worse drawing in fans on an off campus stadium.

It's a commuter school. I'm not sure there are any dorms, though I'm probably wrong about that.

bbtds · February 28, 2013, 03:21:22 PM

Quote from: StlVUFan on February 28, 2013, 02:29:08 PM
Quote from: Kyle321n on February 28, 2013, 02:11:05 PM
I hate city schools that have off campus stadium. Depaul has terrible attendance because they're up in Rosemont. I think IUPUI would do a lot worse drawing in fans on an off campus stadium.
It's a commuter school. I'm not sure there are any dorms, though I'm probably wrong about that.

There are now some nice new dorms at IUPUI. IUPUI is changing the University Place Conference Center Hotel into dorms for fall 2013 also. The Patriots stayed there during the 2012 Super Bowl.

They currently have Ball Residence Hall (named for the same Ball Family that runs the Ball Corp-makes jars for canning--and Ball State is named for) and they are adding the conference center hotel for housing.

http://life.iupui.edu/housing/