As I approach the entrance, I see one lonely guy holding up a ticket.  A family of five waits just outside the door looking confused.  There’s no one else outside the doors except for one single ticket taker.

Once inside the arena I smell food.  I look to my right and notice that the BBQ stand is not in its usual place.  To my left, the stand that sells the dotted ice cream isn’t there, either.  I glance down at the concession area and count six people in line.

I head down into the arena just as the Anthem ends.  The crowd is sparse.  I consider counting them, but can’t summon the emotion.  The scene is depressing.  Maybe 15 people in the student section down by the court.

Five people sit in the expensive court-side seats.  One of the weakest Hog Calls I’ve ever heard in my life drifts through the air.  The Pom and Cheer squad actually have confused looks on their faces, as if they are wondering why they got all dressed up just for this.

We settle into our seats, noting that there are only six people within 20 feet of us.  I’m wondering why I left the house.

At the first media timeout, the score is 4-2.  It’s obvious that Alabama State can’t shoot and that the Razorbacks can’t execute an offense.  I check Twitter at the half and see that the official UA Twitter game feed is terming the game a “defensive battle.”

The drummer for the Hog Wild Band is amazing.  Highlight of the evening.  The band is rockin’ tonight.  I wonder if they’ve really improved or if it’s just much easier to hear with the arena so empty.

I hang out with the other RazorBloggers for the second half.  We are on the lookout for an offensive play by the Hogs that is not the result of individual effort or an accident.  We discuss the new arena light shades and decide we don’t like them.

With 1:18 left in the game and the count for team plays during the half at three, I head for the exit.  From row eight, into the lobby and directly out the door I walk, encountering or waiting on no one.  I’m suspecting that traffic is not going to be an issue.

This is Razorback Basketball.

As some have pointed out, 2008-09 was mostly a year to forget for Razorback sports.  Hog fans languished through a rough fall and winter, only to be rewarded as spring turned into summer.

Coming in at #5 on our countdown, however, is one of the few highlight games of that cold winter.

No matter what sport it is…Razorback fans always want to beat Texas.  The football team couldn’t…uh…quite pull it off down in Austin in September.

But as they say, timing is everything.  And during a seven day stretch in late December and early January, you didn’t want to be a visiting team coming in to Bud Walton Arena.  After a huge victory over #4 Oklahoma just a week earlier (more on that later), the Hogs went toe-to-toe against the #7 Longhorns and survived 67-61.

Razorbacks rally to upset #7 Texas (Courtesy of RazorVision)

If you watched the game on TV, it was great.  But if you were there, you know that it was an electric atmosphere that night.  The crowd was raucous and, for a while, it was loud enough that I even thought I was back in Barnhill Arena again.

The signature play of the game — Michael Washington’s driving dunk with 22.5 seconds left — just about brought the house down.

Looking back at the basketball season now, it never got any better than that for the remaining three months.  (Not that seeing Nolan again wasn’t awesome.)

But finishing the season 2-15 after that game doesn’t take away from how exciting it felt that night to think that home court advantage had finally returned to the Arkansas basketball program.  The ‘Bud, we believed, was back.  And it felt pretty good.

Arkansas is spending approximately $3 million to upgrade Bud Walton Arena before basketball season.

Among the enhancements will be the addition of premium courtside seating, the replacing of retractable seats in the lower bowl and the addition of ribbon boards and LED screens throughout the arena.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Courtside seating coming to Bud Walton Arena
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas Announces Changes At Bud Walton Arena
• Bob Holt: New seating chart lucrative for UA
• Nate Allen: ‘Courtside Club’ established at Walton Arena for top donors

Updated 8/8/08 8:30 a.m.

I recently stopped by Bud Walton Arena and took some shots of the 12 new luxury suites currently under construction.  As you may remember, this expansion project was announced back in April and should be ready for this season.

Once the construction of these new boxes (six each on the east and west sides) is finished, it will bring the total number of BWA suites to 47.  Wow…’Basketball Palace of Mid-America,’ indeed.

You can see the complete set of photos here.

In part one of this series, we described where we’re at now.  In part two, we talked about what others are doing.  But a wise man once said that it is unfair to present a problem without having a solution in hand.  So here’s some ideas for the powers that be — since they have been unable or unwilling to come up with some on their own — to make Bud Walton Arena the most exciting college basketball venue in the country.

Arena Changes

• In an effort to enhance the visual aspects, a 360-degree LED ribbon display (like this one from Daktronics) should be placed around the fascia of the upper deck.  This should be used to complement the existing video board above center court — especially during the pre-game player introductions.
• Rework the banners that hang from the rafters.  There’s no need to celebrate simply making an NCAA tournament appearance…jeesh.  Have banners to celebrate conference championships, final fours and the national championship.  And honor players without necessarily retiring their numbers.  We’d start with Moncrief, Delph, Brewer (Sr.), Kleine, Robertson, Mayberry, Day, Miller, Williamson, Beck and Thurman.  Honor coaches Sutton and Richardson, as well.
• Extend the student seating all the way across the south side of the court (closest to the floor only).  Reclaim some of the existing upper student section seating for general admission and season ticket holders.

Pre-Game

• During the shootaround and warm-ups, pipe in music from a variety of contemporary artists.  Nothing too flashy here as we’re saving the explosive songs for later.  RBN music suggestions include:
• Beautiful Day (U2)
• Black Balloon (Goo Goo Dolls)
• Summertime (Will Smith)
• Blurry (Puddle Of Mudd)
• Las Vegas (Rain Man Soundtrack)
• Glamorous (Fergie)
• Run To You (Bryan Adams)
• Everyday (Bon Jovi)
• Comin’ To Your City (Big & Rich)
• Show Me What You Got (Jay-Z)
• National Anthem played by the Hog Wild Band.  Nobody does it better.

Player Introductions

• With the house lights up, play non-descript music as a backdrop for the visitor starting lineups.  RBN suggestion: Love On A Real Train (Tangerine Dream).
• Here’s where the fun starts.  House lights completely down.  Remix countdown…’4, 3, 2, 1′…cue the video board with a computer animated Razorback highlight video designed by Luma Studios.  Accent it with the new 360-degree LED display, laser show…all you got.  And have the pom squad dancing at center court to one of these songs:
• Where The Streets Have No Name (U2)
• Eminence Front (Remix) (The Who)
• Remember The Name (Fort Minor)
• Starting lineups and coaches introduced by current PA announcer Johnny George.  (We’re voting to keep him for now.)  After the intros but before the opening tip, pipe in music to keep the energy high.  RBN suggestion: Calm Before The Storm (Darude).

Timeouts

• Alternate full timeouts between the Hog Wild Band and high-energy, ‘NBA-type’ music.  Have the pom squad on the floor for both.  Cheerleaders and mascots on the floor during the band timeouts.  RBN suggestions for the piped in music include:
• Gonna Make You Sweat (C&C Music Factory)
• Bust A Move (Young MC)
• Pump Up The Volume (M.A.R.R.S.)
• Rapper’s Delight (Sugar Hill Gang)
• 1,2,3,4 (Coolio)
• C’mon & Ride It (The Train) (Quad City DJs)
• Welcome To The Jungle (Guns ‘N’ Roses)
• Ready To Go (Republica)
• Hey, Ya! (OutKast)
• Funky Cold Medina (Tone-Loc)
• Jump (Van Halen)
• Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy) (Big & Rich)
• …and so ‘the old people’ don’t feel left out…
• Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough (Michael Jackson)
• Back In Black (AC/DC)
• Get Down On It (Kool And The Gang)
• Nowhere To Run (Martha & The Vandellas)
• A Little Less Conversation (Elvis Presley)
• 20-second timeouts and halftime by the Hog Wild Band and Spirit Groups.

A New Ring Leader

• What you’re looking for here is someone who is creative, energetic, imaginative, funny, and has a genuine passion for Razorback athletics.  Someone in the mold of a Kyle Thompson, for example.  Many of you may know Kyle as one of the “Infield Fly Guys” who entertain and energize fans at Baum Stadium.  (Plus, anyone who knows the words and can sing the “Tendercrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch” jingle on the spur of the moment has our vote.)

In the end, what we’re trying to achieve is Energy.  Energy for the players…they feed off it.  Energy for the students…who come to support their team and be entertained.  Energy for all the fans.  And I guarantee the ‘older generation’ will come to love it in time.  With the John Pelphrey era getting off to a positive start, now is the time to ‘strike while the iron is hot’ and give the BWA experience a long overdue and much-needed 21st Century overhaul.

If you feel strongly like we do, let ‘em know.  E-mail Spirit Group Coordinator Jean Nail, Hog Wild Band Director Tim Gunter, Marketing Director Matt Shanklin and Associate AD Bill Gray.  We owe it to our coach, players and fellow fans to voice our opinion.

In this day and age, coaches are always trying to get an edge.  Working harder…working smarter…technological advances in film study…state of the art weight and training facilities…and the list goes on and on.  But as we described in part one of this series, one of the areas where we are failing our coach and players is in our game day experience at Bud Walton Arena.  Time has passed by the individuals that currently ‘put on the show’…and the 18-year-olds have noticed.

You don’t realize how far behind we are until you see what others are doing.  Music, video, computer animation, fireworks, and laser shows are everywhere…with the focus being to bring energy into the equation.

Most of the pre-game hype, of course, is centered around the buildup to the announcement of the starting lineup.  Clicking on the school links below, you can see that the video presentations that precede the team intros are, in some instances, very elaborate.  Some schools like Kentucky and Kansas choose to celebrate their past accomplishments by interweaving old footage of their championship past.  Others like Alabama list their prior successes while focusing on their current stars.

It’s surprising to find some schools like North Carolina State and Marquette really do a great job in this area.  Both have new venues in the RBC Center and Bradley Center, respectively, that they share with professional teams.  That certainly helps in the presentation of their product.

Only where music, video, and computer animation meet do you find the best of the bunch.  The early 90′s Chicago Bulls introduced stars Jordan and Pippen with pioneering use of computer animation.  The Bulls now work with partner Luma Studios to refresh their animation every year (2005-06 version), with updated technology allowing for a better show.

The Dallas Mavericks take a back seat to no one in their pre-game hype, letting the sounds of “Eminence Front (Remix)” by The Who be the backdrop for their starting lineups.  The Detroit Pistons, and their PA announcer ‘Mason,’ certainly make the top three among the sea of NBA intros. 

But don’t misunderstand…we are not advocating making BWA, ‘NBA-like.’  But rather, an experience that takes the best from all worlds…college and pro.

In the end, all of these universities and professional venues make an effort to energize the fans.  They make use of technology, music, and presentation in every way possible.  We have all of the means to put on a show like this today…even complete with laser light technology.  But instead, we wallow in the security of ‘doing the same old thing.’

In the final segment on Monday, we’ll offer a few suggestions that we feel could make the Bud Walton Arena experience the talk of college basketball once again.

This is the first of a three-part series on the atmosphere of Razorback basketball games at Bud Walton Arena.

After two weeks of turmoil that ended with the promising hire of new coach John Pelphrey, it is high time we moved on to the next pressing matter for Razorback Basketball:  the malaise that is the atmosphere at Bud Walton Arena.

For the last 13 years, we have billed Bud Walton Arena as the “Basketball Palace of Mid-America.”  But over the last several seasons, the stagnation of the fan experience at games has, in my view, been a large part of the reason for the drop-off in attendance that has occurred.  Having an exciting team to come watch these days is only part of the equation.  Fans — especially students — crave a high-energy venue.

What a trip to BWA has evolved into is an antiseptic performance by the band and spirit squads, intertwined into a series of advertisements and public address announcements.  The scripted nature of the cheers and music without any sense of timing while the game is going on has just become pure comedy.  For example, no longer is the “William Tell Overture” saved for an important point in the game.  No…we can ‘only play that song at the 16-minute timeout of the second half.’

How did it get to this point?  It appears to some that the ring leaders of the circus — Band Director Tim Gunter, Spirit Group Coordinator Jean Nail, Marketing Director Matt Shanklin and Associate AD Bill Gray — have a complete lack of imagination and possess an unwillingness to change.  These two traits have allowed our basketball experience to fall behind the times.  And while these four should be applauded for their dedication to the program, their refusal to let the BWA experience evolve into the 21st Century has become ‘part of the problem.’

A few weeks ago, when our fans and administration finally realized that Arkansas Basketball had slipped and was no longer a top 10 program that could attract a ‘big name’ coach, writer Scott Cain asked former Razorback player and current ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes: ‘How’d this happen?’

“As beautiful and as great a facility as Bud Walton is, it’s a little outdated on game day because the students are not situated where they can impact that game,” Dykes said. “The music, how they go about everything from the pregame to the timeouts, a lot of those schools right now are doing something a little bit different.

[...] “Michigan State, North Carolina, places like that, in timeouts they’re piping in music, blasting and blaring like NBA games and the place is going nuts,” Dykes said.  “Small things like that can make a major impact on those home courts.”

Dykes was kind when he referred to the Nail-Gunter experience as “a little outdated.”  As many college basketball venues as Dykes visits during the season, his opinions should carry a lot of weight.

Something’s got to give here…if for no other reason than to aid in recruiting.  You must always be mindful of what sells your program to an 18-year-old.  And I don’t think we’re getting that done by playing the 1962 smash hit, “Hey, Baby” by Bruce Channel.  Keeping the same course is doing our new coach and staff a disservice — putting them at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to recruiting.

In the next segment on Thursday, we’ll take a look at what other college and NBA teams are doing before and during games to make their venues special.