Holiday Tournaments for the Next 5 Years

RowdyPkunk said:
It's not just the "home court advantage" but its generally about travel & stuff to do when not at Basketball games. And also usually about a "centralized" location.

Lemme ask you this.... what would there be to do in Dayton in the middle of March, when we're not at the A10 Tournament? Where as when the tourney has been in Brooklyn, Pittsburgh & DC... there's PLENTY of stuff to do.
Click to expand...
what location in the A10 would bring the largest attendance setting aside the centrality issue and be easiest on the fans pocketbook ( I would say Dayton and then Green City) problem I see with that IMO is most schools don't want to give dayton and vcu an advantage of either playing on home court or nearby

I loved the DC location (have family there) but attendance was an issue for non VCU sessions IMO - BUT in most conference tournaments the finals are often sparsely attended because of where the tournaments are played

I have been to Brooklyn twice (once the early exit year against Rhody with Marcus injury but monster game from MSS)
attendance there is limited IMHO( upper level blocked off) (VCU typically travels best ) and costs are high to hold it at Barclays and for fans and teams but NYC rocks as far as alternative entertainment if you are only watching the one game a day or one session a day

the same time we are in NYC the Big East is packing MSG every night/ every session typically (power of having St Johns, Seton Hall, villanova and Providence in easy proximity by train and at one time Georgetown )

about the same amount of things to do in Dayton as Richmond in March , i.e. pretty limited beyond restaurants (nyc, philly and dc all superior for other activities- no question)
 
mike7842 said:
I do not think we have ever won a holiday tournament? Or come in second?
Click to expand...

Depends on how far you go back. VCU won the Times-Dispatch Tournament in 1980, 1983 and 1984. VCU also won the Coliseum Invitational in 1977, the Spider Classic in 1979 and the Krystal Classic in Chattanooga, TN in 1984. Can't remember any tournament wins since 1984, but that's only 38 years since the last tournament win. 🤣🤣🤣
 
Last edited:
Wolfpack Ram said:
Depends on how far you go back. VCU won the Times-Dispatch Tournament in 1980, 1983 and 1984. VCU also won the Coliseum Invitational in 1977, the Spider Classic in 1979 and the Krystal Classic in Chattanooga, TN in 1984. Can't remember any tournament wins since 1984, but that's only 28 years since the last tournament win. 🤣🤣🤣
Click to expand...

Rams won their own Holiday Tournament in Dec. 29-30, '75, at Coliseum. VCU routed City College of New York in semifinals and then topped Michigan State - yes Michigan State - in finals. You're wondering the same as me - why would the Spartans come to Richmond under such circumstances? Whatever, it served as something of a coming out party for Gerald Henderson.
 
Didn't VCU host some thrown together tournament at the Stu where we beat New Hampshire in the championship? If I remember correctly, we beat some D2 school in the first game. Am I imaging this or did it happen?
 
enonram said:
Didn't VCU host some thrown together tournament at the Stu where we beat New Hampshire in the championship? If I remember correctly, we beat some D2 school in the first game. Am I imaging this or did it happen?
Click to expand...
It happened in 2010 but we played (and beat) Wofford, not a D2 team. It was a 4-team MTE called the Richmond Marriott Holidays on the Hardwood Classic; Cornell was the fourth team.
 
mike7842 said:
I do not think we have ever won a holiday tournament? Or come in second?
Click to expand...
We placed second out of 4 teams in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn in 2018. We beat Temple and then lost in overtime to St. John’s after we got screwed at the end of regulation when Evans was fouled on a last second attempt to win the game and there was no call. It wasn’t an amazing field, but I’m surprised VCU basketball scholars like @bighornn couldn’t remember a game 4 years ago or look it up on RTD’s website.
 
share the ball said:
what location in the A10 would bring the largest attendance setting aside the centrality issue and be easiest on the fans pocketbook ( I would say Dayton and then Green City) problem I see with that IMO is most schools don't want to give dayton and vcu an advantage of either playing on home court or nearby

I loved the DC location (have family there) but attendance was an issue for non VCU sessions IMO - BUT in most conference tournaments the finals are often sparsely attended because of where the tournaments are played

I have been to Brooklyn twice (once the early exit year against Rhody with Marcus injury but monster game from MSS)
attendance there is limited IMHO( upper level blocked off) (VCU typically travels best ) and costs are high to hold it at Barclays and for fans and teams but NYC rocks as far as alternative entertainment if you are only watching the one game a day or one session a day

the same time we are in NYC the Big East is packing MSG every night/ every session typically (power of having St Johns, Seton Hall, villanova and Providence in easy proximity by train and at one time Georgetown )

about the same amount of things to do in Dayton as Richmond in March , i.e. pretty limited beyond restaurants (nyc, philly and dc all superior for other activities- no question)
Click to expand...
While Dayton may be the cheapest or "easiest on the pocketbook" what is there to do when you're not at games?....

ALSO now because of the A10 & their wisdom... now there's a random off day in the tournament before the Semifinals? or Quarterfinals?..... So that day where there's literally no games going on.... what is there to do in Dayton besides drink, go swimming in the hotel pool, eat.... etc. that you can't do in NYC, Pittsburgh, DC.... etc.

I'd argue Pittsburgh is the best value... there's plenty of things to do around the city when not at A10 Tourney games and you're not getting bent over the table in terms of hotel prices, prices for food at restuarants.... etc. that you would in NYC or even DC.
 
Wolfpack Ram said:
Depends on how far you go back. VCU won the Times-Dispatch Tournament in 1980, 1983 and 1984. VCU also won the Coliseum Invitational in 1977, the Spider Classic in 1979 and the Krystal Classic in Chattanooga, TN in 1984. Can't remember any tournament wins since 1984, but that's only 28 years since the last tournament win. 🤣🤣🤣
Click to expand...

Eh……38.
 
RowdyPkunk said:
While Dayton may be the cheapest or "easiest on the pocketbook" what is there to do when you're not at games?....

ALSO now because of the A10 & their wisdom... now there's a random off day in the tournament before the Semifinals? or Quarterfinals?..... So that day where there's literally no games going on.... what is there to do in Dayton besides drink, go swimming in the hotel pool, eat.... etc. that you can't do in NYC, Pittsburgh, DC.... etc.

I'd argue Pittsburgh is the best value... there's plenty of things to do around the city when not at A10 Tourney games and you're not getting bent over the table in terms of hotel prices, prices for food at restuarants.... etc. that you would in NYC or even DC.
Click to expand...
You have to think that day off might make it tougher to book a venue for future tournaments. Now they need the arena Tuesday through Sunday? Pitt has hockey, Brooklyn has basketball and DC and Philly have both. Unfortunately DC and Philly are where I would most like to see a future tournament.
 
VCU Finance 2008 said:
You have to think that day off might make it tougher to book a venue for future tournaments. Now they need the arena Tuesday through Sunday? Pitt has hockey, Brooklyn has basketball and DC and Philly have both. Unfortunately DC and Philly are where I would most like to see a future tournament.
Click to expand...
Of the ones we mentioned.... Pitt would be the easiest because you only have 1 sport to contend with... and theoretically the penguins could be booked for a road trip that week similar to how the Spurs in the NBA always have a certain time where they go on a long road trip cause the rodeo or something comes to town.

Philly & DC the problem is you got 2 sports to contend with.

The other option in Philly that others brought up would be the Palestra... but that only holds like 8000 people or something. Not sure what the Average attendance for an A10 tourney game or A10 final is.... but I wonder if you had VCU & Dayton in the final.... easily 2 of the biggest crowd drawing if not the 2 biggest crowd drawing teams in the A10..... would the Palestra be big enough?
 
RowdyPkunk said:
Of the ones we mentioned.... Pitt would be the easiest because you only have 1 sport to contend with... and theoretically the penguins could be booked for a road trip that week similar to how the Spurs in the NBA always have a certain time where they go on a long road trip cause the rodeo or something comes to town.

Philly & DC the problem is you got 2 sports to contend with.

The other option in Philly that others brought up would be the Palestra... but that only holds like 8000 people or something. Not sure what the Average attendance for an A10 tourney game or A10 final is.... but I wonder if you had VCU & Dayton in the final.... easily 2 of the biggest crowd drawing if not the 2 biggest crowd drawing teams in the A10..... would the Palestra be big enough?
Click to expand...
The Palestra has history going for it, but it would be a terrible location for a conference tournament - limited concessions and outdated facilities.
 
WillWeaverRVA said:
The Palestra has history going for it, but it would be a terrible location for a conference tournament - limited concessions and outdated facilities.
Click to expand...
I'll take limited old school concessions instead of Brooklyn's $14 soda and $10 hotdogs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top