I've been to both as well, and I can definitively say that there was nothing about Cameron or Allen that even remotely reminded me of G. Rollie...up to and including a long and fantastic history of high level, winning basketball.
And even if G. Rollie was on par with what Duke and UK have, we have never been and likely never will be the basketball powerhouse that those guys are. When you win like Duke and UK do, you can get by with a somewhat subpar arena. But when you put out a product like A&M has put out for most of the last 100+ years, a cruddy, rundown, outdated arena won't cut it. Duke and Kansas could still win with an archaic facility. A&M could not.
And while I'm no fan of Reed Arena, it's not like there aren't other highly successful programs with boring, stale, cavernous arenas. Check out the Dean Dome at North Carolina. Or the Carrier Dome at Syracuse. The Kohl Center at Wisconsin is nothing to get all that excited about. Heck, Texas Tech is building a nice program playing in the underwhelming arena named after a grocery store.
Point is, it's not the facility, the layout, the alcohol sales, or the armchair seats that make a successful program. It's the coach, the product on the floor, and the undying/raucous fan support that make the venues good or bad.
And even if G. Rollie was on par with what Duke and UK have, we have never been and likely never will be the basketball powerhouse that those guys are. When you win like Duke and UK do, you can get by with a somewhat subpar arena. But when you put out a product like A&M has put out for most of the last 100+ years, a cruddy, rundown, outdated arena won't cut it. Duke and Kansas could still win with an archaic facility. A&M could not.
And while I'm no fan of Reed Arena, it's not like there aren't other highly successful programs with boring, stale, cavernous arenas. Check out the Dean Dome at North Carolina. Or the Carrier Dome at Syracuse. The Kohl Center at Wisconsin is nothing to get all that excited about. Heck, Texas Tech is building a nice program playing in the underwhelming arena named after a grocery store.
Point is, it's not the facility, the layout, the alcohol sales, or the armchair seats that make a successful program. It's the coach, the product on the floor, and the undying/raucous fan support that make the venues good or bad.
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
