Conference USA eyeing new Cowboys practice facility as possible home for hoops tournaments

[Harry]

In true Dallas Cowboys style, “The Star in Frisco” is 91 acres of spare-no-expense opulence – a $1.5 billion complex that contains the team’s corporate headquarters, two practice fields, a 12,000-seat indoor football stadium with interior and exterior video boards and an entertainment district with restaurants, shops and a hotel.

Could it be the site of the 2018 Conference USA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments? A vote by athletic directors later this month will decide.

Finding a convenient tournament location for a conference whose membership sprawls from West Texas to South Florida to Southeastern Virginia has been a challenge for C-USA.

 

read more: http://pilotonline.com/sports/college/old-dominion/basketball/conference-usa-eyeing-new-cowboys-practice-facility-as-possible-home/article_b01bdf97-0603-5ae9-b8b0-9481f7d08cec.html

[DeepGreen]

Eastern Div schools will balk.  Not a central location for them.

[bstnsportsfan3]

That would be awesome 

[drex]

Too good to be true.

[GrandGreen]

1 hour ago, DeepGreen said:

Eastern Div schools will balk.  Not a central location for them.

A lot more central than EL Paso.  Personally, I would go for Biloxi or Hot Springs as neutral locations.  New Orleans would be another, but I doubt that they would be interested.   I don't know of any neutral site that is actually going to offer any fan support.  Frisco might have some appeal to CUSA members as the DFW area certainly is likely to have more CUSA grads living in the area than any other city.   DFW as a whole doesn't have the charm of some places, but there are few places that have as much to offer tourists.   

[Wag Tag]

20 hours ago, DeepGreen said:

Eastern Div schools will balk.  Not a central location for them.

What is the payout? Deciding factor!

[GMG24]

On 5/6/2017 at 10:43 AM, DeepGreen said:

Eastern Div schools will balk.  Not a central location for them.

Not if they're smart. Gets them into metroplex and TX which has plenty of bball talent.  Plus just the venue alone will put butts in seats, more revenue for conference USA more revenue for schools.  

[MeanGreen_MBA]

11 hours ago, GMG24 said:

Not if they're smart. Gets them into metroplex and TX which has plenty of bball talent.  Plus just the venue alone will put butts in seats, more revenue for conference USA more revenue for schools.  

Plus, it is close to my house....

[UNTLifer]

13 hours ago, GMG24 said:

Not if they're smart. Gets them into metroplex and TX which has plenty of bball talent.  Plus just the venue alone will put butts in seats, more revenue for conference USA more revenue for schools.  

Oh so true, but usually these decisions aren't made intelligently.  

[Matt from A700]

Please let this happen. I don't care if the butts aren't C-USA school fans' butts, there will still be more butts than in Birmingham if they play the games at The Star.

[DT 90]

Its a freaking high school football stadium with AT&T Stadium style concessions.   Surely they can come up with a better place than that. Hell the "Palace" at Glen Rose High School is a better basketball venue than "The STAR" 

[UNTFan23]

39 minutes ago, DT 90 said:

Its a freaking high school football stadium with AT&T Stadium style concessions.   Surely they can come up with a better place than that. Hell the "Palace" at Glen Rose High School is a better basketball venue than "The STAR" 

The driving factor of The Star hosting the tournament is that they can divide the stadium into two portions so that you can have two games being played at the same time. This is necessary for the first two rounds of the basketball tournament.

I heard ODU wanted to host but they can't get a second court lined up.

[MeanGreen_MBA]

39 minutes ago, DT 90 said:

Its a freaking high school football stadium with AT&T Stadium style concessions.   Surely they can come up with a better place than that. Hell the "Palace" at Glen Rose High School is a better basketball venue than "The STAR" 

You have the venue, PLUS all of the area restaurants and bars within walking distance of The Star...it is a great venue for the total experience.  Not sure how you can say it is not a great basketball venue..have you watched a basketball game there?

[DT 90]

1 hour ago, MeanGreen_MBA said:

You have the venue, PLUS all of the area restaurants and bars within walking distance of The Star...it is a great venue for the total experience.  Not sure how you can say it is not a great basketball venue..have you watched a basketball game there?

Yea Frisco is the bomb.  No, haven't seen basketball game there but I have watched a high school football game there. Again, it's an average high school stadium (albeit enclosed) with way above average concessions.  

 

Not sure how they will split it up to make two courts and playing at the same time and control the noise aspect?  Horns and whistles from one game impacting the other?    

   

1 hour ago, UNTFan23 said:

The driving factor of The Star hosting the tournament is that they can divide the stadium into two portions so that you can have two games being played at the same time. This is necessary for the first two rounds of the basketball tournament.

I heard ODU wanted to host but they can't get a second court lined up.

Really?  SEC played on one court at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Big 12 played on one court in the Sprint Center in Kansas City. ACC played on one court at Madison Square Garden in NYC. 

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

3 minutes ago, DT 90 said:

Yea Frisco is the bomb.  No, haven't seen basketball game there but I have watched a high school football game there. Again, it's an average high school stadium (albeit enclosed) with way above average concessions.  

 

Not sure how they will split it up to make two courts and playing at the same time and control the noise aspect?  Horns and whistles from one game impacting the other?    

   

Agree.  We went to the opening game this year because our niece was in one of the bands.  Having a high school football game indoors definitely takes away the atmosphere of a high school game.  And, I'd say ditto to high school games at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.

However, times are different.  The fun of high school games to me as a kid was playing under the bleachers, running around the back side of the track near the end zone, etc.  But, kids these days are glued to iPhones and whatnot anyway, so they may like the indoor games and stadiums.

Would have to see basketball in the Star to determine whether it was good.  Just sound weird, though, that they'd partition it off and have two games going at once.  Seems like it would be confusing if noise from the one game bled over to the other - crowds cheering, officials whistling fouls, etc. 

They do something similar to that at The Fieldhouse in Frisco with tons of basketball teams playing at once in tournaments.  It's very discombobulating to be in there when all the courts are filled, cheers are incongruent, and whistles are everywhere. 

[UNT Mean Green]

On ‎5‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 9:37 AM, Harry said:

In true Dallas Cowboys style, “The Star in Frisco” is 91 acres of spare-no-expense opulence – a $1.5 billion complex that contains the team’s corporate headquarters, two practice fields, a 12,000-seat indoor football stadium with interior and exterior video boards and an entertainment district with restaurants, shops and a hotel.

Could it be the site of the 2018 Conference USA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments? A vote by athletic directors later this month will decide.

Finding a convenient tournament location for a conference whose membership sprawls from West Texas to South Florida to Southeastern Virginia has been a challenge for C-USA.

 

read more: http://pilotonline.com/sports/college/old-dominion/basketball/conference-usa-eyeing-new-cowboys-practice-facility-as-possible-home/article_b01bdf97-0603-5ae9-b8b0-9481f7d08cec.html

Great opportunity to leverage UNT's exclusive partnership with the Dallas Cowboys.

[GrandGreen]

Tell no one commenting. went to the Southland tournaments in Shreveport.   Portable floor, portable seating for maybe 1000 in the middle of big fair building with cement floors.   That is actually not all that pertinent, but neutral sites can be less than desired.   Hot Springs facilities were nothing special but worked very well. 

My guess is that the Star would be just fine.  Actually above fine, for NT fans who if they have a descent team should be able to fill the arena.    Again I bet DFW has by far the most alumni of CUSA than any city.   People who travel by plane also should have easy access, and it does not really matter were they are coming from.