From Victoria Times-Colonist
NCAA test a tough one for Vikes
By Cleve Dheensaw, Times Colonist September 7, 2010 •Story•Photos ( 1 )
Vikes guard Ryan MacKinnon drives around Rodney Williams of the Golden Gophers during their preseason tilt at UVic's McKinnon Gym on Sunday afternoon. McKinnon finished with 12 points on the day.Photograph by: Adrian Lam, Times Colonist, Times Colonist
The University of Victoria Vikes knew they were not in for a usual basketball game Sunday afternoon before nearly 2,000 fans at McKinnon Gym.
That became abundantly clear when six-foot-seven swingman Rodney Williams, projected as a top-10 NBA draft pick for 2011, soared for a pair of Jordan-esque dunks in a 101-67 victory by the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers of the NCAA Big Ten Conference.
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2 comments:
So a crowd of nearly "2,000" showed up at the McKinnon gym to see Minnesota play the Vikes...
Well, what a coincidence.
Here in Ottawa, a crowd also in the just under 2,000 range (less than 1,800,actually) turned out to see the Ravens play Cincinnati.
Unfortunately, while nearly 2,000 looks good at a university gym, a crowd of 1,800 people at Scotia Bank Place (capacity over 19,000 for hockey) looks an awful lot like the "crowds" the Ottawa Lynx used to draw in their dying days.
For all intents and purposes, the game may as well have been played at Alumni Hall, because the announced crowd was not much beyond what Carleton's home gym could hold.
Personally, I was thoroughly disappointed with the meager turnout.
I hoped at least 4,000 would show...a program with the vaunted reputation of Carleton and a Big East power like the Bearcats couldn't draw flies.
What a pity.
A meaningless pre-season game between the 67's and Kingston would probably draw a crowd at least twice the size in a facility half the size of SBP.
Perhaps SBP is the problem.
In the three years CIS Nationals were held there, I came to the conclusion that the place is far from ideal for such an event.
Too big a venue, too far away from downtown, inaccessible from public transit, and unreasonable parking and concession prices.
Judging by the dwindling crowds, many others have reached the same conclusion.
And to think SBP will host AGAIN in two years time?
Yikes!
agreed
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