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  • Evansville AAR

    Here are my thoughts on the trip, the game, and the surroundings:

    -Like UNI, this drive can be had in one day but is much more pleasant when broken up. Drove Saturday afternoon to Mt Vernon, Illinois and then the rest of the way in Sunday (about 90 miles). Coming home drove to Columbia after the game and on in today. Not much to say about the drive that most haven't said since the bulk of it is the same route we take to St Louis. Evansville is tucked in between Illinois and Kentucky, and just not that darn far from Terre Haute or Carbondale. I am especially glad we fly charter after realizing the geographical travel advantage the other teams in the league have.
    -Had a chance to drive around Evansville a bit. Saw where the movie "A League of their Own" was filmed (1915 ballpark that Evansville used to play in). I am not being condescending but I truly never found a "nice" part of Evansville, as in residential section. Maybe someone can tell me where it is. The school campus is tiny, like KCAC size, which I guess I should have expected given the enrollment. The downtown area looks to have been revitalized with a casino along the river and the new arena. Main Street next to the arena has several eateries/bars and I wandered into a place called the Main Gate, where I met the maniac shocker fan (and his sidekick) who hasn't missed a home or road game the past five years. If you are reading this, sir, you are my hero.
    -Ford Arena was not my favorite venue for several reasons. The place was retrofit into downtown but was not built, in my opinion, for basketball. The seats are a long way from the court, temporary bleachers are put up behind the goal to try and give an intimidating effect (which blocks the view of permanent seats), and the upper level, while great for concerts maybe, just shouldn't be necessary for a 10k seat basketball arena. There were tons of fans there that I believe were given tickets to help fill up the place and many probably have never attended an Aces game. This includes the hockey twits sitting above me.
    -The employees of the arena were nice as were some of the fans, but there were more jackasses there than any of the other venues I have visited combined. Not sure if it was the alcohol being served or the fact that they have really nothing to be happy about, but several folks I saw came to the game with the sole purpose of trying to make Shocker Nation's life as miserable as possible yesterday. FAIL. Like @jdshock: said in another thread, they seemed to be looking for a scuffle. Yelling "down in front" the second we stood up was one gem I clearly remember. These were grown adults (at least in age), as the student section couldn't have been more than 100-150 total.
    -Now for the game. Evansville played good, probably one of their top three performances all year. They shot over 50%, only missed one free throw, and out rebounded us. However, we scouted the piss out of their motion and anticipated many passes that we didn't last game or last year. Those extra possessions were the difference...and the fact they couldn't stop us in the half court. Higgins and crew were the best we've had all year, IMHO. That is saying something coming from me. Not sure why they quit going to the big Euro but once they did, ballgame. Balentine started forcing as well...when you are primarily a one man show and it ain't workin, things go south in a hurry.
    -Met some folks from Kentucky that knew the Baker family. Great bunch of people. Also met some classy Shocker fans from Nashville who made the four hour drive.

    I have to work for a living so someone is going to have to carry the flame the next two road shows, starting Wednesday in Chicago.

  • #2
    Good Read, yea I imagine that theirs not alot to hang your hat on in Evansville. If Marty can find a few more pieces they could be a upper division team. The big kid has a nice game aroung the basket, and Balentine is really good. If he can find a running mate, watch out. We need them to get better and start getting OOC wins.

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    • #3
      I'll be carrying the torch at Loyola and Bradley. I know we have a group of 30 tix for Loyola, so I'm looking forward to it!

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      • #4
        Sounds like Aces1982 wants to get his ass beaten down.... again.
        Deuces Valley.
        ... No really, deuces.
        ________________
        "Enjoy the ride."

        - a smart man

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        • #5
          Mockevicus (sp?) was gassed. The TV analysts noted it and when he came out our bigs went to work. They could use Sawvell. I'm guessing he wasn't interested in standing around watching one player take half the shots again for the rest of his career.
          Wichita State, home of the All-Americans.

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          • #6
            Good read. I always enjoy reading what other fanbases have to say about our program, crowd, etc.

            As far as the city, yes, there are decent residential areas. Immediately east of UE, are neighborhoods of brick homes built in the 30's and 40's along tree lined boulevards, which have aged very well. Most new growth since the 60's has been to the far east and north sides, into Newburgh and McCutchanville. There is a section on the west side that is full of old world Germans. Several corner taverns in this area still feaure brain sandwiches on their menus. I will lay off the Travel Channel crap now.

            I apologize for any of our fanbase that was moronic. Myself, like most of our fans, were impressed that there were that many Shocker fans who made the trip to the opposite corner of the Valley. I had a great conversation with one at the concession line. As you may have noticed, the crowd stood and applauded at the end of the game. That is not something we typically do after a loss. Part of it was appreciation for the way the team actually played, but alot of it was for respect to what you guys are doing right now. The hockey twits have been showing more for the last couple of games, something I am happy about. For many years, we had a large and vocal fanbase at games. Through the sucktitude of the 2000's, the casual fan has left, leaving the wine and cheese season ticket holders. I appreciate their loyalty, but they are boring....and they scream sit down at us as well, so don't take it personally..lol. Meanwhile, a hockey team comes in, actually designates a section for the "asylum" and draws casual fan in with a fun environment, where it is ok and actually encoraged to stand and scream. I have been saying for the last couple of years that we need to emmulate them and reach out to those fans. Apparently someone has started to do that.

            I know it's easy from afar to think status quo works here, hell, we think it alot sitting right here. Along with the Ford Center, new state of the art practice facilities recently opened on campus. In addition, recently it came to light that a group of well funded boosters have formed to address shortfalls in the program, both financially and athletically. I don't think anyone is ready to discuss Marty's future, however, I don't get the feeling his leash is as long as some believe. Should that happen, I think the commitment is there to generate the funds to adequately replace him. Personally, I like Marty and hope he succeeds. He is a great guy with the loyalty and passion of a standout alum...of course, the same could be said about Randy Smithson.

            I hope you and many of your fanbase continue to come to Evansville each year. I also hope that it's because the game has championship implications for BOTH teams. Best of luck and get the NCAA ring. We are pulling for you..of course, I wouldn't mind seeing you get Evansville'd in St. Louis first......

            As far as Aces1982, most of us would be happy to hold him down for you.

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            • #7
              Thank you E-Villan. I knew there had to be nice neighborhoods just didn't know where they were.

              There were plenty of cordial fans too. I almost felt like I was at a professional event where, no matter what city, you get a fair amount of morons.

              One thing I failed to point out is the arena is very nice. I just didn't think it was too good for a basketball venue.

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              • #8
                I'm going to be living it large in Bradley

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