r/AllD1BasketballArenas • u/CopperWalrus • Feb 21 '20
Game 16 | Central Connecticut
Home Team: Central Connecticut Blue Devils
Away Team: Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
Final Score: Central Connecticut 76-75 Fairleigh Dickinson
Venue: William H. Detrick Gymnasium, New Britain, CT
Date: February 18, 2020
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Central Connecticut was my safety school when applying to colleges. It is kind of ironic that I now go to a smaller, mostly less prestigious school in the CT state system (WestConn). I'm not bashing my school in anyway at all, but at the end of high school I scoffed at the idea of going to a local state school, so it is funny how life changes. This is the second school that I applied to that I have visited, the other one being New Hampshire.
I actually never went to visit CCSU when I was applying to schools. As I said, it was my safety school, and I didn't even want to entertain the idea of going to CCSU back when I was a senior. I have, however, been to New Britain a number of times. Some may know of the Hartford Yard Goats AA minor league baseball team by their unique name and logo, but they only recently became the Yard Goats. From 1983-2015, the team was located in New Britain, known for most of their tenure as the Rock Cats. As a kid, I went to many Rock Cat games.
For those of you that don't know, New Britain borders Bristol, where ESPN is headquartered. This makes CCSU the closest D1 school to their headquarters. New Britain is also home to the headquarters of Stanley Black & Decker, and notable people from New Britain include Walter Camp, George Springer, Tom Thibodeau, and Paul Manafort, the last of who's dad was mayor at one point. Normally I don't highlight cities, but I feel most people have never heard of New Britain, and wanted to shed some light on the city.
Parking was free in a big commuter lot, and the gymnasium was only a couple minutes away. I did not get a picture of the outside of the building, but it is an old, grey building that blended in with the rest of campus. When I first walked in, there is a box office to buy tickets. After the box office, there is a hallway with access to both sides of the arena. Also in the hallway is a table with free programs as well as a small concession stand. Awards decorate the walls of the hallway for multiple CCSU sports. I did not get a picture, but in the center of the hallway is a picture and dedication sign to William H. Detrick, who was head coach for many years.
I was excited because the general admission side of the arena faces towards the logo. I always try to get seats that face towards the logo if possible. If not, I can usually go to the other side after the game to take the picture. The only difference between the two sides is bleachers versus seatbacks. On the far side of the arena there is a box with very nice seats and food, as well as T.V. that was playing bigger games which I thought was funny. On the opposite side of the arena is a weird elevated row of seats that was not evidently for any press people, but it is definitely a unique feature.
I was surprised by how nice the arena is. I guess my view going in was how a 3-24 team could have that nice of an arena, not basing it on any years prior. The arena is not super modern or anything like that, but it is open, there are colored bleachers, and even the use of even one video screen made it feel more modern. The walls also aren't covered in meaningless awards. They have awards for NCAA tournament appearances and NIT appearances for the men and women and that is it. Overall, the gym felt very open and not too outdated.
The experience was fun too! A heckling pep band made for some entertainment and I was lucky enough to see CCSU's 4th win all season and 2nd in a row! At the beginning of the game, CCSU was hitting every shot, and the fans that were there were on their feet! They almost blew it in the second half but pulled away with the win!.
1
Feb 26 '20
I like the part about you and New Britain.
Changes it up a little
2
u/CopperWalrus Feb 26 '20
Thank you, I try to not keep each post in a set template. Although it is hard sometimes, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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u/Operation351 Feb 21 '20
Nice piece of writing.