Saturday, June 23, 2007
Humphrey Coliseum
There has been talk of expanding the Hump and building new practice facilities. All the bulldog faithful who make the trek to Humphrey Coliseum know its more than just brick and hardwood floors, it is something special. I attended MSU from 98-02 and spent countless hours before opening of the doors just to get a floor seat. Now I am a regualar season ticket holder and try to make the treck from Brandon, MS everyone chance I get. The Hump has been described by some opposing players as the hardest place to play in the Southeastern Conferance. Some of my fondest memories are at the Hump. The hair stands up on the back of my neck everytime I hear Dr. Flick say "To the Hump for Hoops". If you never been to the Hump it is an atmosphere that word don't do justice. Over the last couple of years I have found myself taking my deer club dues and putting it toward season tickets and gas money. The Hump is a special place to me and I don't see any advantages to the players or our fanbase by expanding the Hump. Lets focus on getting Coach Stansbury some state of the art practice facilities and keep the atmosphere that is feared around the SEC. What does the Hump mean to you and what impression has Humphrey Coliseum left on you?
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4 comments:
Glad to be the first to comment. I too love the hump. I am old enough to remember the last season in McCarthy gym and moving into Humphrey with the bumper sticker "a dunk away from postseason play" because the dunk wasent legal yet and was about to become so. I was a ballboy during the Jim Hatfield years with Jeff Malone and Butch Pierre and being involved with the team has always made me feel closer to the basketball program than any of the other sports.
It really is a tough place to play because the fans are right on top of the players, but moreso because we've been a great program ever since Richard Williams took over and Stansbury has continued it. I dont know the feasibility of expanding vs new facility, but I'd rather expand no matter what that might entail to keep the mystique.
I think it's pretty ironic that we are now known as a basketball school as some reporters have said but football is the obvious choice of the masses, baseball was first and had the most success over time, and basketball has only become something competitive in the last 15 years. (not counting the early 60's). The hump has simply played a big role in that.
Physically the only thing I'd like to see improved with it is the lighting for television. It seems like a dark room on tv. I like the lighting when I am there, but it just doesnt translate well to tv. Small thing I know.
Anyway. good luck with the blog.
digger
I completely agree with keeping the Hump! I'm ok with expansion and renovation but I would have to be against moving to a new facility. The Hump is our Cameron, only newer and bigger.
The Hump means many things to me. I attended some games my Freshmen year ('89) but it really wasn't a priority. My Sophomore year my roommates were hardcore basketball fans an I just got swept up in it. Not only did we attend all the home games but a large portion of the afternoon practice sessions as well. Other than my apartment, and maybe McCool Hall, I spent more time at the Hump than anywhere else during my time at MSU.
The Hump to me is camping out for the LSU game, waking up to Jackie bringing us doughnuts, cheering for hours on end until you can't yell anymore. It's tradition. While relatively new tradition that is what makes it special to me, it's a tradition I was part of building and that we continue to build on today. The Hump isn't the biggest arena in the SEC, it doesn't have all the little extra things some places have, but there is something about it that just feels like home. It's very hard to explain when a building just "feels" right, but the Hump has that. It's a building nicknamed by the students over the years, not some silly sounding, marketing generated name. It's something that has grown up around us and is as much a part of our basketball foundation as the great coaches, players, and fans that have helped over the years.
I've seen the long term plan for campus with the new basketball arena but they really need to think about that. You have captured a spirit and feeling in a building that few places have. Why risk losing that?
- DDayDawg
How big of an expansion are they talking about. I heard they were going to take the roof off and extend it up another 50 some odd feet and have press boxes and then put seating on top of the boxes. Is that so?
I am currently a student at State and I love the Hump. It is truly one of the toughest places to play in college basketball. From what I have heard it will be around a 5,000 seat expansion including club and press boxes. I don't think this expansion will really effect the feel or atmosphere of the Hump because the bottom level will still exist in it's current state. I do believe that new practice facilities should come first and then an update of our ticket system. I think it is pathetic to have every home game sold out and not have a full stadium.
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