The fact is students make up a small percentage of tickets sales for OU football and basketball games. The majority of your fan base is going to be non-students, therefore the UNP location for a new arena makes the most sense if we are talking about boosting attendance. Placing it in UNP will get more people from Moore and Oklahoma city to attend games.

Student ticket sales still make up a healthy portion of any college's bball program, and they are much more reliable on attendance than older ticket holders. However, from a financial aspect, student ticket prices are obviously lower than general public tickets. But if you want a lively atmosphere, an on campus arena is the only way to go. I also think you're overestimating attendance from people in Moore and OKC for college bball, its just not an attractive form of entertainment these days, especially with the Thunder.


OU's student section is pretty weak... I'm not sure a "But what about the students?" argument is even valid in this case.

I remember during the Frank Martin era at K-State. Their students would come down and take over the LNC. Even some of them sitting in the OU student section.

I'd say its weak based on LNC already being quite a ways from the main campus. Going to UNP would make it even weaker.

The OU athletic department needs to embrace the father of modern OU hoops.
There has been zero recognition of what Tubbs brought not only to OU but that era of college ball.
The AD went to great lengths in the platitudes to Sherry Coale last year. Benches, banner in the rafters, etc.
There are former players such as Stacy King who have been vocal on this.
Why no recognition such as naming the court?
Tubbs put asses in the seats at the LNC on a regular basis.

Student ticket sales still make up a healthy portion of any college's bball program, and they are much more reliable on attendance than older ticket holders. However, from a financial aspect, student ticket prices are obviously lower than general public tickets. But if you want a lively atmosphere, an on campus arena is the only way to go. I also think you're overestimating attendance from people in Moore and OKC for college bball, its just not an attractive form of entertainment these days, especially with the Thunder.



I'd say its weak based on LNC already being quite a ways from the main campus. Going to UNP would make it even weaker.

almost none of this is accurate

How could it be possible that the University of Oklahoma cant get a new basketball arena built on or near campus. The whole UNP proposal makes zero sense.

There is a reason that you see no other major universities proposing new off campus facilities (for any sport) and several trying as hard as they can to get venues back on campus if at all possible. This is a proposal i would expect to see in 1989 not 2022.

How could it be possible that the University of Oklahoma cant get a new basketball arena built on or near campus. The whole UNP proposal makes zero sense.

There is a reason that you see no other major universities proposing new off campus facilities (for any sport) and several trying as hard as they can to get venues back on campus if at all possible. This is a proposal i would expect to see in 1989 not 2022.

OU has had almost 0 issue selling basketball season tickets in the past 25 years ..


they do have a big problem getting ticket holders to come to the games .. every season ticket holder meeting and survey one of the biggest issue is making it easier to come to games and having dinning/drink options around the arena before and after games .....

also OU is not going to spend money on a new basketball stadium until a ton of other projects are done (including about 400 mil more on the football stadium)

UNP stadium project solves a ton of the issue OU basketball has .... and makes a TON of sense ..

the college basketball team that makes the most money in the country has an off campus arena ...

OU has had almost 0 issue selling basketball season tickets in the past 25 years ..


they do have a big problem getting ticket holders to come to the games .. every season ticket holder meeting and survey one of the biggest issue is making it easier to come to games and having dinning/drink options around the arena before and after games .....

also OU is not going to spend money on a new basketball stadium until a ton of other projects are done (including about 400 mil more on the football stadium)

UNP stadium project solves a ton of the issue OU basketball has .... and makes a TON of sense ..

the college basketball team that makes the most money in the country has an off campus arena ...

Yea, There is a bit of a difference in a school located in an urban setting playing in the downtown core of a large city on the banks of the Ohio River and a University surrounded by prime real estate instead choosing to put a stadium next to a kohl's parking lot off of the interstate.

OU has had almost 0 issue selling basketball season tickets in the past 25 years ..


they do have a big problem getting ticket holders to come to the games .. every season ticket holder meeting and survey one of the biggest issue is making it easier to come to games and having dinning/drink options around the arena before and after games .....

also OU is not going to spend money on a new basketball stadium until a ton of other projects are done (including about 400 mil more on the football stadium)

UNP stadium project solves a ton of the issue OU basketball has .... and makes a TON of sense ..

the college basketball team that makes the most money in the country has an off campus arena ...

Yea, There is a bit of a difference in a school located in an urban setting playing in the downtown core of a large city on the banks of the Ohio River and a University surrounded by prime real estate instead choosing to put a stadium next to a kohl's parking lot off of the interstate.

If OU wants the venue off campus, they should look towards downtown. It keeps the stadium close for students and it would be surrounded by far superior dining/drink/entertainment options than anything at UNP.

Yea, There is a bit of a difference in a school located in an urban setting playing in the downtown core of a large city on the banks of the Ohio River and a University surrounded by prime real estate instead choosing to put a stadium next to a kohl's parking lot off of the interstate.
Agreed. This would also add to the vibrancy of the campus making it more appealing as well.

Yea, There is a bit of a difference in a school located in an urban setting playing in the downtown core of a large city on the banks of the Ohio River and a University surrounded by prime real estate instead choosing to put a stadium next to a kohl's parking lot off of the interstate.

What school is that? University of Louisville is NOWHERE near downtown Louisville or near the urban center. At least look to make sure your facts are correct. Like, that's bad, because you were trying to bash him, but failed.

lol LNC is on campus .... most students don't live on campus and i have talked to the coach about a new stadium

So why did you share that you talked to the coach without sharing what he told you? That does not make your opinion anymore credible

What school is that? University of Louisville is NOWHERE near downtown Louisville or near the urban center. At least look to make sure your facts are correct. Like, that's bad, because you were trying to bash him, but failed.

I never mentioned anything about how close or far campus was to downtown Louisville. Not really sure what you’re even talking about.

The university of Louisville is located in a city. choosing to play in the core of that city (that has no nba team) in a downtown arena makes a little sense. It’s not like they went to some random retail strip center off of I-65 and built an arena between a Sams club parking lot and a Zaxby’s.

And I’m not trying to bash anyone. OU has an unbelievably beautiful campus, great amenities, a highly involved student population, and a highly successful athletic department. Why anyone would want to break basketball away from that and bury it out next to some big box shopping development baffles me.

I never mentioned anything about how close or far campus was to downtown Louisville. Not really sure what you’re even talking about.

The university of Louisville is located in a city. choosing to play in the core of that city (that has no nba team) in a downtown arena makes a little sense. It’s not like they went to some random retail strip center off of I-65 and built an arena between a Sams club parking lot and a Zaxby’s.

And I’m not trying to bash anyone. OU has an unbelievably beautiful campus, great amenities, a highly involved student population, and a highly successful athletic department. Why anyone would want to break basketball away from that and bury it out next to some big box shopping development baffles me.
Actually the students haven’t been overly supportive for quite some time. Not really all that involved.

I never mentioned anything about how close or far campus was to downtown Louisville. Not really sure what you’re even talking about.

The university of Louisville is located in a city. choosing to play in the core of that city (that has no nba team) in a downtown arena makes a little sense. It’s not like they went to some random retail strip center off of I-65 and built an arena between a Sams club parking lot and a Zaxby’s.

And I’m not trying to bash anyone. OU has an unbelievably beautiful campus, great amenities, a highly involved student population, and a highly successful athletic department. Why anyone would want to break basketball away from that and bury it out next to some big box shopping development baffles me.

Thought you were talking about Louisville when you mentioned arena in an urban core of a large city on the Ohio River. My apologies.

Thought you were talking about Louisville when you mentioned arena in an urban core of a large city on the Ohio River. My apologies.

he was

Thought you were talking about Louisville when you mentioned arena in an urban core of a large city on the Ohio River. My apologies.

I was talking about Louisville. Their arena is located in downtown Louisville on the Ohio River. The main campus is about 4 miles south of the arena.

I never mentioned anything about how close or far campus was to downtown Louisville. Not really sure what you’re even talking about.

The university of Louisville is located in a city. choosing to play in the core of that city (that has no nba team) in a downtown arena makes a little sense. It’s not like they went to some random retail strip center off of I-65 and built an arena between a Sams club parking lot and a Zaxby’s.

And I’m not trying to bash anyone. OU has an unbelievably beautiful campus, great amenities, a highly involved student population, and a highly successful athletic department. Why anyone would want to break basketball away from that and bury it out next to some big box shopping development baffles me.

Because this UNP location is purely an economic decision and is ignoring the bball program, students, recruiting. Find a spot near the football stadium for an arena and you'd have a livelier and more fun atmosphere and more consistent attendance.

The talk of LNC being "on campus" might be technically true but its not for all intents and purposes.

Because this UNP location is purely an economic decision and is ignoring the bball program, students, recruiting. Find a spot near the football stadium for an arena and you'd have a livelier and more fun atmosphere and more consistent attendance.


again this is not correct ....

Because this UNP location is purely an economic decision and is ignoring the bball program, students, recruiting. Find a spot near the football stadium for an arena and you'd have a livelier and more fun atmosphere and more consistent attendance.

The talk of LNC being "on campus" might be technically true but its not for all intents and purposes.

Where are you going to park everyone? Dealing with the parking chaos around the football stadium is ok for the handful of Autumn home games. But in a state where no one wants to park and walk to anything to begin with. Do you think they are going to park and walk to a sport with more home games in the middle of winter? Not to mention weeknight games in the dark during winter.

Attendance would drop even more.

Maybe they could hold a few non-conference games in the old field house and offer the students free tickets to see how many actually show up.

again this is not correct ....

Why so you speak in such absolutes? Like, all the time. It makes it hard to have any discourse with you.

Because this UNP location is purely an economic decision and is ignoring the bball program, students, recruiting. Find a spot near the football stadium for an arena and you'd have a livelier and more fun atmosphere and more consistent attendance.

The talk of LNC being "on campus" might be technically true but its not for all intents and purposes.
Shortly after the city walked away from it "Sassy Pants"(Sassan Moghadam)the brick throwing developer cranked up Unite Norman. In Feb of this year Sassy went to the county commissioners.
Shortly after the county commisioners got involved back in Feb, they disbanded the 8 member oversight board. Oversight was then done by the three commissioners and the 3 member excise board. The excise board was chaired at the time by the new Norman mayor.
This UNP scheme is politics played out behind any oversight.

Why so you speak in such absolutes? Like, all the time. It makes it hard to have any discourse with you.

on this particular issue i have extensive knowledge

Shortly after the city walked away from it "Sassy Pants"(Sassan Moghadam)the brick throwing developer cranked up Unite Norman. In Feb of this year Sassy went to the county commissioners.
Shortly after the county commisioners got involved back in Feb, they disbanded the 8 member oversight board. Oversight was then done by the three commissioners and the 3 member excise board. The excise board was chaired at the time by the new Norman mayor.
This UNP scheme is politics played out behind any oversight.

Now that is interesting.

Shortly after the city walked away from it "Sassy Pants"(Sassan Moghadam)the brick throwing developer cranked up Unite Norman. In Feb of this year Sassy went to the county commissioners.
Shortly after the county commisioners got involved back in Feb, they disbanded the 8 member oversight board. Oversight was then done by the three commissioners and the 3 member excise board. The excise board was chaired at the time by the new Norman mayor.
This UNP scheme is politics played out behind any oversight.

the norman city council has a strange dislike of OU and for some reason see's OU as an annoyance ( instead of the reason that OU exists and thrives ) ......

they don't do much to help out OU they should bend over backwards to be helpful partners with OU

Now that is interesting.
https://www.normantranscript.com/news/the-arena-comeback-county-pushes-ahead/article_f6fa79ca-8b96-11ec-921d-9f1c3b359c3e.html
The arena comeback: county pushes ahead
By Mindy Ragan Wood | Transcript Staff Writer Feb 11, 2022
Local commercial real estate developer Sassan Moghadam began discussing an arena comeback with District 2 County Commissioner Darry Stacy in early 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and before Moghadam formed a group of citizens, Unite Norman, that attempted to recall multiple city councilors and endorsed candidates for city council in 2021 and 2022.

https://www.normantranscript.com/news/commissioners-move-to-dissolve-budget-board/article_b1e0ee3e-7317-11eb-825f-3f678edb8b40.html
Commissioners move to dissolve budget board
By Mindy Ragan Wood | Transcript Staff Writer Feb 19, 2021


https://www.normantranscript.com/news/outside-county-officials-warn-about-commissioner-budget-move/article_5cd9577a-7de7-11eb-841c-7b5a57e53c50.html

Outside county officials warn about commissioner budget move
Cleveland County Excise Board members Larry Heikkila, Sid Porter and Bonnie Green declined to be interviewed regarding their reaction to the commission’s decision.

The Norman city council has a strange dislike for the city of Norman. Unfriendly to business, unfriendly to OU, unfriendly to residents (I'm one), unfriendly to police and services. Try contacting a council member. Crickets or a pat response.

The Norman city council has a strange dislike for the city of Norman. Unfriendly to business, unfriendly to OU, unfriendly to residents (I'm one), unfriendly to police and services. Try contacting a council member. Crickets or a pat response.

I had no issues talking to my old council person in my ward. We have a ward facebook group and they would answer things all the times. The new guy, however, does not.

With the land north of Crest cleared (where the upscale portion was supposed to go) anyone know what is going there now?

With the land north of Crest cleared (where the upscale portion was supposed to go) anyone know what is going there now?

I believe it was just cleared to move out a big homeless camp and discourage them from coming back.

Don't think there are any imminent plans.

I believe it was just cleared to move out a big homeless camp and discourage them from coming back.

Don't think there are any imminent plans.

Ah, dang! I was hoping they were moving forward there.

As of yesterday, there is a bunch of earth moving equipment still out there. Dozers, scrapers, etc. The trees and vegetation are long gone; as are any homeless encampments. Odd the equipment would still be there. Appears to be an active work site to me.

As of yesterday, there is a bunch of earth moving equipment still out there. Dozers, scrapers, etc. The trees and vegetation are long gone; as are any homeless encampments. Odd the equipment would still be there. Appears to be an active work site to me.

Much like the bulldozer on Lindsey street. It could be there a while. ;)

Both pics are from early September
17667
17668

As of yesterday, there is a bunch of earth moving equipment still out there. Dozers, scrapers, etc. The trees and vegetation are long gone; as are any homeless encampments. Odd the equipment would still be there. Appears to be an active work site to me.

It looks like they are at minimum building the road out past Crest to connect over by the hotels based on what I saw yesterday.

Would be nice if they put a little lifestyle Mall there, maybe get a Nike Outlet open out there. It would take away some of the stress from the OKC outlet store.

I heard some rumblings over the weekend that there may be a plan to put in something similar to Chick-N-Pickle in the area north of Crest that was recently cleared. Anyone have insight?

I heard some rumblings over the weekend that there may be a plan to put in something similar to Chick-N-Pickle in the area north of Crest that was recently cleared. Anyone have insight?
That would be awesome!

What I would do for a dang Top Golf.

Definitely more than tree clearing or a road. Looking northeast and northwest from
the north west corner of the Crest parking lot. 1774017741

^

All their plans show that as the site of the proposed 'lifestyle center'.

Porter is probably going to be out the door by the end of the 2024-25 season, so my guess is the next coach’s opinion will be more relevant lol.

bump

Here is a recent site plan.

The 2nd image is an aerial from December. The next two photos are a bit older.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/universitynp012623a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/universitynp012623b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/universitynp012623c.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/universitynp012623d.jpg

I wonder what stores are planned for the anchors?

This was supposed to be the upscale part that they sold Norman on. I hope it gets built, but have my doubts.

Thank you for the recent drone shots, Pete!

Does the area north of Rock Creek count? Only reason I ask is beacuse there's been some pretty good development up there too. It's all office space and apartments, but its not nothing either.

Does the area north of Rock Creek count? Only reason I ask is beacuse there's been some pretty good development up there too. It's all office space and apartments, but its not nothing either.

yes it counts and when they build the arena that area will grow even more

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/universitynp012623e.jpg

Could they at least drop the Town Center identifier? They already dropped the ball on this development.

yes it counts and when they build the arena that area will grow even more

Im pretty sure that died when OU rightfully said no thank you.

Im pretty sure that died when OU rightfully said no thank you.

OU never said no thank you they were and are very interested and the arena project is very much alive

You really think they're going to give up an on-campus Lloyd Noble for something miles away? It's not happening. Especially when they would have to revenue share.

An off-campus arena in a strip shopping center miles from students is one of the worst ideas ever. If anything, they should move it closer to the main campus or even to downtown Norman.

I’ll be okay with the I-35/Rock Creek arena if OU can strike a deal to make the Chuck E. Cheese’s next door adults-only on game days.

You really think they're going to give up an on-campus Lloyd Noble for something miles away? It's not happening. Especially when they would have to revenue share.

The university is going to do whatever their rich alumni want them to do. If Toby Keith ponied up $100MM to put his name on an arena in north Norman right off I-35, it would definitely happen, revenue sharing or not.

The university is going to do whatever their rich alumni want them to do. If Toby Keith ponied up $100MM to put his name on an arena in north Norman right off I-35, it would definitely happen, revenue sharing or not.

And this is exactly what is wrong with so much urban planning over the past 40 years. People with money but no skills in proper city building or place-making ability making the decisions.

You really think they're going to give up an on-campus Lloyd Noble for something miles away? It's not happening. Especially when they would have to revenue share.

lol OU wishes this arena was built yesterday .. the land is owned by the OU foundation and OU will get very good terms as the anchor tenant ..

The fact is, OU does not have the donors ready to donate up to 200 million or more to build an arena on campus. While it would be great NE of GFOMS and close in proximity to CC but there just isn't enough money for that. By partnering with a developer on OU land they will do just fine in that partnership. Just look at what UT did.

And this is exactly what is wrong with so much urban planning over the past 40 years. People with money but no skills in proper city building or place-making ability making the decisions.

the majority of people coming to these games are from the north making it easier for them to get to the games is a good thing

also OU needs a new arena and getting others to pay for it is the only way it will happen anytime soon ..

last OU students all currently drive to the LNC

the majority of people coming to these games are from the north making it easier for them to get to the games is a good thing

also OU needs a new arena and getting others to pay for it is the only way it will happen anytime soon ..

last OU students all currently drive to the LNC

EXACTLY. This deal is a no-brainer. LNC is technically "on" campus, but the reality of it is that few students walk to games there.

EXACTLY. This deal is a no-brainer. LNC is technically "on" campus, but the reality of it is that few students walk to games there.

That's not really true. Especially as housing moves more south as the towers come down. LNC is also a massive parking hub for commuter students. Not to mentinon that it's the practice facilities.

I mean dream all you want, but this makes absolutely zero sense whatsoever to move the arena off site. It would be like moving Memorial Stadium to Moore. WTF would you do that?

That's not really true. Especially as housing moves more south as the towers come down. LNC is also a massive parking hub for commuter students. Not to mentinon that it's the practice facilities.

I mean dream all you want, but this makes absolutely zero sense whatsoever to move the arena off site. It would be like moving Memorial Stadium to Moore. WTF would you do that?

If Memorial was drawing 20% crowds, maybe it should move to Moore. Lol.

OU needs to retrofit McCasland to a state of the art field house for basketball. They have the room there to do so even though it would be taking away some parking. My vote would be to keep it on campus. I would've gone to every game had the arena been in the central campus when I went there, as would have a lot of my friends.