I think we way overrate our arena in a recruit's decision. Yeah the bench seats in the upper deck suck. I'd venture to bet that no player, much less recruit has ever been up to the rafters to see how uncomfortable and cramped they are. The Shoe is loud and from the court it doesn't look bad. That is what recruits notice. There are many nice, modern amenities to our athletic facilities. Are they the best? No. Are they the worst? No. Recruits come here because they like the coach/the program and they think they can get playing time and win. If they like another coach/program better or think they'll win more and play more at another school they will choose that school. I've never heard a recruit say his decision was based on the arena. We need a new arena because a decent portion of our "fan"base says we need one for them to come to games. More fan support means more revenue and more attention to your program which will do many things, including enhancing recruiting. Rupp Arena is so great because it's UK and fans support UK so the venue rocks. Same with Cameron Indoor. The court is the same dimensions in all these places. You want a recruit to be impressed with our arena fill it up and be loud. Do that and then maybe there will be money to build that new arena that "fans" are clamoriing for.
