I went to the exhibition game against Tiffin on Saturday – correction: I went to the first half of the exhibition game before darling daughter decided it was time to go.  If you haven’t been there, the Stroh is going to be an AMAZING venue for basketball games!  There were a few glitches with media placement and cheer/dance team members from what I understand, and I haven’t seen it yet with a pep band in the house, but everything about the experience was top notch!  I thought the sound system was a little loud maybe… and some people have complained about the white walls… if those are the biggest complaints you’ve got about the place, then I think it’s a success!

Some of the things that struck me:

• The little things – signage, concrete floor stain color choices, trash cans that are out-of-this-world awesome.. the attention to detail in this new venue is phenomenal.
• The B!G things – the floor is beautiful, the video board is beautiful, the entrance to the building is beautiful, the giant falcon statue is beautiful.  I’m not sure if it’s just me, but the big orange and glass facade really speaks to me when I crest the overpass over I-75 on Wooster and see it… like it’s saying “Welcome to BGSU!!  We’re gonna kick your ass…”
• The concessions – there was only one stand open on my side of the building for the exhibition game, but it was fully staffed with smiling, friendly people, all in uniform, all attentive to your needs.  And, while it’s still only Coke products, there is FOUNTAIN pop!  I only tried popcorn and a drink, but the nachos looked pretty tasty too!
• The production quality on the video board – during player intros they show the players on the board, live action, filmed at some point, and it’s just cool! They could have gone with still photos, but they chose to use the video board for *gasp* VIDEO!  It’s awesome, they show them after scores sometimes too.  Andersyn was mesmerized! They also had random crowd shots of people dancing and cheering during time-outs.  It’s going to add a lot to the game day experience.
• Home 2.0 – I just really felt familiar and comfortable right away in the Stroh Center. Sure, I’d been in the building at various stages of its completion, but even if Saturday had been the first time I’d set foot inside, it would have felt familiar.  I love the treatment of some of Mickey Cochrane’s archival collection on the entry level. I hope people will seek it out because it’s not in your normal traffic pattern when you’re in the building.  It’s worth it though!  It’s not Anderson Arena, but I’ve got a feeling, when it comes down to crunch time in a game, this house is gonna roar too, it’ll be a different voice, but an intimidating roar, none-the-less.

I can’t wait until 11/11/11… bring on Howard!!