The RAC

     I spent what felt like half my weekend at the major indoor athletic facility on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ. I attended 2 events, one each on Saturday and Sunday, both starting at noon. Plus I drove by it on my return home after eating lunch on Saturday. If I had bought tickets for the Saturday night performance by the Harlem Globetrotters, the masters of basketball showmanship, I might have been able to stay overnight and avoid another $10 parking fee.

     I went to the Rutgers Athletic Center on Saturday for the men's basketball game versus the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, a close contest but in the end, another loss for the struggling Scarlet Knights. Sunday brought the final home match for the 12th ranked Rutgers wrestling team, who won handily against an undermanned Northwestern University squad.

   The crowd on Saturday was announced as 6,002. Sunday's attendance was 2,527. Capacity for the building is 8,000. There was more noise on Saturday because of the crowd size, the presence of the Rutgers Pep Band and a whole complement of cheerleaders and the Dance Team. The die hard wrestling fans made themselves known to the participants with their enthusiasm during the matches, but the atmosphere was decidedly in need of a smaller venue to look and feel better.

     Undoubtedly, The RAC, like High Point Solutions Stadium a couple of minutes away, visually defines RU major sports.  It is home of the flagship state university of New Jersey's wrestling and two basketball teams, who play in one of the most dominant athletic conferences in this country, the Big Ten.

     In comparison with its companion, High Point Solutions Stadium is shiny, big and shows an earnest investment in the future of RU football. Football is the dominant sport at RU--it should be, given the fact that the first intercollegiate football game was held in New Brunswick in 1896, resulting in a Rutgers 6-4 victory over Princeton.

     This November, The RAC, which is formally called the Louis Brown Athletic Center after a former Rutgers golf team member who made a sizeable bequest in his will, will be 40 years old. A mid-sized arena in the Eastern Eight, Atlantic 10 Conference, Big East Conference and the American Athletic Conference before Rutgers left each one, it now has the smallest capacity in the Big Ten. While its size is considered small, the former home for Rutgers basketball was the 3,200 seat College Avenue Gymnasium, which had seats on three sides, with the wall where the team benches were located  dividing the court from the from the swimming pool.

     So, when The RAC was ready, this was a big upgrade from Rutgers' previous winter sports home. The RAC was a beautiful place back in 1977--modern, gleaming. Featuring trapezoid sides at two ends, the building looks like a giant, truncated tent. Given its size, The RAC was not huge but still evidence of a meaningful arena. Upon entry, there was a concourse at the east end, which was also home to athletic offices above concession stands and the ticket office, which also had a row of windows outside for day-of-game sales. There were restrooms on both ends of the concourse. Standing centered on the concourse presented a clear view of the arena floor.

     The seating area in 1977 and today consisted of folding chairs at the lower level, so that practice could be conducted on the entire floor; then permanent seating from the entry or 200 level; and then bleacher-like seats at the 300 level. At both ends of the basketball floor there are folding beachers--the west end being bigger to accommodate the student section. There were also areas on the floor for other teams to practice including netting for baseball. The dominant color is scarlet red, which is the main Rutgers color. An overhead scoreboard, fairly recently updated to have video on its four sides, hangs over center court. Since the roof is supported by four ples to the sides of the main stands, Rutgers wisely placed auxiliary scoreboards on them, which have been upgraded to full length, state of the art matrix boards. Pennants for the conference schools have been on the end of the arena over the student section; now they hang over the main stands, replacing banners for the post-season successes of the Scarlet Knights teams. There are bigger banners for the numbers of the players who have achieved All-America status as well as banners commemorating women's coaches Theresa Grentz and C. Vivian Stringer who have been enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Other banners of note are for former player and coach Eddie Jordan and for the teams who have made it to the National Championship level. At the east end, the American flag is suspended from the rafters, accompanied by the New Jersey and Rutgers flags.

     Because of its unusual shape, the noise levels when the arena is filled to capacity make it one of the loudest and more intimidating places to play. The new sound system makes a loud and noticeable presence when recorded music is played. The Rutgers Pep Band is a predominantly brass group emanating from the student section, which helps to supercharge The RAC when there are time outs.  Announcers and players have acknowledged that the fervor of the fans is a big factor in how games are won and lost.

     Another tenant of The RAC was the NBA's New Jersey Nets, who played there from 1977-81 after relocating from Long Island, while awaiting completion of their arena in the New Jersey Meadowlands. There have been concerts, graduations and even a Professional Bowlers Association tour stop held inside of The RAC.

     Parking has always been an issue. The lots are large, but they are shared with student vehicles. There are two directions to go in and out of the lots on parallel two lane roads, creating some large traffic tie ups when there is a big crowd.

     Personally, I have gotten very used to The RAC. It has that homey kind of look to it. I like when it is filled, but with the teams in decline, that is not happening unless another Big Ten power is playing and has a strong local following. When Rutgers was in the Big East Conference, The RAC was nearly filled to the rafters if the University of Connecticut, Syracuse University or other national championship-caliber teams visited. With the good teams in the Atlantic 10, championship games versus Penn State and Massachusetts were wild affairs which the country viewed on ESPN.

     Coach Steve Pikiell is trying to revive the semi-dormant Scarlet Knights following. That will take time. But one of his hindrances in recruiting top flight talent is The RAC itself. Compared to the other Big Ten arenas, The RAC looks like a freshly-painted, very large high school gym. For games at which attendance is not very big, the place looks not very pretty. Bryce Jordan Arena at Penn State is a much more beautiful and modern facility which can hold 15,000 fans when needed. And Penn State is , like Rutgers, a football school, and the teams are perennially second tier in the Big 10. The massive Beaver Stadium dominates the State College skyline. Yet abutting Beaver Stadium is the saucer-like roof of the basketball arena, clearly visible next to its gigantic kin.

     That scene can be repeated at most every Big 10 school. Wisconsin and Ohio State play in newer, dual purpose buildings. Even Minnesota, Rutgers foe this past Saturday, plays in a musty old place dubbed The Barn, which is still larger than The RAC. With such attractions as large crowds and separate practice areas, Rutgers cannot presently compete evenly with other, more established basketball powers. The talent in New Jersey and the New York metro area is among the best in America. Unfortunately, they flee to places like the University of Kentucky with its 22,000 seat Rupp Arena and accumulation of nationally recognized players, or Duke University, whose noisy old arena, Cameron Indoor Stadium, outranks Rutgers academically and has the attraction of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. Tradition and facilities have trumped Rutgers repeatedly when competing for the homegrown players.

     Just like in football, it will take an influx of New Jersey kids willing to stay home and play for RU. Once that starts to happen, then once more The RAC will be regularly filled and be intimidating as it was in the past. Then, When Rutgers has more of the revenue stream which the Big 10 will offer after 2021, long-standing plans to either increase The RAC capacity to a still smallish 12,500 or to build an entirely new arena, will be warranted.

     For now, there is always hope. Every time I go to The RAC, I still enjoy the atmosphere. No matter how small a crowd. I long for the days of Rutgers basketball success and larger crowds becoming the standard, just like in the 1960's and 70's at the College Avenue Gym. Their high level of play packed the building and made The RAC possible. Winning teams in the 2010's-20's will reprise the fervor for the games and thereby demonstrate the need for a larger capacity, whether it be The RAC or a new site.

     All of this overdue. The foundation is there. The architect is in place. The shortcomings of the Rutgers program can be outweighed by what Rutgers has to offer both athletically and academically. And the outdated RAC can be an advantage for the teams in close games. No matter how it pales in comparison with the other Big 10 schools.

     Call me a dreamer. A realistic, pragmatic one. This is what I thought about when I spent my weekend at The RAC.