The causes of low attendance are most likely:
(1)
The scattering of potentially interested students, staff and alumni. When there are sufficient numbers of in-resident students, their attendance numbers would naturally tend to go up and games may begin to become more appealing to alumni and staff when there are enthusiastic students attending in significant numbers. Right now, the benefit of attending games is exceeded by the cost of getting there. For many, a whole night out has to be planned around attending the game. And no free parking!
(2)
Qualilty of play needs to be minimally at Bone-Schroyer level. Players not motivated to play to their full potential attracts students, staff and alumni to want to temporarily dissociate. Coaches are successful when their teams are loose, motivated and disciplined. Players not in sync this way reflect poorly on the university itself, suggesting that the institution is poorly disciplined. The coaches and players can make us feel ashamed or proud. We're supposed to get better and better over time, not worse. What is not a temporary fluctuation is a reversion. It all affects the whole community morale. Good attendance in the days of Funn & Walker, good attendance in the days of Morrison & Dominguez.
(3)
A facility that currently is nothing more than a gym most area high schools would disown. We are grateful for the incremental improvements that have come along, but only the Pavilion will suffice. It will be a huge community asset when it comes to the campus mall. One caution is that the basketball court will need to be designed with care by a professional artist to have PSU's "signature" on it. The current design for the playing surface, as is, is basic and indifferent. People don't usually respond well to indifferent. The design needs to be fashionably smart and cool, hip but not weird. Keep Portland Weird means allow for artistic experimentation. It does not mean the product for which people pay for is weird or ugly. Surely, there is a Portland artist who can deliver on some awe-inspiring imaging for the basketball court.
