Top Ten Wish List

[SJHornet]

Okay, the off-season is dragging on far too long, so I wanted to create a fans' wish list to pass some time. What are the top ten things you'd love to see Sac State do, off the field, to enhance the program and fan experience?

1. New arena/upgraded Nest- I think its safe to say this is a universal want by the Hornet fan base. The Nest is small, and rather embarrassing. The new Events Center would help shed our image as a joke on the hardwood end, and would probably boost our hoops performance. As has been discussed on pervious threads, I think the idea of utilizing the new Kings arena could be useful and cheaper in the short term. However, I would advocate playing at the new building for only part of the calendar (10-15 games, maybe less). Should we play select games at the new arena, The Nest could simply be expanded slightly and spruced up. I believe there are ample ways to do so.

2. Hornet Stadium upgrades- I don't the think we need a new stadium, just major upgrades to Hornet. I'm thinking new press box/luxury suites, new and expanded bathrooms, some permanent concession stands, and possibly a party deck type structure just north of the east grandstand that serves alcohol (remember, wish list). I'd also like to see some major sprucing up. New stylized grandstand covering, past glories/championship banners, famous player recognition banners, conference mate flags, maybe a ring of honor. Also, maybe a statue or two of important Hornets.

3. Baseball/soccer/softball lights- Lighting for all the fields so we can have some night games

4. Return of Herkey- I'd like like the department to bring back the Herkey cartoon as a secondary logo, a little upgraded. I love our logo, but a secondary logo would be nice, and would be a great merchandising opportunity. Most schools have their cartooney logo, lets bring ours back!

5. Beach Volleyball Pit- I'd like the new beach volleyball program to continue and thrive. It would be nice to move the team on campus. It wouldn't be expensive, or take much room. Hornet Beach!

6. Athletics Hall of Fame- it would be fantastic to have a new hall of fame/Hornet history museum. Not sure where, but maybe Tahoe Hall, next to a renovated Nest. I'd love to see our athletes celebrated and our history on display. I have to be honest, I don't know much about Hornet history.

7. Long-Term Deals with Several Cali Schools- it may sound out there, but I'd love to see the Hornets play Fresno, Nevada and SJSU in football on a regular basis. I think all could see fantastic away support, and getting better acquainted with our FBS neighbors could not hurt. Also, I'd like to see us regularly schedule with other nearby neighbors such as Bakersfield, Poly even DII Chico in all sports. I'm thinking many of these games could lead to the potential of mini me Causeways. Bako could be the battle of 99, or a green and gold classic between State and Poly. The Causeway is certainly the most important, but multiple rivalries will only draw interest. Would also like to see the now yearly Hornet-Mustang game develop into a trophy game.

8. Football Complex- turn the field next to the diamond into a state-of-the-art football training complex with dressing rooms, observation deck, and all the other bells and whistles. All top programs have one, and if Sac wants to be a the top, needs to invest. Wouldn't actually change how the players train, but would sure help recruiting. All about perception.

9. Press Boxes and improved Club Houses for Both Diamonds- we actually have good baseball and softball facilities, but press boxes and top-line club houses would make them great. Out of average DI and into competitive DI.

10. Return of the Pep Band- the pep band has been absent for many years now at hornet bball games. I miss their presence!

Some may be out there, or too expensive to be implemented at this time, but they are some changes I'd love to see. It appears the administration is starting to look at taking Hornet sports to the next level, so I'm hoping some major changes/upgrades are in the horizon. Anyone else have a top 10?

 

[superhornet]

Outstanding idea, SJ. I have some comments for these, and would hope for some constructive responses from SD/GCM/SHA and the others. They always have good ideas.

1. New arena/upgraded Nest- I think its safe to say this is a universal want by the Hornet fan base. The Nest is small, and rather embarrassing. The new Events Center would help shed our image as a joke on the hardwood end, and would probably boost our hoops performance. As has been discussed on pervious threads, I think the idea of utilizing the new Kings arena could be useful and cheaper in the short term. However, I would advocate playing at the new building for only part of the calendar (10-15 games, maybe less). Should we play select games at the new arena, The Nest could simply be expanded slightly and spruced up. I believe there are ample ways to do so.

This has GOT to be Priority Number One right now. This is imperative for the continued improvement of menss and women's hoops, women's volleyball, and gymnastics, or even men's volleyball (if we ever decide to add that). This has a direct bearing on recruiting. IMO, it HAS to be on campus so as to take advantage of on-campus students who like sports AND to avoid the second-banana mentality that would be inherent in sharing an arena with others. Plus, we could have concerts and whatnot there during the summer to gain revenue.

2. Hornet Stadium upgrades- I don't the think we need a new stadium, just major upgrades to Hornet. I'm thinking new press box/luxury suites, new and expanded bathrooms, some permanent concession stands, and possibly a party deck type structure just north of the east grandstand that serves alcohol (remember, wish list). I'd also like to see some major sprucing up. New stylized grandstand covering, past glories/championship banners, famous player recognition banners, conference mate flags, maybe a ring of honor. Also, maybe a statue or two of important Hornets.

Sure, I'd like to see some upgrades, and you name many of them here. The first statue has GOT to be Dr. Lloyd Snelson, then perhaps Bob Mattos, John Gesek, Charles Roberts, and John Volek. The banners and conference flags are an imperative. Long-term, and by that I mean after the new Nest is done, we MUST replace the erector set seating with something more permanent. We absolutely CANNOT have a repeat of that attorney from Davis falling through the seats.

3. Baseball/soccer/softball lights- Lighting for all the fields so we can have some night games

This should already be done. Lighting can be done relatively cheaply compared to other upgrades. In terms of future renovations, perhaps something that could evoke the general school architecture. I know one school that incorporated bricks into the design of the softball stadium because that was the basis of most of the school's architecture; that could work well at Sac.

4. Return of Herkey- I'd like like the department to bring back the Herkey cartoon as a secondary logo, a little upgraded. I love our logo, but a secondary logo would be nice, and would be a great merchandising opportunity. Most schools have their cartooney logo, lets bring ours back!

I may be fighting a solo rear-guard battle to get Herky back as a primary mascot, but I would accept even a secondary status. Herky was awesome!

5. Beach Volleyball Pit- I'd like the new beach volleyball program to continue and thrive. It would be nice to move the team on campus. It wouldn't be expensive, or take much room. Hornet Beach!

Good idea. Many schools have done this, and SJ is correct that it would be cheap. The school SD considers "unmentionable" had theirs done in less than a month next to their new baseball stadium; it looks amazing, and provides for three matches at once with stands. Sac could do something similar.

6. Athletics Hall of Fame- it would be fantastic to have a new hall of fame/Hornet history museum. Not sure where, but maybe Tahoe Hall, next to a renovated Nest. I'd love to see our athletes celebrated and our history on display. I have to be honest, I don't know much about Hornet history.

If we do get a new Nest to form a sports complex with the Stadium, Tahoe Hall could be a bad choice for the HOF as nobody will go there, but we SHOULD at least have a temporary location until the Nest is built. If there's room for expansion, the Fieldhouse would be a good spot for a permanent location, or it could be incorporated into the new Nest. SJ is correct that our athletic history should be on display. The HOF should NOT be a virtual, theoretic entity; it should be a real place people can go to see our amazing history.

7. Long-Term Deals with Several Cali Schools- it may sound out there, but I'd love to see the Hornets play Fresno, Nevada and SJSU in football on a regular basis. I think all could see fantastic away support, and getting better acquainted with our FBS neighbors could not hurt. Also, I'd like to see us regularly schedule with other nearby neighbors such as Bakersfield, Poly even DII Chico in all sports. I'm thinking many of these games could lead to the potential of mini me Causeways. Bako could be the battle of 99, or a green and gold classic between State and Poly. The Causeway is certainly the most important, but multiple rivalries will only draw interest. Would also like to see the now yearly Hornet-Mustang game develop into a trophy game.

It may be tough, but I'd like to see some form of a home-and-home (maybe a 3-for-1 or something like that) with our FBS neighbors. That could get Stadium crowds to rival (or even beat) Causeway, and it would be MUCH easier for our fans to go on a roadie. I'm not so sure about Bako, but CP is a definite for the schedule. I wholeheartedly agree about coming up with some sort of trophy for the CP game; SJSU would also be a good candidate for that.

8. Football Complex- turn the field next to the diamond into a state-of-the-art football training complex with dressing rooms, observation deck, and all the other bells and whistles. All top programs have one, and if Sac wants to be a the top, needs to invest. Wouldn't actually change how the players train, but would sure help recruiting. All about perception.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

9. Press Boxes and improved Club Houses for Both Diamonds- we actually have good baseball and softball facilities, but press boxes and top-line club houses would make them great. Out of average DI and into competitive DI.

I'd also like to see good field house facilities at both places; they could be consolidated into one building if the fields are close enough together.

10. Return of the Pep Band- the pep band has been absent for many years now at hornet bball games. I miss their presence!

Amen, Brother! A decent football team should ALWAYS have a pep band to accompany the cheerleaders, particularly when a school has a world-class cheer squad like Sac does.

I can't really think of much else short of program additions, which we probably can't afford at the moment. Perhaps turning end of the stadium where the old field house was into a half-bowl, as many schools have done.

Thank you for taking the time to compile this list, SJ! It's good to see an active mind during the summer. I tried to do this with the QoW concept, but that has been ignored. Maybe something like this from one of our loyal posters could do the trick.

 

[SDHornet]

Good list SJ. Not much disagreement here.

1. Sale of alcohol at all Hornet athletic events. This is a CSU issue but its a no brainer that attendance and revenue would immediately increase across the board for all Hornet athletic events if this were to happen.

2. Expand the Capital Public Radio building to provide broadcasting facilities for video production/streaming of Hornet events (both athletic and academic). This should go hand in hand with the creation of a "Sac State" channel that can be used as a platform to generate exposure for Sac State events.

3. Better quality of video equipment used to televise the Hornet events on BSTV. No reason HD camera's shouldn't be in place for this. This might require electrical wiring upgrades to the venues so that work would fall under this item.

4. New events center. A New events center would cover facility needs for both hoops programs, gym, and volleyball. I'm not a fan of dumping more money into the Nest in lieu of a new venue. I would be okay with some money spent on the Nest to upgrade the scoreboard, audio/PA system, and other cosmetic ideas. Not sure if throwing a lot of money at the Nest for expansion is worth it.

5A. A new Hornet Stadium with no track. Take out the track and the stands can be moved closer to the action. Since this is a wish list, move the field closer to the Fieldhouse and put in endzone seating on the north endzone to make a horseshoe layout for the stadium. Have suites/press box that goes from 20 to 20 on each side of the new grandstands, have a top deck on top of those for additional capacity (25k+).

5B. Since a new Hornet Stadium probably won't happen in our lifetimes, a more realistic list of improvements are what SJ touched on. A new concessions/bathroom facility in the northwest corner of the stadium area. A permanent press box with suites behind the west grandstands. Install a state of the art scoreboard and video board. Improved aesthetic covering on the erector set bleachers to mask its crapiness.

6. Since track would need a new home in item 5A; put in a new T&F facility on the open lot south of Hornet Stadium complete with lights, a new throwing area, and a track specific fieldhouse. Set capacity at about 6-8k so it can host CIF and NCAA regional events (and possibly even Olympic trials).

7. New clubhouse and press box for baseball. Press box can be built behind the home plate seating at John Smith Field and extend behind the 3rd base seating to include a clubhouse, concessions, and bathrooms. Lights and an updated scoreboard are needed as well.

8. Permanent seating/stadium for soccer. Only seating for about 3-5k is really needed for soccer so replacing the current bleachers with a concrete structure isn't a tall order. Build a soccer fieldhouse on the east side of the soccer field to service both men's and women's soccer programs as well as contain concessions and bathrooms for the new seating. Add lights and a scoreboard.

9. Press box and clubhouse for softball. There is room to place the clubhouse and any concessions and bathroom facility where the current tennis courts are. Add lights and a new scoreboard as well.

Note: It might be doable to shift the soccer field north and place a concessions/bathroom facility between the soccer field and softball field so that soccer and softball events can share one common facility.

10. Improvements on the football practice field. Get rid out the outdoor running track, put in lights for night grass practices, put in a "tower" on the south end where the video crews can mount cameras to record practices. Improve the storage area to be more that just metal sheds.

With all that said the new campus master plan is scheduled to be revealed in the fall of 2014. I'm wondering what athletic facility improvements will make the cut.

 

[josephpoint]

1. A Big Sky football championship
2. A Big Sky championship in men's basketball
3.. A Big Sky championship in women's basketball
4. Moving all sports (except football) to the Big West Conference
5. All facility additions and improvements mentioned above
6. 15,000 and above average to Hornet football games
7. Sell outs at basketball games
8. A Sac State sports network
9. A sports facility fundraising campaign
10. Wins, wins and more wins will help turn these wishes into reality faster.

 

[SJHornet]

Good lists (and thanks for the kudos SH ). I like the idea of a Sac State network where we could broadcast certain games. It would definitely launch the program, and be a valuable asset to the school. And allowing alcohol at games would be fantastic.