Best way to describe Gregory is "cozy" bu they also are rabid fans

I would love to build a 6k facility for VB ...Breakaway could use on Tuesdays and separate two time slots.

HS State Tourney would be great as well because based on where most traditional owers are located in Texas HS VB we are a central location

Back when Reed was built, money wasn't as flowing as it is now. It got turned down for $ reasons a couple of times before finally approved, and if memory is accurate, we built it for about $55 million. That seems like spare change today.

But because of the $ issues, most people, including us, built for mutti-use, and bottom line is that basketball needs a different configuration from volleyball, and you need something different for graduations and large events.

Not sure it's fiscally responsible to just build a venue for everything, but hey, it's just money right?

The previous NU coaches and players always talked about how they loved playing in the old dumpy fieldhouse on campus in the 80's and 90's that only held 4500 rabid fans rirght on top of the court as opposed to when they would play in the new/shiny/larger Devaney Center built for BBall on occasion. Lots bigger attendance numbers in Devaney for the AD but not anywhere near the same atmosphere for coaches and players. When NU BBall moved out of Devaney they reconfigured it for a much better volleyball experience more in tune with what the coaches and players wanted. Athletic depts and causal fans always like the "mines bigger than yours" argument.....coaches and players understand bigger and more seats doesn't mean better volleyball atmosphere.

I'm curious of Coach Woods's opinion. She played in the holler house.

Gregory is where they played basketball when I was in school (built in 1930). We are in good shape where are.

Separate gyms please.

So earlier this year, the mantra was no more bricks and mortar, all donations need to go to NIL- except for baseball.
So, now we want a volleyball specific gym will sit idle for most of the year?
Who is signing up to fund that?

TXAGBQ76 said:

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So earlier this year, the mantra was no more bricks and mortar, all donations need to go to NIL- except for baseball.
So, now we want a volleyball specific gym will sit idle for most of the year?
Who is signing up to fund that?

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I know what your saying and I don't want to get into the weeds about funding it, but in my 14 years of VB experience in combo gyms VB always get the shaft on functionality. I am confident it could get used for alot of other activities if not just Aggie players doing clinics in off season, coupled with summer camps.

Please put it on the corner where the old softball stadium was, or a crazy idea, build a new rec and pool, and use that footprint for Basketball and volleyball

I've heard say that several times

BohunkAg said:

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Bluecat_Aggie94 said:

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Back when Reed was built, money wasn't as flowing as it is now. It got turned down for $ reasons a couple of times before finally approved, and if memory is accurate, we built it for about $55 million. That seems like spare change today.

But because of the $ issues, most people, including us, built for mutti-use, and bottom line is that basketball needs a different configuration from volleyball, and you need something different for graduations and large events.

Not sure it's fiscally responsible to just build a venue for everything, but hey, it's just money right?

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We had a Baylor Bear (Ann Richards) in the Governor's Mansion and a Texas Tech Red Raider (Bob Bullock) as Lieutenant Governor. And we were trying to get into the Big 12. They screwed us every step of the way on Reed.

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I don't think either of those two had anything to do with Reed. For one thing, "screw(ing) us" wouldn't help them get into the Big 12, and for another, both had limited powers. Besides, Reed really wasn't a thing (i.e. proposed) until late in Richards' term when she had little to no influence. (Trust me: I'm no Richards apologist; she was a complete buffoon). It was '93 when the school and the Higher Education Coordinating Board had issues that delayed the project (I don't recall what those were). Perhaps Richards did appoint the board, but keep in mind that A&M during that time was building a ton of stuff on West Campus. A&M also built the student rec center (completed in or around '95), and the George Bush Library and School ('97, I think). Its doubtful that Richards or the legislature would torpedo some projects and not others. By the year 2000, it made very little difference whether Reed was completed when it was or by 1994, likely the earliest possible date had A&M got everything they wanted. Other than maybe a three dozen more comfortable graduation experiences and some better Musters...

Construction on Reed got started in, I think, '95 and got delayed in late '96 due to a construction accident. I think it ended up about a year or even more behind schedule. For the first decade or so, the place was pretty much snake-bit. It took Gillespie to kind of pull us out of that. And volleyball moved in there in the late '2000s, a little before G Rollie took the hit.

With all that said, A&M might start thinking about a new basketball facility and turn Reed into a volleyball only facility (for sports). Having both would help with graduations, among other things.

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Gregory is an absolutely hell hole to be in as a spectator.

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Now imagine how bad it was when my high school's basketball team went to state all the way back in 1977. I think I still have splinters in my butt from the bleacher seats.

the only thing you might get is a new facility for basketball and VB paid for by combo of the University, both cities and maybe even the county. They have proposed building at the current location of Hensel Park.

If they wouldn't build a new baseball stadium, they're not going to build a VB only arena.

And they can't get the money to even expand Olsen, where is this money coming from for a VB only venue.

Hell the sips are begging private group to build them new VB arena.

BohunkAg said:

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Bluecat_Aggie94 said:

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Back when Reed was built, money wasn't as flowing as it is now. It got turned down for $ reasons a couple of times before finally approved, and if memory is accurate, we built it for about $55 million. That seems like spare change today.

But because of the $ issues, most people, including us, built for mutti-use, and bottom line is that basketball needs a different configuration from volleyball, and you need something different for graduations and large events.

Not sure it's fiscally responsible to just build a venue for everything, but hey, it's just money right?

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We had a Baylor Bear (Ann Richards) in the Governor's Mansion and a Texas Tech Red Raider (Bob Bullock) as Lieutenant Governor. And we were trying to get into the Big 12. They screwed us every step of the way on Reed.

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Nah

We screwed ourselves

Instead of rolling up our sleeves and raising money the hard way (like Tech did), we relied on the sale proceeds from a donated piece of land

When that didn't sell for what they thought it would, they hit up the students. The Texas Higher Education Board said hell no, unless you make it an all-purpose arena. And the $36 million structure is what we got. It didn't even have a scoreboard for the first 8-10 years of use

Meanwhile, around the same time, out on the high Plains, Texas Tech was hitting up private donors, sponsorships, local governments, anybody who had a checkbook. They went to work, put in the elbow grease, and built the state of the art $75 million arena that they have today.

The Ann Richards boogeyman had about as much to do with Reed Arena as she did with forcing Texas Tech and Baylor into the big 12. Pretty much nothing.

Now Pete Laney, Bob Bullock, and David Sibley most definitely had something to do with getting Baylor and Texas Tech into the Big 12 when Texas and A&M tried to sneak in

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Besides, Reed really wasn't a thing (i.e. proposed) until late in Richards' term when she had little to no influence. (Trust me: I'm no Richards apologist; she was a complete buffoon).

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Reed Arena was being discussed around the time I graduated (c/o '83). Chester Reed donated land near Katy to fund the project. Problem was, the oil business was tanking by the mid-'80's and so was the Houston real estate market. It wasn't worth nearly what it expected to sell for originally.

IIRC, the original design called for a 15,000+ seat facility which had to be scaled back due to funding issues.

To what extent Richards & Bullock jacked up the process, I have no idea but it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

Biz Ag said:

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Besides, Reed really wasn't a thing (i.e. proposed) until late in Richards' term when she had little to no influence. (Trust me: I'm no Richards apologist; she was a complete buffoon).

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Reed Arena was being discussed around the time I graduated (c/o '83). Chester Reed donated land near Katy to fund the project. Problem was, the oil business was tanking by the mid-'80's and so was the Houston real estate market. It wasn't worth nearly what it expected to sell for originally.

IIRC, the original design called for a 15,000+ seat facility which had to be scaled back due to funding issues.

To what extent Richards & Bullock jacked up the process, I have no idea but it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

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They didn't. The higher ed board jacked it up when A&M wanted to make up the shortfall with student fees

What Mookie said, only G Rollie WAS perfect

hsvag said:

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What Mookie said, only G Rollie WAS perfect

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Agree

A renovated G Rollie would have been the perfect volleyball arena

flintdragon said:

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Gregory is an absolutely hell hole to be in as a spectator...

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Not sure by what criteria you're judging. I guess if you're saying you miss the cushy seat modern conveniences, but it is a great place to view a volleyball game up close, which i would value above all else. "cozy" is right as one said above.

I saw several UIL state championship games there and loved it. Would be nice to have a 7 or 8 thousand close-in gym, but really cant expect to build a vball only facility- at least not at this point.

A few years ago (maybe like 8 years ago), I looked at the university's master facilities long-range plan. It included a volleyball-only facility on the spot of land that's between Blue Bell Park and George Bush Drive (possibly including some of the Blue Bell Park parking lot. I have no idea if this is still a part of the facilities plan.

Not that it matters since G. Rollie White Coliseum is no more, but I am glad it's not an option for a volleyball-only facility because it only had stands on three sides of the court (very strange), plus it had those two support columns that blocked the view of some spectators.Just because GRW could be loud did not make it a "good" arena.

Divining Rod said:

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flintdragon said:

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Gregory is an absolutely hell hole to be in as a spectator...

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Not sure by what criteria you're judging. I guess if you're saying you miss the cushy seat modern conveniences, but it is a great place to view a volleyball game up close, which i would value above all else. "cozy" is right as one said above.

I saw several UIL state championship games there and loved it. Would be nice to have a 7 or 8 thousand close-in gym, but really cant expect to build a vball only facility- at least not at this point.

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I'd take Nebraska's atmosphere over Texas' any day of the week. It's not the facility but the fans that make it great.

I'm not asking for cozy seats but I don't like sitting on large blocks of concrete in one end of the gym. On the other end, you are sitting up into some weird stage/cavity.

Everyone says they love gregory but now they are looking to build a new facility. I guess Gregory is bad now...

master plans like that are complete wish list assuming unlimited funds. If 10% of the master plan gets built its a miracle

its not that it bad, but they are hoping a private group will build it like they did Moody, my guess is if they don't get a taker they won't built anything. Unless they need the space at Gregory for something more important.

Divining Rod said:

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flintdragon said:

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Gregory is an absolutely hell hole to be in as a spectator...

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Not sure by what criteria you're judging. I guess if you're saying you miss the cushy seat modern conveniences, but it is a great place to view a volleyball game up close, which i would value above all else. "cozy" is right as one said above.

I saw several UIL state championship games there and loved it. Would be nice to have a 7 or 8 thousand close-in gym, but really cant expect to build a vball only facility- at least not at this point.

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My mom and dad talked about watching multiple UIL state basketball tournaments at Gregory before they built the Drum. I don't recall them ever saying they "loved" it. I recall my dad talking about how hot it would get it there.