UIC to MVC Gaining Traction

[Bigdfromuic]

I hope they get rid of that awful curtain at the West end of their court.

You’re in luck. No more curtain…for a few years now. There’s a huge big screen there now. I believe the sausage sandwiches are still plentiful back there though (maybe not with Covid).

Also VUGrad, soccer is probably UIC’s most successful sport, historically. Glory years in 06-08 with an Elite 8, Sweet 16, and Round of 32 appearance in three different NCAA tourneys. I believe 06 we had the top ranked defense in the country. We’ve done very well in the Horizon and I would expect us to compete right away in the MVC. Though we may be slightly rebuilding next year.

A new soccer stadium has been rumored for years. Back in 2016, there were some pretty over the top renderings out there…these appear to have been scrubbed from the internet. Here we are 5-6 years later, and we’ve settled on something that appears to be much more toned down, but the entire pitch is being redone with drainage in mind. Last year the weather destroyed it and we had to play a game or two away from home. The key is to keep the beautiful natural grass with top notch drainage. We routinely have top pro teams from around the world come and practice on our field, and I’m sure the administration wants that to continue.

[MissouriValleyUnite]

This is huge news for the lot of us that live in Chicago!

Agree. A much easier drive to UIC for me than Loyola. Would be a good add. That being said, I hope they get rid of that awful curtain at the West end of their court.

Same. Loyola was tough to drive to after work. UIC is such an easier drive for me.

The Pavilion shows its age and you can tell it was originally configured for UIC hockey which folded when they hired Jimmy Collins. I bet they’ll build a new arena within 10 years.

[Chuck A]

The Pavilion shows its age and you can tell it was originally configured for UIC hockey which folded when they hired Jimmy Collins. I bet they’ll build a new arena within 10 years.

A new arena was in the Master Plan when they first presented to The Valley in '13. It was designated to be built at the Northeast corner of Halsted St & Roosevelt Road, right next to the expressway, in the middle of South Campus and up the street from Maxwell St. Polishes! I'm guessing that the University wanted to get a few academic and residential buildings up first. With the renovation of the soccer stadium going on, the new hoops arena shouldn't be too far behind.

[UICJohn]

The Pavilion shows its age and you can tell it was originally configured for UIC hockey which folded when they hired Jimmy Collins. I bet they’ll build a new arena within 10 years.

A new arena was in the Master Plan when they first presented to The Valley in '13. It was designated to be built at the Northeast corner of Halsted St & Roosevelt Road, right next to the expressway, in the middle of South Campus and up the street from Maxwell St. Polishes! I'm guessing that the University wanted to get a few academic and residential buildings up first. With the renovation of the soccer stadium going on, the new hoops arena shouldn't be too far behind.

While Credit One Arena (the UIC Pavilion) is not an awful arena, it is definitely one that needs updates. Looking at it from just a basketball standpoint, it might be a difficult sell. However, the Pavilion is used for a variety of things from UIC basketball games to concerts to Graduation ceremonies for the larger colleges. Additionally, I would imagine that MVC would require a timeline from UIC when having discussions.

And on a specific note, I never knew of that exact location being talked about Chuck. I think it's a great location! Easy transportation, right between north and south campus, I believe there is a building but can't even remember when it is for, and much closer to many establishments on Halsted for fans before and/or after games.

[Birdfan2018]

The Pavilion shows its age and you can tell it was originally configured for UIC hockey which folded when they hired Jimmy Collins. I bet they’ll build a new arena within 10 years.

A new arena was in the Master Plan when they first presented to The Valley in '13. It was designated to be built at the Northeast corner of Halsted St & Roosevelt Road, right next to the expressway, in the middle of South Campus and up the street from Maxwell St. Polishes! I'm guessing that the University wanted to get a few academic and residential buildings up first. With the renovation of the soccer stadium going on, the new hoops arena shouldn't be too far behind.

While Credit One Arena (the UIC Pavilion) is not an awful arena, it is definitely one that needs updates. Looking at it from just a basketball standpoint, it might be a difficult sell. However, the Pavilion is used for a variety of things from UIC basketball games to concerts to Graduation ceremonies for the larger colleges. Additionally, I would imagine that MVC would require a timeline from UIC when having discussions.

And on a specific note, I never knew of that exact location being talked about Chuck. I think it's a great location! Easy transportation, right between north and south campus, I believe there is a building but can't even remember when it is for, and much closer to many establishments on Halsted for fans before and/or after games.

Did Valparaiso have to show a timeline for updating or building a new basketball facility to replace their high school gym that they play in?

[VUGrad1314]

I never saw anything reported that Valpo had to make any firm commitments to anything facilities wise. We're moving along but the pace is WAY too slow and we all can and should acknowledge that. Unlike Valpo--I think the slow pace is because we just haven't found the donor base or money yet to do what we need to do--UIC at least looks like they have the money to make it happen though and that's a very good thing. I assume the Flames have many well-heeled alumni who care about athletics who can make it happen should the right impetus (such as an MVC invite) arise. Unfortunately for Valpo, most of our big donors are largely academics focused and don't care much about the state of the athletics program which is fine people can do with their money whatever they wish but it explains a lot about the slow timetable for things at VU. Maybe it's a bit harsh to say there's no commitment at VU. I think everybody sees the state of our facilities and knows what needs to be done but the problem is unless and until someone steps up with a huge contribution to make it happen it really can't unless we tried a grassroots campaign but I'm not sure if we have enough of a base to make that viable either. We're just kinda stuck it appears and it really sucks because I want to see Valpo be a credit to the MVC so badly.

[VUGrad1314]

UTA to the WAC looks almost official.

https://twitter.com/MattBrownEP/status/ ... 40071.html

[DUBulldog]

UTA to the WAC looks almost official.

https://twitter.com/MattBrownEP/status/ ... 40071.html

Good for them. I'm really happy they didn't get into the MVC. I just didn't understand any justification for bringing them in.

[Birdfan2018]

I never saw anything reported that Valpo had to make any firm commitments to anything facilities wise. We're moving along but the pace is WAY too slow and we all can and should acknowledge that. Unlike Valpo--I think the slow pace is because we just haven't found the donor base or money yet to do what we need to do--UIC at least looks like they have the money to make it happen though and that's a very good thing. I assume the Flames have many well-heeled alumni who care about athletics who can make it happen should the right impetus (such as an MVC invite) arise. Unfortunately for Valpo, most of our big donors are largely academics focused and don't care much about the state of the athletics program which is fine people can do with their money whatever they wish but it explains a lot about the slow timetable for things at VU. Maybe it's a bit harsh to say there's no commitment at VU. I think everybody sees the state of our facilities and knows what needs to be done but the problem is unless and until someone steps up with a huge contribution to make it happen it really can't unless we tried a grassroots campaign but I'm not sure if we have enough of a base to make that viable either. We're just kinda stuck it appears and it really sucks because I want to see Valpo be a credit to the MVC so badly.

Many years ago (won’t say how many) I was born pretty much on Valparaiso University campus at Porter Memorial. Would love to see a new Arena built for the “Crusaders” (sorry)!

[Salukimadness86]

UTA to the WAC looks almost official.

https://twitter.com/MattBrownEP/status/ ... 40071.html

No more T Arlington discussion. Good riddance.