Foster Forward: True Home-Court Advantage
12/15/2023 8:41:00 AM | General
By Jerry Hill, BaylorBears.com
WACO, Texas -- Scott Drew has seen it in his 21 seasons at the 10,284-seat Ferrell Center.
No matter how good his pregame pep talk is, "if you walk out there and the arena is not packed, you lose momentum."
The hope is that will never be the case at the new Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion, a 7.000-seat fieldhouse that has additional standing room for another 500 fans.
"The proximity of the fans, the loudness, the verticality," Drew said. "The fact that it's a smaller venue, it'll be packed every night. When our players run out of the tunnel, the energy, the excitement, the enthusiasm they feel is going to allow them to never have a flat moment and allow them to play at their best and be excited."
Comparing Foster Pavilion to the 35-year-old Ferrell Center, Baylor Associate AD Henry Howard said the pavilion is "more vertical in nature," with the farthest seat being "54 feet closer than the farthest seat in the Ferrell Center."
"Multiply that times several thousand fans," said Howard, who oversees capital projects and championships. "To me, that's why it's going to give Coach Drew and Coach (Nicki) Collen the home-court advantage that they deserve and the student-athletes deserve."
With the Baylor band being closer to the visitors' bench and the students closer to the floor, directly behind the team benches and scorer's table, "it's just a completely different atmosphere than we've had at the Ferrell Center," Howard said.
"Even if you go to our Utah game or our Texas crowd a couple years ago, I just think students drive the energy in the building," Collen said. "They have young, loud voices, and they're not afraid to use them. So, you get fewer of the golf claps. They can give the team energy. I think they can be intimidating for the opponents. I think getting them closer to the action makes it even more fun for them to be at games."
Coming in at the event level off University Parks Drive, the Baylor students will also have a "dedicated entrance," Howard said, "where they can do handouts, T-shirts, a little food and get riled up, get excited before the game even starts."
Wanting "that historic fieldhouse feel," the concourse level of the pavilion is "360 degrees open," Howard said, with no doors or walls separating it from the arena viewing area.
"No matter where you are in the stadium, if you need to run to the restroom or the concession stand, you can still feel and hear the game," he said. "We think that's two-factor. One, you can still hear and feel the game when you're taking a quick break. But two, it encourages you to get back to the action because you can hear it."
State-of-the-art amplifiers have been installed to enhance the acoustics in the building, creating an incredible atmosphere on game days.
"Not only is that fan closer to the court," Howard said, "but we've got acoustics behind them, so that sound is bouncing off the walls, again, aimed at the court. So, we hope that the visiting team can't hear themselves at all."
Although Drew said he hasn't made a site visit – "what are we going to do, help?" – he said "the excitement on that night is going to be off the charts" when the Bears play Cornell in the first game at the Foster Pavilion on Jan. 2.
"To win a Big 12 championship, you have to win your home games," Drew said. "And with the new pavilion, Baylor University will have one of the best home-court advantages in the country, without a doubt."
Collen said the fans will be able to make a bigger impact at the smaller arena like she experienced in the WNBA with the Connecticut Sun and the 9,323-seat Mohegan Sun.
"I don't think there's any doubt that the closer you get people to the floor, the more engaged they are, the louder the building gets," she said. "I just think it's energizing. I think it's why people love Cameron Indoor (at Duke) and some of the smaller venues where you truly pack them in. If you can put 5,000 people in there and grow it to a sellout at 7,000, it's going to be really intimidating."
Unlike the Ferrell Center, where there's a massive, hanging video board at midcourt, the Foster Pavilion will have video boards on each baseline, so they don't "distract you from anything going on at midcourt or at the goals," Howard said.
Even with additional premium seating for donors, including 160 courtside seats for Champions' Row and three mezzanine suites, the configuration of the pavilion will keep fans in the middle of the action.
With two rows on the floor for courtside seating, the seats in the back row are five inches higher. "So, even if you're on the second row, you can still see over the guests who are in front of you," Howard said. "These are very luxurious chairs, padding on both the seat and back support and individual cupholders. And again, you're bringing people closer to the court."
There is a Courtside Club for Champions row ticket-holders, while the 766 Sideline Club guests have access to a bunker-like club underneath their seating area.
"But even in the Sideline Club, you feel the game, you can hear the game," Howard said. "We don't want people bunkered up in the Sideline Club. We want them out there impacting the game."
Instead of the more traditional glassed-in suites at football stadiums, the mezzanine level suites at the pavilion will be open-air, where "there is nothing keeping you from the action."
Additionally, the Bear Foundation is offering 80 loft seats, similar to the loge boxes at McLane Stadium, which will include a premium rolling chair, a countertop to set your food and drink and charge your phone during the game.
"That's a very premium area," Howard said. "And I've got to tell you, the view from there is great. There are two rows, but it's right at midcourt, right in the action. And you can gain access to the loft seating from either the Sideline Club or take the grand stairs up to the concourse level."
While some of the exterior areas like landscaping won't be completed by the first games at the pavilion, Howard said he feels "really good about the bowl and the seating, the court, the graphics for the court, the goals – all the things that are essential for playing the game."
"We're asking for a little bit of grace on the outside," he said, "but there are donor brick pavers and concrete sidewalks that will be in place. So, it's a safe venue, it's a state-of-the-art venue, but it's not going to be the final product."
WACO, Texas -- Scott Drew has seen it in his 21 seasons at the 10,284-seat Ferrell Center.
No matter how good his pregame pep talk is, "if you walk out there and the arena is not packed, you lose momentum."
The hope is that will never be the case at the new Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion, a 7.000-seat fieldhouse that has additional standing room for another 500 fans.
"The proximity of the fans, the loudness, the verticality," Drew said. "The fact that it's a smaller venue, it'll be packed every night. When our players run out of the tunnel, the energy, the excitement, the enthusiasm they feel is going to allow them to never have a flat moment and allow them to play at their best and be excited."
Comparing Foster Pavilion to the 35-year-old Ferrell Center, Baylor Associate AD Henry Howard said the pavilion is "more vertical in nature," with the farthest seat being "54 feet closer than the farthest seat in the Ferrell Center."
"Multiply that times several thousand fans," said Howard, who oversees capital projects and championships. "To me, that's why it's going to give Coach Drew and Coach (Nicki) Collen the home-court advantage that they deserve and the student-athletes deserve."
With the Baylor band being closer to the visitors' bench and the students closer to the floor, directly behind the team benches and scorer's table, "it's just a completely different atmosphere than we've had at the Ferrell Center," Howard said.
"Even if you go to our Utah game or our Texas crowd a couple years ago, I just think students drive the energy in the building," Collen said. "They have young, loud voices, and they're not afraid to use them. So, you get fewer of the golf claps. They can give the team energy. I think they can be intimidating for the opponents. I think getting them closer to the action makes it even more fun for them to be at games."
Coming in at the event level off University Parks Drive, the Baylor students will also have a "dedicated entrance," Howard said, "where they can do handouts, T-shirts, a little food and get riled up, get excited before the game even starts."
Wanting "that historic fieldhouse feel," the concourse level of the pavilion is "360 degrees open," Howard said, with no doors or walls separating it from the arena viewing area.
"No matter where you are in the stadium, if you need to run to the restroom or the concession stand, you can still feel and hear the game," he said. "We think that's two-factor. One, you can still hear and feel the game when you're taking a quick break. But two, it encourages you to get back to the action because you can hear it."
State-of-the-art amplifiers have been installed to enhance the acoustics in the building, creating an incredible atmosphere on game days.
"Not only is that fan closer to the court," Howard said, "but we've got acoustics behind them, so that sound is bouncing off the walls, again, aimed at the court. So, we hope that the visiting team can't hear themselves at all."
Although Drew said he hasn't made a site visit – "what are we going to do, help?" – he said "the excitement on that night is going to be off the charts" when the Bears play Cornell in the first game at the Foster Pavilion on Jan. 2.
"To win a Big 12 championship, you have to win your home games," Drew said. "And with the new pavilion, Baylor University will have one of the best home-court advantages in the country, without a doubt."
Collen said the fans will be able to make a bigger impact at the smaller arena like she experienced in the WNBA with the Connecticut Sun and the 9,323-seat Mohegan Sun.
"I don't think there's any doubt that the closer you get people to the floor, the more engaged they are, the louder the building gets," she said. "I just think it's energizing. I think it's why people love Cameron Indoor (at Duke) and some of the smaller venues where you truly pack them in. If you can put 5,000 people in there and grow it to a sellout at 7,000, it's going to be really intimidating."
Unlike the Ferrell Center, where there's a massive, hanging video board at midcourt, the Foster Pavilion will have video boards on each baseline, so they don't "distract you from anything going on at midcourt or at the goals," Howard said.
Even with additional premium seating for donors, including 160 courtside seats for Champions' Row and three mezzanine suites, the configuration of the pavilion will keep fans in the middle of the action.
With two rows on the floor for courtside seating, the seats in the back row are five inches higher. "So, even if you're on the second row, you can still see over the guests who are in front of you," Howard said. "These are very luxurious chairs, padding on both the seat and back support and individual cupholders. And again, you're bringing people closer to the court."
There is a Courtside Club for Champions row ticket-holders, while the 766 Sideline Club guests have access to a bunker-like club underneath their seating area.
"But even in the Sideline Club, you feel the game, you can hear the game," Howard said. "We don't want people bunkered up in the Sideline Club. We want them out there impacting the game."
Instead of the more traditional glassed-in suites at football stadiums, the mezzanine level suites at the pavilion will be open-air, where "there is nothing keeping you from the action."
Additionally, the Bear Foundation is offering 80 loft seats, similar to the loge boxes at McLane Stadium, which will include a premium rolling chair, a countertop to set your food and drink and charge your phone during the game.
"That's a very premium area," Howard said. "And I've got to tell you, the view from there is great. There are two rows, but it's right at midcourt, right in the action. And you can gain access to the loft seating from either the Sideline Club or take the grand stairs up to the concourse level."
While some of the exterior areas like landscaping won't be completed by the first games at the pavilion, Howard said he feels "really good about the bowl and the seating, the court, the graphics for the court, the goals – all the things that are essential for playing the game."
"We're asking for a little bit of grace on the outside," he said, "but there are donor brick pavers and concrete sidewalks that will be in place. So, it's a safe venue, it's a state-of-the-art venue, but it's not going to be the final product."
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