I'm obviously not saying let's break ground tomorrow. And I'm in no way saying a new stadium should be top priority or a complete fix all. But let's address a few things that I've seen here.
Madison Square Garden is nice and they sell beer and it's easy to get to. Yes, but you lose the atmosphere of kids waiting on line outside the arena or making the trek from the dorms to the arena.
We are NYC and play at MSG, who wouldn't want to come here? I don't know, ask any top recruit, or professional athlete. Madison Square Garden hasn't seen a winning team in any of these new recruits lifetimes. They've barely even had playoff teams. With the renovations and the rising prices, the Garden has lost a lot of its folkore for the younger generation. When the Garden is rocking, it's ROCKING. But it hasn't rocked for a LONG time. And half the kids that we are trying to get to just go to the games wouldn't be able to buy beer anyway so that's a moot point.
And again, do you guys not think it would be better if Carnesecca seated at least 8,000 (Cameron Indoor seats almost double what we seat now) and had better amenities or atmosphere and we could attract J. Cole more frequently or Nicki Minaj or other music acts and entertainers? I'm not a big fan of the music but over half the campus is and would be a great way to generate more revenue when basketball isn't being played and you'd be able to tell recruits "Hey, listen, wouldn't you like being able to play at a brand new, state of the art, and loud arena as well as Madison Square Garden and if you're looking for something fun to do on a Friday night when the season's over, student-athletes get free tickets to see some of the big names in music?"
Obviously we have to win first. I wouldn't seriously be thinking about a new arena for at least 5 years. The first big step is maybe making Carnesecca games free for students. Discounted tickets if you're buying seats with a current student.
But a new arena on the horizon would only improve the campus life for students as well as creating a way to generate more revenue throughout the year to not only fund the school but also other athletic programs.