Back to Rider

Lawrenceville, NJ is a little over an hour away from me and a few days ago, I brought my oldest daughter to a game at Rider’s Alumni Gym. It’s a tiny place (not big enough for an official review) and this was my third time there. Each game has been entertaining and this one was no exception as the Broncs’ hot shooting and athleticism made for a fun affair. The highlight was undoubtedly this dunk. WOW! I jumped up in astonishment when it happened, as did most around me, enough to startle my daughter who was busy staring at the teeth of the Rider Bronc. That’s a tie at the top of my best dunk list that I’ve seen in person as this one by Jonny Flynn at Rutgers was equally impressive. Back to the game, Rider went on to win against Quinnipiac 79-63 and I’ll be interested to see what they can do at the MAAC Tournament in a few weeks at Boardwalk Hall.

As for Alumni Gym, the school did well to touch it up since the last time I was here several years ago. It no longer is an oven in there and they added a video board above one end to go along with a nice paint job and improved ceiling. It’s still a bandbox though as all narrow bleachers make for an uncomfortable experience and the views aren’t the best when you have to look around someone’s head. Bathrooms are a joke, as is the lone concession kiosk. However, the student working the stand it was super nice! Most schools are lowering capacity for their arena, but Rider would benefit from more seats than the current 1,650 that Alumni Gym holds. While that’s not feasible given the gym dimensions, it does look like Rider will be doing some work in the near future to make the place better thanks to a recent donation.