Rhodes Arena

^{February 11, 2012
James A. Rhodes Arena (Capacity: 5,500)
Akron, OH
Akron Zips vs Northern Illinois Huskies
Final Score: 75 – 51}

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Weather continued to get in the way of my Ohio MAC doubleheader. After the morning game at Kent State, lake effect snow accumulated 5-7 inches making the usually short journey to Akron dicey as I-76 closed due to multiple accidents. So, I took side roads for a nerve-wracking trip that finally got me into Akron. This city of nearly 200,000 is located in Northeast Ohio and it used to be known as the “Rubber Capitol”. Most of the major tire companies set up shop in Akron, but now only Goodyear is left and the University at the center of the city has become the focal point. The school dominates much of downtown and one of the largest on-campus buildings is the Goodyear Polymer Center as Polymer research is what the school has specialized in. The Zips began competing in Division I basketball in 1980 and they made their first tournament in 1986 under Bob Huggins. After many lean years, Keith Dambrot turned the program into one of the MAC’s best as they have made five straight championship games (and been to two more NCAAs). James A. Rhodes Arena, better known as the JAR, opened in 1983. A decent atmosphere accompanies Zips games, but the facility itself seems a little outdated with seating arrangements quite far from the court.
Prestige Ranking: 2.5 out of 5

Location

Rhodes Arena is on the southeast part of campus, around the other athletic facilities and the fraternity / sorority section. Mostly a commuter school, there’s really not much to get excited about immediately nearby. A mile away features the downtown core and it’s very quiet despite having a few good restaurants. The only other spot worth checking out is the Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens.
Location Ranking: 5 out of 10

Accessibility / Parking

Northeast Ohio has great highway access and getting to the JAR is very easy as it is right off the highway-like Route 8. This also connects with I-76 and I-77. One turn from the exit onto Carroll Street brings you not only to the arena, but also a nearby parking garage. Congestion often isn’t really an issue
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 8 out of 8

Exterior

A drab, brown-brick building greets visitors as the facility looks more like a place for intramurals than a 5,500-seat arena. The only liveliness is the “Roo-town” poster on the front. Above the opening doors in black lettering is “James A. Rhodes Health and Physical Education Building”.
Exterior Ranking: 2.5 out of 10

Concourse

First, fans enter into an area in the lower portion of the building. Seeing “The ‘Roo” (team mascot) at the entrance is a nice touch, however this area is rather dark and it feels confined with a low ceiling. The main food stand is located down here, along with a small merchandise space. Fans then climb stairs up to the arena on either side of the concourse and this leads to the inside of the gym. Each “corner” entrance features a smaller food stand and some windows to the outside before you reach the interior. Thus, it’s a disjointed concourse experience with limited space.
Concourse Ranking: 1 out of 5

Food

Food was below average with hot dogs, bratwursts and pizza the featured items (no burgers or fries). There is one stand that sells Chick-Fil-A sandwiches.
Food Ranking: 3 out of 8

Interior

Inside, the JAR features pullout seating through nearly the entire arena. Each side features seating in all blue chairbacks on the lower level. A tall wall then cuts off the second level of seating and it is here that things are odd with an indoor track. This acts a nice walkway, but it also keeps the upper seating much further back from the court. The aforementioned wall can block the view for those unlucky enough to be in a lower row. While the further back you go, it certainly feels far from the court. Lighting is also darker up here. Evenly distributed sections are set up on all four sides with the corners open. Each side features wooden bleachers, except for one that has blue chairbacks.
Interior Ranking: 4.5 out of 14

Scoreboard

The center scoreboard is pretty nice with a large video screen on all four sides. Video isn’t crystal clear, but it is good. Time and score are at the top and there is a little ad space that does not become excessive. Above the lower end seating, there are also a couple long digital boards used for player stat information.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4

Displays

Down in the lower-level opening foyer is the University of Akron Sports Hall of Fame, with a nice, but very old collection of photographs each in a wooden frame on a wall. Expanding out to Summit County, the walls in the corners are filled with names recognizing members of the county’s own Sports Hall of Fame. Inside the gym, Akron does a real good job of honoring its past by having huge murals on the walls in each corner. These murals are for prior Zips coaches and they contain stats, achievements and old photos. It is interesting looking at a younger Bob Huggins on one of them. The rafters were full with 11 retired numbers (two from the Women’s team), along with banners for various conference and NCAA achievements across multiple sports.
Displays Ranking: 4 out of 6

Cost

Upper seating is either $10 or $15 depending on whether you go with a bleacher or a regular seat. The lower seating is $30, a bit high for the MAC, but not as high as the $40 I saw earlier in the day at Kent State. The Ticketmaster fees at Akron will add a few annoying dollars. Parking and programs were free, while the concessions were OK ($3.50 for a hot dog, $3 for a Pepsi).
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8

Fan Support

Given the bad weather, the turnout was admirable for this game as the place was around 75% full. As is the case with most teams, opponent and day of game are the big drivers here, but the Akron faithful support the team well, especially during MAC season (and of course, rival Kent State games are always sold out.). MAC attendance numbers consistently have Akron in the top third of the league.
Fan Support Ranking: 5.5 out of 8

Atmosphere

The atmosphere was good in the JAR. Fans stood before the first basket was scored and they made some decent noise after each point. Knowledge of their opponent was pretty good from listening to the folks around me. There were no organized cheers or chants during the game and one disappointment was the lack of students as the really small baseline student sections were enough to hold the kids. Even though Akron basketball seems to be more of a community affair, it is a good overall experience for a MAC squad
Atmosphere Ranking: 8.5 out of 14

Other Stuff

The name “Zips” is quite unique to Akron. A contest led to “Zippers” being selected as the team nickname in reference to the rubber overshoes produced by BF Goodrich in Akron. This got shortened to Zips in the 1950s. The kangaroo mascot was selected for its agile, yet powerful characteristics……There’s a nice story about the merchandise stand known as Porky’s Place detailing a man who long sold Zip apparel……Current Head Coach Keith Dambrot previously coached Lebron James at St. Vincent – St. Mary’s High School, also located in Akron.

Game

The game was choppy and slow with the referees blowing the whistle for seemingly every touch. The Zips struggled out of the gate as a very young NIU team hung in there during the first half thanks to a 20-9 rebounding advantage (something that I’m sure Akron was lambasted for at the break). Late in the half, Akron went on a 12-2 run to pull out a seven-point lead at halftime. They dominated much of the second half and went on to win by 24. Zeke Marshall had 4 blocks in only 14 minutes. Too bad he acted like a spoiled brat on the bench after he picked up his fourth foul.

Stadium Experience Ranking: 54.5 out of 100