Stony Brook Arena

^{December 29, 2007
Stony Brook Arena (Capacity: 4,103)
Stony Brook, NY
Stony Brook Seawolves vs Cornell Big Red
Final Score: 50 – 66}

* The arena was completely remade from 2012 – 2014. The resultant Island Federal Arena will be treated as a different (new) arena * *

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The Stony Brook Seawolves are yet another school within the SUNY (State University of New York) system to make the leap to Division I. Similar to newbies, Albany and Binghamton, the Seawolves joined the DI ranks in the late 90s and eventually became part of the America East Conference, though so far it has been a struggle trying to achieve a winning record. The highly regarded public university on the north shore of Long Island is a flagship school in New York with a great focus on research. It is a fairly large university and its impacts on the region are vast. Basketball is played in the Stony Brook Arena, I think. Several names have been associated to the building (like “Indoor Sports Complex” and “West Wing”), but the most common one seems to be the Stony Brook Arena. It was built in 1990 and the everything is good until entering the actual gym.
Prestige Ranking: 1 out of 5

Location

Being on Long Island, one may think Stony Brook is near New York City. On the contrary as it is over an hour away in the middle of Suffolk County on the North Shore. The little hamlet of 13,000 does not have a center core, but there is a nice area along Route 68 with some activities to fill time before a game. This section a few minutes from campus features the Long Island Museum, an open-air complex that includes a huge collection of carriages. Also nearby is the Stony Brook Grist Mill and the Stony Brook Village Center, a 1940s era shopping center (with small eateries) that looks much newer than its age. The center is upscale and has a slight Hamptons class vibe, but the Post Office is a cool building to check out. Finally, this area is on the marshy harbor that leads into the Long Island Sound. Basketball season isn’t ideal to check it out, but if you find a decent weather day head down to see Hercules statue and possibly some hermit crabs.
Location Ranking: 6 out of 10

Accessibility / Parking

Campus is in the southeast portion of Stony Brook and though it takes at least 10 minutes to get to from the LIE (I-495), only one road is needed from Exit 62. Nicholls Road (Rt. 92 north) leads right up to the entrance of the school and after making the left into one of the entrances, a road circles the outer perimeter of the University (aptly named Circle Road). Stony Brook is big in terms of surface area and it takes a little bit to get to the athletic complex. The arena is part of a larger athletic complex and it is near other campus academic buildings. For parking, the lot immediately adjacent to the arena is “VIP”, so use the lot the nearby lot when you first turn left from Circle Road onto Gym Road. If needed, a larger parking area can be found behind the football stadium and that is not a long walk to the arena. Gameday traffic is minimal as the only annoyance is the potential of fighting general Island congestion if coming from Nassau County.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7.5 out of 8

Exterior

Walking up, one gets the feeling of heading to a basketball game as the architecture fits the arena mold. A white top sits over a brick base and the arena is somewhat square with the corners cut. Getting closer to the entrance, it becomes apparent that this is a multi-purpose complex as other buildings are attached to the right of the entrance. These have more of an academic look, but they do serve an athletic need.
Exterior Ranking: 4 out of 10

Concourse

Ticket tables are actually in the little vestibule leading into the facility, making for a cramped entrance. After going past that, fans step into a main corridor. On the right, is Pritchard Gym, the old (and tiny) basketball home for the Seawolves, which stood before the arena was built. The whole complex also includes a swimming pool, squash courts and even an academic development center for athletes. The west side features the actual Stony Brook Arena. Back to the concourse, this central area is nice as there is a lot of space to mill around and though the flooring has an 80s shopping mall vibe to it, there is an attractive hall of fame at the end. 
Concourse Ranking: 2.5 out of 5

Food

A few stand-alone tables allow fans to eat, however the concessions are weak at best with only a couple items (like hot dogs, pretzels and popcorn) available.
Food Ranking: 1.5 out of 8

Interior

Ugh, the inside is such a debacle. Each side features a section of wooden pull-out bleachers that are both relatively far from the court (given the small size of the arena) and have a low-grade pitch. There are a couple sections towards the center with red chair-backs. Corners are wide open as there is plenty of space between each seating section. The ceiling hangs quite low, enough to obstruct the scoreboard in the seats not close to the floor. About the only good thing in the arena is the walkway that circles the entire seating bowl. 
Interior Ranking: 2 out of 14

Scoreboard

I would think the main purpose of a scoreboard is to display the pertinent game information to all those in the building. Somehow this was overlooked as those sitting towards the top or even the middle of a section need to peer through lights and ceiling bars to get a glimpse of the score or time. The board itself was four-sided and black, with logos and ads in the corners. Regardless of what it looks like, this could be the worst spot I’ve ever seen a scoreboard in.
Scoreboard Ranking: 0.5 out of 4

Displays

One great feature of the facility was the Eppenstein Hall of Fame, located in a partially enclosed section of the concourse. This red carpeted area has plaques of people inducted into the Stony Brook Sports Hall of Fame. Adding to the Hall of Fame is a cool statue of a Sea Wolf, artistically designed in Stony Brook gear. There are also two awesome detailed models of the football stadium and basketball arena, which as you would expect, I particularly enjoyed. Inside, banners can be found at the ends and it is mostly just America East team ones displayed. We’ll see how things look once Stony Brook wins more; in the meantime, the lone team banner is for a Women’s NIT appearance.
Displays Ranking: 3 out of 6

Cost

Prices are very affordable at a Stony Brook game with tickets only $8 and the parking free. Concessions however were high, given the lack of variety. Nachos were $4, while they also charged for a cheese cup.
Cost Ranking: 7.5 out of 8

Fan Support and Atmosphere

The game was played during Stony Brook’s winter break, so that meant most of the students were away from campus and that included the pep band and cheerleaders. Less than a quarter of the arena was filled for this contest and the announced attendance of 1148 was on par for what the Seawolves typically draw. That puts Stony Brook in the lower half of the America East. Atmosphere was nearly non-existent with little crowd noise from those in attendance. Curious if that picks up when students are there.
Fan Support Ranking: 2.5 out of 8
Atmosphere Ranking: 3 out of 14

Other Stuff

There was an unusual amount of security present in the building, which was a little concerning given how small the crowd was. It seemed like a quiet and family-type atmosphere, so I’m not quite sure why all of them were there…..Boo to Stony Brook staff for hiding their game programs behind the ticket counter. I shouldn’t have to ask around to find one…..While the additional West Wing (Stony Brook Arena) was built in 1990, the pre-existing Pritchard Gym, now in the East Wing of the complex, began hosting games in 1969.

Game

In the game, Cornell was in control throughout as they handled Stony Brook’s pressure defense easily. Midway through the game however, the Seawolves went on a 16-2 run to take a one-point lead. Cornell regained control later in the second half and they rebounded to finish with 59% shooting, helping them go on to a 16-point victory. Ryan Wittman finished with 23 points and 5 assists for the Big Red.

Stadium Experience Ranking: 41 out of 100