November 15, 2009
Multipurpose Activity Center (Capacity: 4,100)
West Long Branch, NJ
Monmouth Hawks vs Seton Hall Pirates
Final Score: 72 – 87
* The arena was renamed OceanFirst Bank Center
** Last Revisit: February 28, 2014
.
My first visit to this building came during opening weekend as unseasonably warm weather accompanied festive times. Monmouth brought in FIU (coached by Isiah Thomas) for their first game and then two days later, they hosted local Big East team Seton Hall. I came for the latter, before I realized that I should make visits for more average and typical games. That brought me back six years later to a late-season conference contest. By that time, Monmouth had switched conferences from the NEC to the MAAC, which is an appropriate move given this very nice facility. It replaced the 2,200 seat Boylan Gym and eventually a corporate moniker took over from the original bland arena name. Monmouth, a small private University, began play at the DI level in the 1980s and they’ve made it to four NCAA Tournaments. They are located in West Long Branch, NJ, a borough of 8,200 just a bit inland from the Jersey Shore. Overall, this is a good basketball experience in a solid multipurpose arena.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
Upon arrival from Route 36, there are several commercial shopping centers and strip malls. Closer to campus, it is mainly a residential neighborhood. Overall nothing too appealing and you’ll have to drive a few more miles to find some of the beaches that populate Monmouth County along the Jersey Shore. Ten minutes to the south is historic seaside town of Asbury Park, a place that is buzzing during the summer.
Location Ranking: 5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
The MAC is near the center of Monmouth’s campus, which is about five miles east of the Garden State Parkway. Exit 105 onto Rt. 36 East is the primary route, which then leads to Rt. 71 and the entrance to campus. Driving in for weekend games is fine, but beware of some ugly traffic during weeknight games. There is plenty of parking in front of the arena and getting out after the game was not an issue.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8
Exterior
This newer facility does not stand alone as it is actually attached to the old gym on the southwest side. The lightly colored brick arena features a small main entrance wing that juts out of an otherwise square building. It’s not the smartest set-up as the box office is hidden outside and around the corner. I couldn’t figure out where to find Will Call in the dark of my second visit. The rest of the exterior is full of wide windows and topped off by a small, white roof. Generally, there’s nothing overly exciting about the design or look.
Exterior Ranking: 5 out of 10
Concourse
Upon entering, the facility feels more like an academic building than a sporting arena. The entrance features a walkway to the student bookstore and a set of stairs to walk up to the arena. A trophy case is there, but not exactly front and center. The only thing assuring that you are in the right place are the turnstiles. That basketball feel is still missing after walking up the stairs as the hallway is decorated like a Student Union. There are no concession stands or Monmouth basketball features, just some student organization tables and TVs on the walls. After passing through the subtly signed doors to the right, the arena comes into full view. It is here where fans get food as a very wide-open space is located at one end. There is also a kids play area and small merchandise stand in this section, while other food stands can be found in the corners of the arena.
Concourse Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Food
Food was surprisingly impressive as some of the plates were enough to have a good solid meal. I especially liked the BBQ chicken platter with coleslaw, while other fulfilling items included pulled pork and sausage & peppers. Most of the usuals were available too. No beer though.
Food Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Interior
The arena’s seating starts with a block O design in the lower-level set-up. Each corner of that O shape has a small section. Further back is a second set of seating, which is more disjointed as one end is left open and the gaps in the corners are each filled by a dark blue structure comprised of poles and trusses, centered by a scoreboard screen. Suites were built at the top of the arena and there is also a ‘club’ area at the top of the west end. This is a “Multipurpose” center, as it also houses Indoor Track & Field. Instead of the track residing on the floor level and forcing seats further away, designers put the track on the concourse or second seating level with the upper seating sections flexible to allow for a full running surface. It’s a bit different and leads to annoying kids constantly running around on the track while people are moving about. Once you are watching a game, it becomes apparent this is a more effective design and leads to a decent sightline for basketball. Most of the seats have backs, with the exception being the ends. Those seats are all blue and the consistent color scheme throughout is something I always appreciate. Despite feeling squished in my narrow seat, I found this to be a nice place.
Interior Ranking: 8.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
A disproportionately large scoreboard sits above center court, yet the size didn’t distract from the game. It really is a beautiful board with video on all four sides and a small spot on the bottom for score and time. The clear video focused on showing live action and replays. “Monmouth Hawks” is written at the top. Also, no ads! The posts in the corners featured the other important game info (individual scorers/fouls).
Scoreboard Ranking: 4 out of 4
Displays
Monmouth got into the college spirit by adding a Hawk statue right in front of the doors before walking into the arena. The statue sits on a black stand with a logo and “Go Hawks” insignia. Inside, the Leon Hess Champions’ Hall sounds great, but ultimately is a letdown with the lack of displays inside the walkway. A champion’s hall should be just that and unfortunately all that was seen was a small tribute to Leon Hess and an Athletics Hall of Fame that is hidden around a corner. There is a Monmouth trophy case, but it is not in the hall and instead downstairs at the main entrance with access interrupted by a table reserved for Visiting Team Tickets. Inside and above the court, simple blue banners for men and white banners for women show off when each made the NCAA Tournament.
Displays Ranking: 3 out of 6
Cost
Ticket prices ($12 and $15) were slightly more expensive than most other MAAC basketball games. Food offerings were the same. Certainly affordable and having free parking is nice too.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8
Fan Support
Being a new building and big opponent, it was no surprise that there was a decent crowd on hand for my first visit. I was surprised though that playing Seton Hall did not lead to a sellout. Attendance was about 500 shy of that with an announced crowd of 3,662. My return six years later saw a late-season game that failed to fill half the arena. There’s generally a small fan base for this team, but attendance does rank 3rd in the MAAC.
Fan Support Ranking: 3.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
The building has potential to be loud and I experienced that a few times during the initial visit as the students helped get some noise and chants going. However, the more typical game features a smattering of students with little in the way of organization. Fans in general produce nice cheers and applause after bigger plays.
Atmosphere Ranking: 6.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
One thing this visit taught me is to wait awhile before visiting a new building. Along with some missing pieces (banners, hallway decorations), there were also some fan service issues. It was quite confusing to find the actual will call table, despite the small size of the arena. Secondly, programs were available, but they forgot to bring them out. I had to ask around until finally somebody brought out a box sitting by the stairs…..Volleyball is also be played in the arena.
Game (Initial Visit)
The Hawks hung in for a little while as at one point the game was tied at 23. However, Seton Hall methodically pulled away and a six point run at the end of the 1st half gave them a 42-29 lead. The lead never dipped below 10 in the 2nd half. Jeremy Hazell shot very well and led the team with 27 points. Eugene Harvey provided 8 assists and Herb Pope pulled down 17 boards.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
