39 votes
at Wells Fargo 61%
at Villanova 15%
at The Palestra 12%
at Hershey 7%
at Penn State 2%
A lot of folks around the state, particularly in the eastern part, complain that Penn State is not a good place for the high school basketball championships because very few of us easterners will travel that far.
Pennsylvania is a big state so there is no way to locate a championship game that will satisfy everyone if all the championship games must be played in the same gym.
Obviously, a Lower Merion vs Chester game should have been played around here where the fans, families, and rivalry lives, not in an empty Penn State gym.
If the game was played here, you overwhelmingly voted in favor of having it at Wells Fargo Center, the home of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Allow me to put my spin on the Survey Results:
Penn State
The 1 vote for Penn State is the perfect response according to the number of people who actually make the trip to the game at Penn State. That’s why the gym is so empty.
Hershey
There are 3 of you who didn’t mind taking the trips to Hershey as we’ve done so many times before. I like Hershey, myself.
Palestra
There are 5 hardcore basketball junkies who want to see the game in a classic basketball setting. The Palestra is getting old, but it is still basketball Nirvana. A gym that is made for basketball, nothing else. Every player should play there (I got my chance in 8th grade), and every fan needs to experience the magic of The Palestra environment. I love the Palestra.
Villanova
There are 6 of you who probably went to the last Lower Merion vs Chester game at Villanova a few weeks ago. The place was jammed packed. It was a perfect setting for a big game. I can’t argue that the atmosphere was great, but take that same crowd to The Palestra, and everything goes up a notch.
Wells Fargo
I honestly put this one in as a joke. Yet, 24 of you want to see the game there. The problem I have with Wells Fargo is that it’s too big. A high school game isn’t going to draw 18,000 people. You hope the bottom sections fill up, but that still makes for a half empty building. That’s what we’d like to get away from.
should still be at Hershey
ReplyDeleteIs is fair to the rest of the PIAA to move one of the eight games played during championship weekend because both teams were from the east? Consider the logistics that go into it before the two teams are determined (hotel bookings, refs, the venue's availability). I don't like that ride much either, but there is so much more in play than just the AAAA matchup.
ReplyDeleteNo, it's not fair.
DeleteI wasn't just talking about mvoing one game. I wonder if it makes sense to consider not having all the games in one place.
Why can't State Championship games be played in several gyms across the state?
There is no perfect solution.
And how did Lower Merion end up in the west bracket anyway?