Marist
Traveling – A College Basketball Journey – Game 23
Home Team: Marist Red Foxes
Away Team: VMI Keydets
Final Score: Marist def. VMI, 78-74 in OT
Venue: McCann Arena – Poughkeepsie, NY
Date: November 20, 2021
Time: 5:00 P.M.
Welcome to the first installment of “Traveling – A College Basketball Journey.” To those who are new to my goal, I have the ambition to visit every Division I basketball arena. With more and more programs making the jump to D1, completing the journey may seem less attainable, but to me, it just means that there will be even more places to visit that I never would have gone to before. Up until now, I have been using the name “alld1basketballarenas.” While aptly named, this was always supposed to be a temporary placeholder. With the launch of The Low Major, it was time to give the dream a real identity. I will link the former subreddit on the bottom of my posts for the time being; I have posts about 22 programs already there, ready to read. I will also be posting links to these new articles on the subreddit but I recommend subscribing here so you get the notifications right away on any new posts.
With that out of the way, let me introduce you to McCann Arena, home of the Marist Red Foxes. Marist is located on the banks of the Hudson, in Poughkeepsie (puh-kip-see), New York, and is also the closest D1 institution to where I grew up in Northwestern Connecticut, so I was pretty excited to finally get to a game. I have been to Poughkeepsie and around the Marist campus many times, but this was my first time venturing inside. To anyone looking to see a game here, I highly recommend visiting the Walkway Over the Hudson, just south of campus. This trip did not include a walk across the bridge, but one I’ve been on it a couple of times.
Photo Courtesy of I Love NY
McCann Arena is located at the entrance of campus, and the multitude of free parking made that aspect of arriving a breeze. The outside of the building is composed of stone bricks with massive windows offering a sneak peek into the arena. A side entrance on the left leads into the lobby, which looks very clean. Marist students in red sweater vests help check people in. A ticket booth lines the right wall, while a snack bar and small seating area fill the left side of the lobby. Straight ahead, towards the entrance of the gym, a small merchandise area is set up.
The gym, much like other smaller arenas, is evidently meant for many other purposes. The low ceilings and retractable bleachers and seats show that the space can easily be reverted into a large multipurpose room. The best way I would describe the gym is that it feels like a stage. The walls surrounding the room are darkened to help give off this feeling; the only lights seem to be concentrated on the court itself and the banners that adorn the walls behind the bench. Overall, I liked this aspect of the space. However, some oddities are definitely noticeable. Behind the bright scoreboard, a very dark area seems ominous. On the opposite side of the arena, the bleachers are so far back and high, that anyone ever needing to sit there looks as if they would hit their head on the ceiling.
While the arena was not full by any means, the seats on the sides of the court were filled and the way the arena is laid out, those are really the only ones that need bodies in them. The fans that did show up were excited and loud. Since this game was back in November, it was the first game with fans in the stands after the covid season. The game was exciting as well; it was my second OT game in a row and, once again, the home team prevailed. The VMI fans definitely traveled well, which helped keep them in the game.
I hope you stick around and see the rest of the arenas I visited this season. Coming up are Howard, NJIT, and St. Francis Brooklyn. Is there anything you want to see or know about when I visit more arenas in the future? Please let me know!
Full album https://imgur.com/a/E2PEaWQ