Rider
Traveling – A College Basketball Journey – Game 29
Home Team: Rider Broncs
Away Team: Fairfield Stags
Final Score: Fairfield def. Rider, 88-81
Venue: Alumni Gymnasium, Lawrenceville, NJ
Date: December 3, 2023
Time: 2:00 P.M.
Am I crazy? That’s what I thought as I drove down the dreaded New Jersey Turnpike in the pouring rain. Am I crazy for driving on this road, in these conditions, just to see two 1-6 teams play in the tenth smallest arena in all of Division 1 basketball? I guess I am. To be honest, I would do it again. Thats why I started visiting arenas in the first place, to experience that diversity between power conference schools and mid-majors. It really does make the Cinderella runs in March seem all the more magical. I got to experience that magic when Saint Peter’s went on their run, and I hope to experience it again. And hey, it seems NJ mid-majors have been successful as of late - Saint Peter’s, Princeton, Fairleigh Dickinson all have had recent upsets in March. Could Rider be next?
The Rider campus is quaint. After driving in the entrance there is an oval lined by different buildings. On the left is the arena, connected to the student rec center, while on the right were what I assumed to be dorms per the students walking out of them across the oval. At the top left of the oval, a road leads to the parking lot behind the arena, which was free! On the backside of the rec center are the words “GO BRONCS,” confirming arrival at the sports side of the campus.
As with most small conference arenas, Rider’s Alumni Gymnasium is multipurpose and therefore from the outside it is a bit unassuming. The large building is simple in structure, with a square footprint and a basic roof to match. However, through a walkway, it is connected to the rec center. The back entrance is at the end of a path between the two. The architecture at the entrance seems older, and shows the other parts of the building were likely extensions. Large glass windows provide a view inside.
Once inside, there is a lobby that shows equally large windows on the front of the building. Despite the rain, there was a lot of natural light coming in. Towards the rec center sits a Starbucks that sported a long line. A small snack stand is also located just off the lobby. A small walk past a sports hall of fame and through a tiny hallway leads to the arena lobby.
In the back center of the lobby are two booths. On the right are ticket sales, and on the left is a small merchandise area. On either side of those booths are the only two entrances to the arena. As with some smaller arenas I have been to, there is not enough room for guests behind the basket, so the entrance you go in is determined by the ticket you buy.
For such a small and older arena, there is quite a new, modern feel to it. The use of red around the space really helps make it pop in a sense. Flood lights hang from the ceiling in what reminded me of Harry Potter, when the candles are all floating in the dining hall, and gave it a unique feel. Traditional scoreboards sit on both ends, but on the close end sits a modern video board. While it just played the ESPN+ stream the whole time with some stats on the side, it does help accentuate that modernness. On the far end hang accolade banners for the men’s and women’s teams.
I chose general admission and for the first time this season, I found myself on bleacher seating. The left side and the back of the arena are filled with red bleacher seating. On the opposite side of the arena are actual seats with a matching color. The seating area on the far end of the arena is quite odd, and it seems the section the bleachers are nestled back in can be used as a stage when not hosting games.
For a game between two 1-6 teams, the crowd size was impressive. Of course, it does help that it was the first home game of the season and that they don’t have to fill as many seats to begin with. In addition, any conference game is bound to get people pumped up. Sometimes more can be done with less, and I really think the arena does a great job of that. Big arenas are not always needed to have a great environment. While Rider was never able to catch Fairfield, the team featured fantastic offense production, which made for a great game as a neutral fan.
Team Conference and State Statistics
This is the seventh MAAC arena I have been to. Rider is the eighth MAAC team I’ve seen home or away
This is the fourth arena I have been to in New Jersey, marking my halfway point through the state. Rider is the sixth team from New Jersey I’ve seen home or away
Fairfield becomes the tenth team I have seen at least twice