University of California, Santa Barbara Events Center

The UCSB Events Center (nicknamed the Thunderdome or ECen) is the on-campus arena for the University of California, Santa Barbara. Along with Harder Stadium, it is one of the most patronized venues on the UCSB campus. The 6,000 seat arena is currently the third largest arena in the Big West conference, behind the 8,000 seat UC Davis Pavilion [ [http://ucdavisaggies.cstv.com/facilities/ucda-facilities.html UC DAVIS, The Official Athletic Site ] ] and the University of the Pacific 6,150 seat Alex G. Spanos Center. The Events Center is the home to the Gauchos men's and women's basketball teams, the women's volleyball team, the school cheerleaders, the Gaucho Locos, and the dance team. The facility has also hosted concerts, boxing matches, the Harlem Globetrotters, and the first and second round games of the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship.

History

When it opened in 1979, the building was known as the Campus Events Center; eventually, the name was unofficially shortened to "The ECen". Because of the ridged siding on the outside of the building, it was also derisively called the "corrugated fortress" by some students. At first, crowds were small, but with the hiring of Jerry Pimm in 1983, the Gauchos men's basketball program began to experience greater success. As the size of crowds began to increase (often exceeding the stated capacity of 6,000), the environment became increasingly loud and hostile, creating significant problems for opposing teams. After UCSB (led by future Laker Brian Shaw) upset Jim Valvano's North Carolina State team by double digits in 1987 before a sellout crowd, the raucous atmosphere had transformed The ECen into "The Thunderdome". Nobody knows for sure who coined the nickname, but many believe it came from Valvano himself, when he said in a postgame interview that "it was louder than thunder in there tonight." A unique aspect of the Thunderdome is that there is no press table along the sideline in front of the student section. Thus, there is nothing between the front row of seats and the basketball court itself; this can create a very intimidating atmosphere as the students are almost part of the game. It is commonly known as the Thunderdome, but the official name on UCSB maps is still the Events Center.

The Gaucho Locos were formed in 1998 to provide support to the men's basketball program, after significant attendance declines in the early 1990s. Average attendance for men's basketball home games was 1,354 for the 04-05 season.

The Events Center has also seen big crowds for other sports. In 2002, 2,794 fans attended a women's volleyball match between UCSB and the USC Trojans. Boxing and professional wrestling can accommodate up to 5,814 fans. The Events Center has also seen big crowds for concerts, seating 3,584 to 4,848 for such performances.

The Tortilla Technical

Somehow in the early 1990s, it became customary for the students to toss tortillas onto the court like frisbees after the first UCSB basket of the game. The team would then be assessed a technical foul for delay of game while the tortillas were cleaned up; this became infamously known as the "tortilla technical." Despite continued pleading from the players and coaches to stop, the students continued the behavior. Once at a game televised by ESPN, tortilla fragments got into one of ESPN's videocameras, and the school had to purchase a new one for the network. Finally the school established a policy of searching students for tortillas as they entered the arena; eventually the novelty wore off and the tortillas have stopped flying.

Quotes about the Events Center

"This is as good an atmosphere as you'll find for college basketball. I don't believe there's anyplace in the country better than this." - Jerry Tarkanian, former basketball head coach at Fresno State, Long Beach State, and UNLV

"The noise in here is at least the equivalent of an airplane firing its engines for takeoff. This is unbelievable. I can't even hear myself." - Barry Tompkins, ESPN announcer during a UCSB-UNLV game.

"A lot of people don't realize that we play in a lot of tough places. I'd like to see some of these other teams have to go to Santa Barbara and play in the Thunderdome. After you've been insulted in Santa Barbara, Barnhill [Arkansas] is nothing." - former UNLV point guard and New York Knicks point guard Greg Anthony, after UNLV had beaten the University of Arkansas in Arkansas.

"That is a tough place to play. Nice weather and a beautiful part of the country, but boy, that Thunderdome, what a place to play." - Tom Penders (former basketball head coach at the University of Texas)

References

External links

* [http://eventscenter.ucsb.edu Official Website]
* [http://ucsbgauchos.collegesports.com/trads/thunder-dome.html UCSB Athletics page on the Events Center]
* [http://www.gaucholocos.com/facilities/thunderdome.html Gaucho Locos' page on the Events Center]
* [http://www.aw.id.ucsb.edu/maps/ Map of UCSB, with the Events Center located in the left center (west)]
* [http://www.ucsb.edu/ School website]
* [http://ucsbgauchos.collegesports.com/ Official UCSB athletics website]
* [http://ucsbgauchos.collegesports.com/genrel//112700aaa.html Directions to the Events Center]

UCSB