Tad Smith Coliseum

slideshow

What makes the Tad Pad bad?

Well, for one you can start with that name, but that's just a personal opinion.

Let's begin this post, though, but talking about what's good with the arena at Ole Miss.

I'm writing this on Saturday afternoon before a 3 p.m., tip with Alabama, writing from a really nice media room. It's small, but it meets needs. Has all the amenities. It's about two years old, begging the question why did it take so long to get this done? That speaks to support for the program.

But thumbs up for the media room.

The scoreboard is another nice thing with HD video all around. They've tried to stay current with technology in recent years. The ribbon boards are a nice addition, and the administration has followed the trend of court-side seating for fans.

If you have something else that is good about the Tad Pad, post it below.

What could be better?

There had been talk about a Hall of Fame section, exhibits and such in a concourse area. That would certainly be a fan-friendly feature. The history of the program isn't great, but it has its heroes, certainly enough to make it happen for this type of exhibit.

What else does the building need? Better concessions, bathrooms? I'm a fan of open spaces, walk-up rails, high-table seating around concessions. These are all modern-day amenities and aren't found in 1966-architecture.

Obviously architecture is responsible for vents, how they're placed and whether they're susceptible to blowing rain. Kind of hate that I missed that women's game. A basketball rainout is something you don't experience every day.

Tad Smith seats are kind of far from the action. What else? What is wrong with the Tad Pad?

I've seen a lot of old arenas that have charm and character, Memorial Gym for example. Charm and character, in large part, is a state of mind that has a lot to do with how many games the home team wins, how many times fans go home with a warm fuzzy feeling about what they just experienced.

So, there you have one man's take on Tad Smith. What else makes it bad? What rubs you wrong about Tad Smith? Is it something fixable, or does it have to do with the gym simply being an embarrassment for the university?

Do you have suggestions for cost-effective improvements? It doesn't look like a new arena is something that will happen any time soon.