Diary Series: Bruce Hamburger, Asst. Coach - Saint Peters

As I was finishing my scouting preparation for a recent game, I started to think about various road trips that I have taken as a coach and the venues I have been in. 

I have been very fortunate to have watched, coached and scouted games in some of the most famous arenas in the country and wanted to share with you my top places to watch basketball.

Madison Square Garden - The World’s Most Famous Arena!  In my nine years as an assistant at Seton Hall we played there every year during the Big East tournament.  We were even fortunate enough to win the tournament twice.  We also played St. John's at MSG.   I have been to, and seen, a lot of games but I can honestly say there is nothing like walking out of that tunnel and onto that court.  When the Garden is sold out you can feel the "buzz" in the air.  When I was an assistant in the WNBA with the NY Liberty, I would get to the Garden a little early so I could go out on the floor and shoot by myself for a while.  Having grown up in Jersey as an avid Knicks fan this was a pretty cool perk of the job for me.

Pauley Pavillion (UCLA) - In one of my early years at Seton Hall we played an NCAA tournament game at UCLA and it was my scout.  The morning of the game, as I was going over the scouting report, I suddenly realized that I was preparing the team on the same court that John Wooden used to coach on.  Enough said.

Carrier Dome (Syracuse) - Having spent many a cold winter night at the Dome, usually on the losing side, you would think that I don't have any good memories of the Dome, but it is truly one of the most unique sporting  venues in America. First, the size and magnitude of the building make an indelible impression from the moment you walk in. Pre-game warmups are memorable too because the entire court is surrounded with people lining the court watching.  And when the horn sounds there is thunderous excitement as thousands of people run up the stands to their seats.

Smith Center (North Carolina)- Having grown up as a UNC fan & wanting to go school there, I was very excited the first time I traveled to Chapel Hill to scout the Tarheels. The size of the arena, the Carolina blue seats & the  number of retired jerseys in the rafters were amazing. Combining all of this with the fun of downtown Chapel Hill, Smith Center became one of my favorite trips when I was on the road scouting. 

Allen Field House (Kansas) - I have to admit that I have never seen a game live at KU, but I did play a game of 3 on 3 there on a Sunday afternoon in 1988 when the Final Four was being held in Kansas City. A group of friends and I drove out to see the KU campus.  We walked over to the gym and found a side door open so we went in to look around. We heard a ball bouncing and ended up playing for an hour.  I remember feeling the history and tradition in the Phog as we looked around that sunny spring afternoon.  

The Palestra - I have only seen one game in this arena, but it was quite a game. It was Villanova- St. Joe's, which is THE rivalry in the Big 5.   My recollection is that the game was triple overtime – I could be wrong about that, but I know that I was worn-out after the game and I was only a spectator. At one point towards the end of the game, I was sitting about five feet from the St. Joe's mascot Hawk and as I looked into his Hawk mask I could see the sheer exhaustion on his face.  I had never really focused a mascot’s job but in that moment I realized that flapping your arms for an entire game and three overtimes takes dedication and commitment too, not to mention that it is a heckuva workout.

Assembly Hall (Indiana) - I made a visit to Bloomington to see Indiana play Ohio State play on a cold January night. As I drove from Indianapolis to Bloomington I passed numerous barns with basketball rims attached to the side of the barn and saw kids with winter coats & gloves shooting. It reminded me of being a kid playing in my backyard and shoveling snow off the driveway to shoot. Once I walked into the arena, the intensity & electricity of the fans and players washed over me. Coach Bob Knight walked out onto the court 30 seconds before tip off.  It was the loudest ovation I have ever heard for a coach in my life.  I sat on the press row at midcourt and was treated to a great night of basketball in a great basketball state.

I do have to give a few honorable mention sites:

Gampel Pavilion- UCONN
Fitzgerald Field House- Pitt
McHale Center- Arizona
Mackey Arena- Purdue

As I take this tour down memory lane of some of the best places in college basketball to see a game, I am reminded of how lucky we are as coaches to be doing what we do. The memories that I have from my teams and players, as well as the memories I have from scouting, travelling and coaching will stay with me forever. 

Good luck to everyone in their upcoming games!

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