Inside Texas Today: Moody Center thoughts and observations

Welcome to Inside Texas Today! Every weekday, Inside Texas Today will provide the latest from around the Forty Acres. This morning, a few thoughts from the tour offered of the Moody Center yesterday to Austin media.

Here’s the Tuesday, April 19, 2022 edition.

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Just what the city needed, and I think what Texas needed

If you didn’t catch Will Gallagher’s photos from the media open house of the Moody Center on Monday, catch them here.

A couple of thoughts, first beginning with this picture.

As you can tell, the arena is in concert mode for the first few months of its existence. With Oak View Group calling the shots as operator and with Live Nation being involved, plus with the cultural emphasis of Austin on live music, the “concert venue” aspect of the Moody Center received a considerable amount of focus. That’s not to say that the needs of the basketball program were ignored, because the two can live in harmony. The Erwin Center, at least to me, was the home of Texas basketball, for better or worse. At this stage, it seems like Texas basketball is a bit of a co-occupant of the new arena.

That said, picture above doesn’t show how the student section and floor side seats will be set up. Remember, the student section will wrap around three of the four sides of the court. Where those stairs to the arena floor currently are sit in front of retractable seats that would run all the way to the court.

The upper deck curtains/barriers/separators were also down, as you can see, and I think having that sort of system in place turned out to be a good decision. The Erwin Center held 16,734. Most of the games I’ve attended over the past 10 years could have just used the lower bowl to fit the attendees. For as easy of a target the NIT run was, those games where everyone was in the lower bowl created some of the livelier atmospheres I’ve been able to attend. That principle was obviously in mind during this structure’s design.

Keep everyone down close, get students there, and open up the upper deck only for the big games. Those barriers are another surface to bounce noise off of and display retired numbers, Final Four banners, and the 1986 women’s basketball national championship banner.

Another thing I noticed just as it pertains to being an overall venue is that the concourses are… I don’t want to say “bare” because I think that offers a negative connotation. Outside of the artwork, there isn’t a ton to do but to buy concessions. I think that’s part of the vision of the designers to gather people into the arena seats and make it a more intimate venue, as cliché of a descriptor that is for arenas.

The premium areas are excellent. Any season-ticket holder who kept their premium seating options will see a massive upgrade from the Courtside Club or the Lone Star Room. The suites offer great views, amenities, and privacy. Plus, if you’re lucky enough to have a spot in the Moet & Chandon Imperial Lounge… well you’re very lucky.

The opportunity for it to become the home of Texas basketball is there for both Chris Beard and Vic Schaefer. It is right by the main cluster of on-campus dorms like Jester, San Jacinto, Moore-Hill, and others. Beard and Schaefer worked hard during their respective first and second years to cultivate better attendance at basketball games, student attendance included. That groundwork will be rewarded with the allure of a new venue and the continued development of their programs. Headliner opponents would work, too, and a Gonzaga is just that.

Plus, both programs are getting a brand new practice facility right next door, as is the national champion rowing program.

To call basketball a co-occupant may seems like a slight. It’s not meant to be. I think it’s realistic about how the University is not calling every single shot like it was at the Erwin Center, which it both owned and operated.

Now, to the venue in general, just outstanding. The view west from the Brown Distributing Texas Terrace is excellent, providing unmatched views of Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium, the Tower, and Downtown Austin.

Any type of alcoholic beverage you might want, the Moody Center has. Be prepared to pay for it.

The premium areas, whether the Germania Insurance Club under the concourse, or the Dell and Indeed Clubs at the top of the sideline section, have every modern amenity needed.

I am curious to see how parking is handled between the Manor Garage, the Trinity Garage, and potentially the Brazos Garage and East Campus Garage. All of those see plenty of traffic just from general university daily use.

I don’t know when I’ll be seeing the Moody Center for something other than a Longhorn basketball game. I think it is a world-class venue, and a pretty nice place to play for the basketball programs. The next task is to truly make it their home, and I’m not sure that can happen until the games are played.

I’ll enjoy going to see them try, though.