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Premier gymnasium

CAPTAIN MORGAN

Sports Fanatic
Sep 11, 2001
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It was mentioned in SHC coach thread by an alumnus loyal to his alma mater who sees things through green tinted glasses and apparently, doesn't get out much that the SH gym was the premier gym in the league. For a while it could be said it was the newest in the league but it seems to me it's a typical high school gym. Pull out bleachers, two baskets at each end. No better or worse than new gyms at San Mateo, Sequoia and Woodside on the Peninsula. I don't think it's even big enough to have 2 full regulation practice courts. I don't think they got much bang for their buck, as they say. St. Francis' new gym is impressive but What i don't understand, I've been there twice in the 3 years it's been open to watch a WCAL boys game and the game was in the old gym. One time the girls were practicing in the new gym why the boys game was in the old. I think they can fit 3 full length courts in the new one. There are plans for SI to renovate with new bleachers including new ones at the north baseline. That gym can fit 2 full length practice courts. Riordan has their classic "Hoosiers" gym which they just renovated but should have put the money toward a new facility. Now being co-ed they have 3 boys bb teams 3 girls bb an 3 girls vb teams to practice in the fall and winter. You can fit 2 practice courts on there but the
top of the key and half court almost intersect. There's going to be a lot of 6 am practices for some teams

So what other gyms stand out in the Bay Area? My favorite was Washington High in Fremont built in the early 90's after their "Hoosiers" gym was condemned after the 89 earthquake. Three full length regulation courts and the four sided score board. They probably have a new scoreboard by now. Logan has a nice facility along with Newark. Dougherty Valley and San Ramon have new places. Dublin and Independence in San Jose are good ones. Any suggestions?
 
Every time with the jealousy. It never fails with these miserable haters....
FYI, Sacred Heart Cathedral still uses their older gym for games and practices, so there is plenty of court space. Much more than at Riordan.
The difference between me and others' critiques is that I can have my favorite facility without ripping others in order to make the one I like look better. The building alone speaks for itself.
From the ground up it's 4 stories tall featuring a huge cafeteria and access to the old gym and other athletic facilities. The inside is 30 feet high with new brighter lighting and new scoreboards installed. Hardly "typical".
The court was recently redone. Each long side of the building has 56 huge windows so sunlight gets in. It has a full-sized court and seats 1200 people. Every seat in the place is a good one thanks to great sight lines. Nobody misses a play due to being up too high. The sound and lighting systems are good as well. The gym is well maintained. It's been here since 2003 and still looks brand new. Any objective person would take this beauty over an old "bandbox", a dank, old carved-out cinderblock or a bathroom with hoops in it any day. I would like a louder, more passionate crowd myself but this isn't the '70s anymore. The fans have more of a social atmosphere as though it's more of a party than a game. The closest I've seen to a passionate packed house was that OT Mitty game (Gordon traveled) a while back where Josh Fox hit a 3-pointer to send it to overtime. (And yes, Kiddman32, there's an elevator and yes "Capt. Crunchdrunk", I get out, jerk). Give up already.
 
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To define premier gym in my book, it's people that make it so. You gotta have players, students, parents and fans enjoy it! What player wants to play in a place where it's empty or the fans are not into the game? A WCAL venue I consider is premier is Serra. An old bandbox of a gym, but a place that fills it up with its passionate student body and fans and a place that opponents love/hate to play because of that atmosphere. BOD's "intimate" gym always packed it in - I hear they will be opening up a new gym next fall. DLS has a small older gym similar to Serra, but they also pack it in with students and fans I do like St. Francis' old gym because of the quirkiness of its design, but fans are still on top of the action. A new fieldhouse was included as part of Riordan's master plan presented a few years ago. Current upgrades had to be completed for the co-ed transition. Of the City WCAL gyms, Riordan is hands down the premier gym and place to be on game night. Players love the quality parquet floor. The band surrounds the floor and plays pre game. And nights when the band is unavailable, the DJ club steps in. Parents and fans can enjoy a snack in the stands and not disrupt play. Students are on the home baseline floor during the game and are not required to have attendance recorded like another City school. Lol Its diversity is truly representative of the City - and now with the addition of the school now co-ed! In a nutshell, the opening and closing minutes of this video says it all.
 
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Gyms, a fave subject of mine! I've probably seen games in close to 200 by now, and maybe 250 if you count my 18 years in Oregon. Certainly most of the gyms I've been in are in the East Bay, since I live there and all... (CAUTION! Long, rambling post about to ensue...)

Comment on St. Francis: The gym complex is fantastic, possibly the only high school gym I've ever seen with an elevator. I understand that when they built the new gym, both boys and girls moved to the new gym for a short while, but the boys' team decided they preferred the old gym. That's why they play in there while the girls play in the new place.

So far as outstanding newer-and-larger gyms go, it's hard to top American Canyon. Dublin's gym is terrific also. Freedom's gym is a good one, and we can't forget Newark Memorial. I haven't been in Heritage's gym, but it looks very similar to Freedom's on video, possibly even the same architect designed it.

As Jordan24 stated, though, history and atmosphere are hugely important. St. Joe's little gym is high on my favorites list, and only partly because Jason Kidd ran the boards there so well. For some reason that I can't even figure out myself, I am partial to old gyms with a stage on one end... Another of these isn't a high-school gym, but my old school's league tournament was held there when I was in school... That's Bethany Bible College in Scotts Valley. Back when they actually mattered a little, St. Liz in Oakland had one of these, too.

Serra's old fieldhouse is an absolutely great place to watch a high-school game, and I'd be there a lot more often if it wasn't so darn far away from Concord. One of these days, I'd like to see Riordan's gym in-person, it looks great on video...

Can't say I like O'Dowd's gym very much... Just TOO darn small, so small that the feet of players on the bench are practically in-bounds and I've seen a few players trip over the benchwarmers' feet and fall, some getting injured. Interesting news from Jordan24 that they have a new gym in the works. I can't imagine where they can squeeze a new building onto that campus; will be interesting to see.

Side note, probably at least 30 gyms I've been to are no longer there, either because the school closed or the school is no longer. I went to Berean Christian when it was still Regular Baptist in Martinez and had to rent off-campus gyms. At least one time, they rented the old Pacifica High School Gym after that school had been closed by the district and hadn't been torn down yet. Also, some of the other tiny private schools my Eagles pounded on a regular basis are no longer in existence. Some of those were some truly strange and funky gyms and experiences...

EASILY the strangest was Monte Vista of Watsonville's old gym. It was made from an old armed-forces Quonset hut, complete with rounded corrugated tin roof... Compared to this little place, O'Dowd's gym looks like Newark Memorial! At least O'Dowd can fit in a normal-sized court... I'd say Monte Vista's court was like 65' by 40'. And the curved tin roof was not wide enough for even that! On one side of the court, the sideline was under a low ceiling, so low that a player taking the ball from the ref on that side had to be careful not to hit the ceiling with the ball if he raised it overhead. And the lighting... Yipe. Think of the darkest gym you've ever been in and multiply the dark by about 5 and you might be close...

Heating ducts hung too low over the court, so corner J's were an adventure best not taken...

And the tin roof became a problem. Condensation drips onto the floor started to warp it and the gym became unusable for games, so Monte Vista started to build a new gym... They rented some other places to play while that was happening, most of them pretty substandard also. One of the places, whoever they got to line the court apparently had never seen a basketball game before. Court was as wide as it was long. The refs had to ad-lib some sidelines rules for that game...

Last time I was there (late 80's, probably), I saw the new gym... VERY nice place, a multi-use arena with baskets on movable standards rather than hanging from the ceiling or wall. The old gym was still there, right next to it. The doors were open, so I walked in to see varsity players putting up shots while the JV game was going on in the new place. Place was just like I remembered except that they had patched (somewhat) the warped areas on the floor, I'm not making ANY of this up!

One unusual gym I'd like to get to sometime is Placer HS, up in Auburn.
Arnett Gymnasium
 
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According to an article I found on the O'Dowd Center, "groundbreaking is expected by April 2021, with completion by late 2022". So, they'll have to be wayyyyyyyy ahead of schedule to open the gym next year. But still, good news for those who wanna go to Dragons games in the future!
 
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Gyms, a fave subject of mine! I've probably seen games in close to 200 by now, and maybe 250 if you count my 18 years in Oregon. Certainly most of the gyms I've been in are in the East Bay, since I live there and all... (CAUTION! Long, rambling post about to ensue...)

Comment on St. Francis: The gym complex is fantastic, possibly the only high school gym I've ever seen with an elevator. I understand that when they built the new gym, both boys and girls moved to the new gym for a short while, but the boys' team decided they preferred the old gym. That's why they play in there while the girls play in the new place.

So far as outstanding newer-and-larger gyms go, it's hard to top American Canyon. Dublin's gym is terrific also. Freedom's gym is a good one, and we can't forget Newark Memorial. I haven't been in Heritage's gym, but it looks very similar to Freedom's on video, possibly even the same architect designed it.

As Jordan24 stated, though, history and atmosphere are hugely important. St. Joe's little gym is high on my favorites list, and only partly because Jason Kidd ran the boards there so well. For some reason that I can't even figure out myself, I am partial to old gyms with a stage on one end... Another of these isn't a high-school gym, but my old school's league tournament was held there when I was in school... That's Bethany Bible College in Scotts Valley. Back when they actually mattered a little, St. Liz in Oakland had one of these, too.

Serra's old fieldhouse is an absolutely great place to watch a high-school game, and I'd be there a lot more often if it wasn't so darn far away from Concord. One of these days, I'd like to see Riordan's gym in-person, it looks great on video...

Can't say I like O'Dowd's gym very much... Just TOO darn small, so small that the feet of players on the bench are practically in-bounds and I've seen a few players trip over the benchwarmers' feet and fall, some getting injured. Interesting news from Jordan24 that they have a new gym in the works. I can't imagine where they can squeeze a new building onto that campus; will be interesting to see.

Side note, probably at least 30 gyms I've been to are no longer there, either because the school closed or the school is no longer. I went to Berean Christian when it was still Regular Baptist in Martinez and had to rent off-campus gyms. At least one time, they rented the old Pacifica High School Gym after that school had been closed by the district and hadn't been torn down yet. Also, some of the other tiny private schools my Eagles pounded on a regular basis are no longer in existence. Some of those were some truly strange and funky gyms and experiences...

EASILY the strangest was Monte Vista of Watsonville's old gym. It was made from an old armed-forces Quonset hut, complete with rounded corrugated tin roof... Compared to this little place, O'Dowd's gym looks like Newark Memorial! At least O'Dowd can fit in a normal-sized court... I'd say Monte Vista's court was like 65' by 40'. And the curved tin roof was not wide enough for even that! On one side of the court, the sideline was under a low ceiling, so low that a player taking the ball from the ref on that side had to be careful not to hit the ceiling with the ball if he raised it overhead. And the lighting... Yipe. Think of the darkest gym you've ever been in and multiply the dark by about 5 and you might be close...

Heating ducts hung too low over the court, so corner J's were an adventure best not taken...

And the tin roof became a problem. Condensation drips onto the floor started to warp it and the gym became unusable for games, so Monte Vista started to build a new gym... They rented some other places to play while that was happening, most of them pretty substandard also. One of the places, whoever they got to line the court apparently had never seen a basketball game before. Court was as wide as it was long. The refs had to ad-lib some sidelines rules for that game...

Last time I was there (late 80's, probably), I saw the new gym... VERY nice place, a multi-use arena with baskets on movable standards rather than hanging from the ceiling or wall. The old gym was still there, right next to it. The doors were open, so I walked in to see varsity players putting up shots while the JV game was going on in the new place. Place was just like I remembered except that they had patched (somewhat) the warped areas on the floor, I'm not making ANY of this up!

One unusual gym I'd like to get to sometime is Placer HS, up in Auburn.
Arnett Gymnasium
The Gridley Gym is fine, except when the tractors are on the court :)

Here's wishing you great hoops
 
Yeah, Gridley is another with great memories (and some painful ones). Great tournament, nothing else quite like it...

Speaking of which, what has happened to the Gridley Invitational website?
 
According to an article I found on the O'Dowd Center, "groundbreaking is expected by April 2021, with completion by late 2022". So, they'll have to be wayyyyyyyy ahead of schedule to open the gym next year. But still, good news for those who wanna go to Dragons games in the future!
You mean a sports venue can actually get built in Oakland?
 
Every time...
FYI, Sacred Heart Cathedral still uses their older gym for games and practices, so there is plenty of court space.
The difference between me and others' critiques is that I can have my favorite facility without ripping others in order to make the one I like look better.

Of course you can have your favorite Gym, but you can also be called a “Homer”. One is not exclusive of the other, but based on sports facilities in SF. SHC is in a solid 7th place behind some public schools.
 
Of course you can have your favorite Gym, but based on sports facilities in SF. SHC is in a solid [First Place] behind some public schools.
For football maybe but the practice area is soon to be doubled and newly-renovated Lang Field two blocks away will take care of Softball and Soccer home games. Kezar is football's home so that leaves the gym. Which public school has a better one?

The Student Life Center opened in 2003 and the jealousy abounds. Where you all get the hate is beyond comprehension. Really, what is wrong with you idiots?

Update: Crickets...

Update after winning 3 football championships in 2021: Crickets...
 
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IC,

I guess SHC equate utilization of facilities similar to SF Arts Academy, including the “upgrades two blocks away” including miles away at “Kezar for FB”. SHC campus is truly has the whole SF feeling.😳😊

I just don’t think you can call it a true campus, but you just must be more metropolitan than me.

But do you think the student athletes, parents or families are that sophisticated. But if your pinky is out with your tea…do your thing😅
 
Pretty hard to top riordans Gym always a classic venue with an amazing configuration and snack bar but that gym at dublin with that state of the art
Scoreboard is also a really nice gym those are my 2 favorite gyms!
 
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It was mentioned in SHC coach thread by an alumnus loyal to his alma mater who sees things through green tinted glasses and apparently, doesn't get out much that the SH gym was the premier gym in the league. For a while it could be said it was the newest in the league but it seems to me it's a typical high school gym. Pull out bleachers, two baskets at each end. No better or worse than new gyms at San Mateo, Sequoia and Woodside on the Peninsula. I don't think it's even big enough to have 2 full regulation practice courts. I don't think they got much bang for their buck, as they say. St. Francis' new gym is impressive but What i don't understand, I've been there twice in the 3 years it's been open to watch a WCAL boys game and the game was in the old gym. One time the girls were practicing in the new gym why the boys game was in the old. I think they can fit 3 full length courts in the new one. There are plans for SI to renovate with new bleachers including new ones at the north baseline. That gym can fit 2 full length practice courts. Riordan has their classic "Hoosiers" gym which they just renovated but should have put the money toward a new facility. Now being co-ed they have 3 boys bb teams 3 girls bb an 3 girls vb teams to practice in the fall and winter. You can fit 2 practice courts on there but the
top of the key and half court almost intersect. There's going to be a lot of 6 am practices for some teams

So what other gyms stand out in the Bay Area? My favorite was Washington High in Fremont built in the early 90's after their "Hoosiers" gym was condemned after the 89 earthquake. Three full length regulation courts and the four sided score board. They probably have a new scoreboard by now. Logan has a nice facility along with Newark. Dougherty Valley and San Ramon have new places. Dublin and Independence in San Jose are good ones. Any suggestions?
 
It was mentioned in SHC coach thread by an alumnus loyal to his alma mater who sees things through green tinted glasses and apparently, doesn't get out much that the SH gym was the premier gym in the league. For a while it could be said it was the newest in the league but it seems to me it's a typical high school gym. Pull out bleachers, two baskets at each end. No better or worse than new gyms at San Mateo, Sequoia and Woodside on the Peninsula. I don't think it's even big enough to have 2 full regulation practice courts. I don't think they got much bang for their buck, as they say. St. Francis' new gym is impressive but What i don't understand, I've been there twice in the 3 years it's been open to watch a WCAL boys game and the game was in the old gym. One time the girls were practicing in the new gym why the boys game was in the old. I think they can fit 3 full length courts in the new one. There are plans for SI to renovate with new bleachers including new ones at the north baseline. That gym can fit 2 full length practice courts. Riordan has their classic "Hoosiers" gym which they just renovated but should have put the money toward a new facility. Now being co-ed they have 3 boys bb teams 3 girls bb an 3 girls vb teams to practice in the fall and winter. You can fit 2 practice courts on there but the
top of the key and half court almost intersect. There's going to be a lot of 6 am practices for some teams

So what other gyms stand out in the Bay Area? My favorite was Washington High in Fremont built in the early 90's after their "Hoosiers" gym was condemned after the 89 earthquake. Three full length regulation courts and the four sided score board. They probably have a new scoreboard by now. Logan has a nice facility along with Newark. Dougherty Valley and San Ramon have new places. Dublin and Independence in San Jose are good ones. Any suggestions?
For Practice, with the bleachers pulled back the sideway practice courts are 94 by 50. it was designed that way, with the input of the coaches. Curtain goes down and you have two 94/50 courts. Just an FYI
 
For Practice, with the bleachers pulled back the sideway practice courts are 94 by 50. it was designed that way, with the input of the coaches. Curtain goes down and you have two 94/50 courts. Just an FYI

Baseline for any HS Gym in city, but it is an upgrade from old gym, I just thought it was build out of need vs projection to gain competitive advantage to other city programs.

Heck Riordan finally put in turf, but look how the improved baseball field and FB experience with stands, snack shack. Even marked line for off season sports.

Plan for future, not to just update and student athletes favor the facilities…
 
Jeezus this is a serious argument? Might as well throw in my 2 cents. I like the "right on top of you" feel of Riordan's gym. That has an intimidating feeling. I dont like the parquet. Parquet should only be the Celtics floor period. SI's gym has a close intimate feel but their air circulation sucks. Its a sauna in there when at capacity. SH's gym is very well lit, obviously looks really clean, really cool scorers table console. The obvious negative is not conducive to drawing many patrons because of campus location, not really good parking, and most of student body live elsewhere in the city/most of student body doesnt care about sports.
 
Pretty hard to top riordans Gym [:rolleyes:] always a classic venue with an amazing configuration [🤣] and snack bar but that gym at dublin with that state of the art
Scoreboard is also a really nice gym those are my 2 favorite gyms!
No, it's easy to top Riordan's gym. It's a carved-out concrete block with a sunken floor, weak lighting, a black ceiling and bad sight lines. If you're up too high in the stands, you can't see the entire floor.
The best part about Riordan's renovation was the parquet floor, naming the court after Kevin Restani and replacing those lower benches. The new scoreboard is good but Sacred Heart Cathedral's new digital scoreboards, high, bright ceiling and new lighting put it to shame in every way possible.
 
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Wow 😃What a great thread! NorCal Preps should give all you contributors ^^^^^^^^^
a year's free subscription for all your observations about HS-BB venues. Incredible read/memories guys. Have new adds to my bucket list. How about a similar thread about HS football venues.....

Hollywood got it right :
 
I would just go on about Kezar from 1920 on. I don't think any would top 50,000 at a football game around here these days.
As for Cptn. Crunchdrunk Morgan's ignorant assessment of the WCAL's crowning jewel of a gymnasium, there is more room for basketball practice with the bleachers pulled back, plus the older gym is still available and has a lot more space than Riordan or SI. Why some of you people hate so much is beyond me.
 
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According to an article I found on the O'Dowd Center, "groundbreaking is expected by April 2021, with completion by late 2022". So, they'll have to be wayyyyyyyy ahead of schedule to open the gym next year. But still, good news for those who wanna go to Dragons games in the future!
O’Dowd Center which I am sure will be named after Steve Phelps in some way is well under way and will be built between existing gym and football field. Should be done April 2022 to open for 22-23 school year. It’s a tiered building with more than just a gym, which will overlook football and baseball fields… going to be really nice!!
 
The ancient facility at Jefferson in Daly City is a true throwback to another era. You can almost imagine a teen John Madden lacing up his Converse high tops there. He was a burly center for the Indians back in the day.
 
Palo Alto's gym, prior to the one paid for by John Arrillaga was a classic. Crazy how long it took to build it even though it didn't cost the District anything. And every bit is good is the gym at Monterey High School. Both are similar to Jefferson, but there's a unique feature at Monterey High. They sell Clam Chowder Bread Bowls in the lobby.
 
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