Ever since Chris Holtmann took the head coaching post at Ohio State, he’s made it well know the affinity he has for the Buckeyes’ venerable St. John Arena. The historic venue played home to Ohio State Basketball from 1956 to 1998 when Value City Arena was built.
Since then, the team has gone back to cherry pick games when scheduling conflicts and other things prohibited the team from playing in Value City Arena. And when that has occurred, it was a noticeable difference in atmosphere and acoustics for the home team.
Count Holtmann as a fan. So much so that he has continued the efforts to make one game year at St. John Arena a staple of what the program does. Last year, the team doubled-down by wearing throwback uniforms to complete the retro feel.
Now, with the volleyball team moving over to the Covelli Center, apparently the folks at Ohio State decided to redo the floor of the arena with retro hardwood and an look from the past. So, now, when Ohio State plays host to Kent State this year, don’t blink twice. You haven’t entered a time warp where Clark Kellog, Jimmy Jackson and other stars once played.
You too can get a look thanks to a Tweet share by Andrew Lind of Buckeye Sports Bulletin.
Well done OSU. This whole embracing of the old gym that has been such a fabric of the Ohio State basketball program is going to be a lot of fun. In fact, we have an idea we’d like to float out there to really make this thing an event.
Stay tuned for that (shameless plug) …
