Must-see TV: Robert Ellis Young gym close quarters, changes game

Fans had the small venue rocking so much at times that it felt like we could’ve been inside Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.

The atmosphere was vastly different than what fans, coaches and players have gotten used to in the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center, which is being renovated.

The bleachers in Robert Ellis Young Gymnasium reach closer to the court than in the arena, currently being renovated at Missouri Southern State University. The walls are close to the court. Therefore, the cheerleaders are closer to the court.

Head coach Sam McMahon was excited for the opportunity to experience this type of atmosphere.

”I’m not going to lie. I was pumped up when they told us we were going to play the beginning of our season in here,” McMahon said after the opening weekend at Robert Ellis Young Gymnasium. “It’s got that old-school feeling. It gets hot and sweaty in here. It’s loud. This is what college basketball is all about.”

I grew up playing little Class 2A basketball in Oklahoma, and last weekend during MSSU’s home-opening games at Robert Ellis Young Gymnasium, I got flashbacks of some of the small gyms I played at in Northeast Oklahoma.

That’s no joke. That gym is comparable to a lot of those little gyms across the northeast corner of that state.

And that’s unusual for a lot of these Division II programs. They aren’t used to that close-quarters action and maybe just how close fans and cheerleaders can be to the floor.

”It changes the game. It makes it more intense, you know? The people look bigger, and it’s more chaotic. I think it can be an advantage,” McMahon said.

I agree. The game is changed by this venue. Now, the Lions won’t be in here after the calendar turns to 2026, but the men still have five home games at the Young gym.

And two of those contests are MIAA conference games. The first is Thursday, Dec. 4, against Rogers State University, and the next is Saturday, Dec. 6, against the University of Central Oklahoma.

The MSSU women’s basketball team has yet to get the experience inside Young but also will get the opportunity Dec. 4 against Rogers State.

I think visiting teams will have trouble in this gym, especially if the fans start to turn out even more in the games to come.

The gymnasium was nowhere near full on opening weekend, but it was still rocking and loud at times. This is something MSSU has to take full advantage of. That starts on the sideline, not with the team.

I think the master of ceremonies for the event and the rest of that crew could amplify the audience noise with music that gets the student section pumped up and alive and then by encouraging the fans to get into the game.

Then it branches out to the student section. Everyone knows a good student section can impact a game. And with as close as these bleachers get to the court, these rowdy college kids in Joplin should be packing the front rows of these bleachers.

Don’t forget the cheerleaders. Nonstop banter while being literally courtside as these opponents are trying to play can impact the game, too.

From there it goes to the rest of the home fans to try and drown out any noise from the visiting crowd.

And then, of course, the Lions have to continue to play good, competitive basketball to keep the fans awake.