It was nice to watch a game in NC State’s Reynolds Coliseum recently; it was my first since watching then-new head coach Sidney Lowe lead the Pack against Marist in the opening round of the 2006 NIT.  Now, as then, the seats and view were equally bad but the atmosphere was electric and nostalgic.

Reynolds may be a vintage facility but it’s well maintained  and the playing floor was beautiful.  It brought me back to the days when my buddies and I would get up well before dawn to sit in front of the Wolfpack ticket office to get front row, or close to it, seats along court side.  Not a thing seemed to have changed except the calendar on this Friday.

While you cannot deny the history of Reynolds, I think the lower ceiling and all the steel supports lend a multiplying factor to the home crowd noise.  It’s pure fuel when the Pack goes on a roll and it’s fuel that I’ve not really felt in the RBC Center during its loudest moments – though the Carolina Hurricanes’ crowds can absolutely create thunder.  When the band plays in Reynolds, you hear it clearly.  When the student section launches a chant, you hear it and understand it.  I like that a lot.

The oval shape of Reynolds is not something I relish.  RBC Center is vastly superior in terms of fan view of the court.  There is no exception.  So, how do you bottle the Reynolds vibe and mix it with the RBC Center’s comfort?  Oh well.  I’ll enjoy the comfortable seats and easy access to concessions for the time or two I attend a Wolfpack basketball game each season.