Basketball at the Cow Palace?
Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of Pete Maravich setting the all-time NCAA scoring record. It is a record that has stood the test of time and is one of the most sacred achievements in the history of sports. It is believed by many as a mark that will never be toppled and has even lasted longer than Major League Baseball’s Home Run record.
In order to commemorate such a momentous occasion, LSU coach Will Wade was asked during his weekly radio show earlier in the season by a fan about the possibility of LSU actually playing a game within the very same confines that Maravich set his historic record in.
“I had that idea over a year ago,” Wade said. “I wanna do it. I think it’s a great idea. I think it makes sense. I wanted to wear throwback jerseys. We had the whole thing.”
Just the very thought of playing a basketball game there had fans and sports historians alike excited about such a seminal moment in this state’s history being honored.
Wade playfully tossed around the idea that fans who wanted to see it happen should contact and email LSU’s marketing folks about it.
It begs the question — it is even possible to still play a game there? Wade, in his defense, acknowledges that there are some issues that would first need to be addressed for it to happen.
“The Cow Palace,” as it is affectionately referred to by fans, has not served as the home for an LSU basketball game since the 1970-71 season. During the building’s long history, it has always served as a livestock showing area for the agriculture college and served this same purpose even when the basketball team shared the space for their seasons.
The building undoubtedly represents a significant era of the program, but is it even possible to pull off such a task of this magnitude? Is it worth putting in all the funds that would surely be needed to give the coliseum a remodel if it is just for one game?
“There are a lot of things that would have to be figured out. I mean I couldn’t even begin to tell you,” admits LSU Basketball Sports Information Kent Lowe. “I’ve never even been in the building to be honest with you. There would be a very considerable expense involved in doing it.”
Besides the cost, the most notable pressing factor that would need to be addressed is the organization for a project of this undertaking.
“It’s more just the logistics of it,” Lowe explains. “For one thing, who knows if the electrical system in there would be able to support lights you would have to bring in for television. The electricity involved in scorer’s tables, radio, all the logistics. There’s just so many logistics.”
While preserving and honoring the history of LSU basketball is important, there are likely different and more cost-effective alternatives that could be pursued that do that time period justice.
“It’s a wonderful thing,” Lowe says. “I’m like coach Wade — I’d love it, but I just don’t know if feasibly it can really be duplicated or replicated. It’d be a wonderful thing to try to do for sure.”
It is certainly wishful and hopeful thinking by many LSU fans for such a dream to come true, but odds are you probably won’t be watching your beloved Tigers from an old seat in the Cow Palace next year for the anniversary. You just might have to settle for a seat in the house that Pete built instead.