Best Hoops Atmospheres in the NW4A

This is a topic I would like to discuss in every sport. Best basketball atmospheres in the NW4A. There are some yawners and some great HS basketball experences. My list.

1. McDowell- The league championships this past year were insane.
2. Alexander- Fans are rowdy and its always a heated battle when WHS comes to town.
3. East Burke- GO WILDBUNCH- plus great place to broadcast from.
4. South- Lots a people right on the floor
5. ACR- Not great, not bad
6. Watauga, some good things, music and intros come to mind, lots of bad things that I wont name.
7. Freedom- Nice gym, just quiet​

 

Watauga wouldnt be so far down if it wasnt for a couple of incidents at the beginning of the year last year. But i agree with the rest.

 

My two cents worth.

South Caldwell has the best home court advantage in the NW4A because when the fans are into a game there, its insanely loud. The way South is build where the locker rooms are downstairs and the school is built around the gym makes the sound echo and I think adds to the excitement of games there.

 

This is definitely an interesting topic because each team in the NW4A has different rivals, so depending on which school or schools you have ties to the choices may differ greatly.

1. McDowell: And no I'm not being a homer when it comes to making McDowell the #1 choice. McDowell has some of the most loyal basketball fans in the entire state and when they all come to "The Silverdome" as some like to call it, they can be as loud as anybody. The student section, while maybe not large in terms of numbers is definitely vocal. And finally the best thing about McDowell is that when the visitors come in and see all those banners hanging up from the rafters, it serves as a method of intimidation. That factor especially comes into play during the playoffs. Probably one of the top five greatest games played at McDowell was just a couple months ago when Butler (boys) came to town and played McDowell in the 2nd round of the sectionals.

2. South Caldwell: Gotta agree with downsouth somewhat with what he said about the Spartans home court. Its small and its enclosed for the most part so everybody is pretty much on top of the action. If South had some really good teams on a regular basis it would be even more of an advantage.

3. AC Reynolds: Reynolds has surpassed Freedom in the past 5 years as one of the better atmospheres in the conference. They usually have a pretty rowdy student section, the lighting isn't the best either and just overall its a tough place to play.

4. Freedom: The Freedom-McDowell rivalry is still the best rivalry in the state but for some reason the Freedom crowd has really shrunk in the last few seasons. You still got the player's parents and the students, but your "core" group of folks who have followed the Patriots and Lady Patriots for years have disappeared. Considering you got relative youth when it comes to the coaches, I would hope they get a solid backing from the folks in the community.

5. East Burke: Rowdy, annoying, and just plain gets on your nerves...that sums up East Burke.

6. Alexander Central: Nice facility, nice people...but they're not a basketball school and really there's not a whole lot that can be done about it. That's a mindset that would have to change over a generation.

Watauga ?: To be honest I've never been to a game at Watauga so I can't fairly rate them

 

I covered McDowell playing Statesville in a boys semifinal playoff game at East Burke in 2000 or 2001. What a great gym that is. Crowd was quite good, albeit they were not rooting for East Burke.