Visiting Orlando and the Amway Center

It has been quite a few years since I have spent any time in the city of Orlando. I have passed through a couple of times going somewhere else, but haven't really spent time in the city since 1999.

This evening I am at the brand new Amway Center, home of the NBA's Orlando Magic. The building holds 20,000 for a Magic game (whenever that may be) but will probably see no more than 6,000 tomorrow night when the Hatters face No. 9 Florida.

Part of the reason for the expected small crowd is that it will be on a Monday night, in a city with 10,000 other things available to do, and will be televised by Sun Sports.

The crowd will also be limited, believe it or not, by the Orlando Magic. You see, even though the Amway Center is a city owned facility, the Magic control virtually every aspect of operation and every avenue of profit.

None of the hundreds of suites in this facility are available for use tomorrow night. Those all belong to the Magic and are leased to their customers for use at any event held in the facility. That probably trims the available capacity of the facility in half.

Want to use the scoreboard for a game, you have to rent it, and the people who run it, from the Magic. Along with the scoreboard, which is an all-computer controlled board, are the ribbon boards circling the inside of the facility. The Magic take 50% of any ads you want to run, while the city takes another 25%.

Want to do any of the hundreds of other things that go into hosting an event, you have to rent those from the Magic as well.

Add to that the fact that no one who uses the building has the right to sell sponsorships to companies in direct competition with Magic sponsors, and all Magic sponsors get included in anything that is done, and your chance to make a dime, is severely hampered.

Without a doubt, this is a beautiful facility, but it will likely never host an NCAA Regional Tournament, or any conference tournament or event. You'll probably never see a WWE event in the building, not will you likely see many concerts or other events.

That is truly a shame, but that is the deal the city of Orlando cut with the Magic to keep the NBA in town. If the lockout had continued and cancelled the entire season, there is a good chance that tomorrow's Steson-Florida game would have not only been the only basketball game in the building this year, it likely would have been the only event of any kind.

That is truly a shame.

It's a whole new ball game for the Hatters

Today the Stetson men's basketball team left the friendly confines of the Edmunds Center for their first road trip of the year.

Big deal you might say. College teams go on the road all the time.

True enough. Travel is a major part of being involved with college athletics. I have seen more hotel rooms over the years than I can even think about.

What makes this trip different, at least for me, is that everything is new. It is not only new for me, it is also new for members of the Stetson coaching staff and several members of the Hatters team.

The first trip of any season is usually the strangest because no one has yet settled into a routine. This trip is different because no one knows what the routine will be.

For instance, the first thing we all had to figure out was where to sit on the bus.

Seems like a small thing, but the Hatters have a coaching staff that is working together under Casey Alexander for the first time, and he is a first time head coach. The seating arrangements worked themselves out pretty quickly, as they usually do, with coaches and staff in the front, players in the back.

The trip north to Tallahassee was relatively short, but we went a different way than I would have expected. We traveled north on Interstate 95 to I-10 and then west to the state capital. My first few trips back and forth from Troy, Ala., to DeLand has been down I-75.

Anyway, we got in a movie on the ride ("Wedding Crashers") and made pretty good time.

Once we got to the hotel, Casey pulled all of the players together to go over some simple ground rules. Most of the things he told them were things you would never normally think of, but this is new for everyone.

"It is amazing the small things about travel that you don’t think about until you are doing it for the first time with a new group," Alexander said. "You have to talk about how to take care of the bus, and take care of the hotel, and how to behave when you eat. Those are things you tend to take for granted, but they are all important because they tend to tell people what you want your program to look like."

So, after the short meeting, we ventured out for dinner at the Olive Garden across from our Courtyard by Marriott hotel. The players all handled dinner fine and all is well.

While I knocked out a preview of tomorrow night's game, as well as editing a recap of the Crew teams' adventure to Augusta over the weekend, the team was getting together to watch some film of tomorrow night's foe, Florida A&M.

Tomorrow will be breakfast, another scouting session and a shoot around in the morning before the teams spends the afternoon relaxing before the game.

On Tuesday, the focus will turn to the second game of the road trip, Florida State.

Riding Down the Highway

This has been one of the craziest weeks for me, personally, that I can ever remember.

I knew making the transition from being a Trojan to becoming a Hatter would be difficult. Everything involved with making a move like this is a challenge. Trying to be in two places at one time, without the use of a "multiplicity" machine, is impossible.

My week started last Sunday when my wife Joan (@guardianwriter) and I made the seven-plus hour drive from Troy to DeLand. We spent some time after we arrived in Volusia County driving around in search of a place to rent for me to live in.

(Note: If anyone in DeLand wants to take mercy on a new resident, I am looking for something simple to rent for the next few weeks/months until the house in Troy sells and Joan can join me in DeLand. I won't be much trouble for anyone because I will spend most of my time at work or on the road.)

On Monday I got to the Edmunds Center in time to see some of the men's basketball team practice. I can tell already that I am going to like working with coach Casey Alexander and his staff. They know where they want to take the program and they know how they are going to get there. It will be fun watching them build the program back to prominence.

It was interesting to see Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy on hand to watch practice. That should be an interesting story to tell as the season gets closer if the NBA lockout continues.

Following practice, I spent some time with Stetson Director of Athletics Jeff Altier. One of the things he showed me was the drawings for the new football facility, practice fields as well as what will happen with the soccer and lacrosse practice and game areas. It will be exciting to see all of that come together over the coming months.

As any new employee does, I spent some time in the Human Resources office filling out paper work and I got a chance to meet some of the folks in the University Relations/Marketing office.

Monday also included a meeting with Steven Harrison and Rachel Fisk, who are interested in working with the athletics department to bring some exciting new video content to GoHatters.com. I'll be meeting with their entire student group next week to get the ball rolling.

After lunch and some more time in the office, Joan and I hit the road late in the afternoon with Debbie Dunn to look at some houses. House hunting is never easy because it takes a lot of time and effort. I will be doing a lot of it on my own over the coming weeks as Joan stays behind in Troy to get us ready to move.

On Tuesday I got to spend some time in the office, searching through computer files and just generally getting a feel for the whats and wheres of my new place. The folks in the Stetson IT office came and got me set up with a brand new Stetson e-mail address (jhazel@stetson.edu), got the desktop computer operating system upgraded and helped me figure out the phone system.

There is so much that you take for granted when you have been at the same place for a while. At Troy, I know exactly who to call without even thinking for any problem. At Stetson, I am having to learn all of that same information over again. It is like starting over in grade school.

After getting to spend a little time in the office to get my bearings, I went out to Melching Field to meet with baseball coach Pete Dunn. Obviously he is a veteran coach who is very well respected across the nation, and we covered a lot of territory. People who know me know that I am a baseball guy. This spring should be very exciting for Hatters baseball fans with the returning talent from a team that pushed the eventual national champion in regional play last spring.

After the meeting, I made a quick trip to the hotel for a wardrobe change and then took off for Miami where the Troy football team squared off against FIU on ESPN2.

It has become a tough season for the Trojans. After winning five consecutive Sun Belt Conference titles, Troy has struggled this year with injuries and inexperience. After starting off with solid performances against Clemson and Arkansas, although both were losses, the team won a pair of close home games.

Since that two-game win streak they have suffered tough losses on the road at UL Lafayette and at home to ULM. The ULM loss was the worst at home for Troy coach Larry Blakeney in his 21 years on the job. He's only lost 13 games at home during that time, but this one stung for me, because I knew it was my last one.

The Trojans went to Miami in hopes of getting back on track and avenging another bad home loss from last year. Despite some struggles in the game, Troy had a 20-17 lead late, but FIU kicked a field goal in the final seconds to send the game into overtime.

For whatever reason, overtime is not a place the Trojans ever want to find themselves. Only three previous times had Troy ventured into overtime, and all three ended in losses, all three with missed or blocked field goals.

Tuesday night was no different. After most ESPN2 viewers had gone to bed, Troy got the ball first in the extra period and did nothing. After losing a yard, the Trojans tried a long field goal, but missed.

FIU got its chance and took advantage, driving down inside the Troy 10 before booting the game-winner.

It was tough to see those Troy players who I have watched enjoy so much success so down-trodden after a tough loss, especially knowing it would be the last time for me to see them play in person.

Joan and I left FIU fairly quickly after the game, getting on the road about 12:30 a.m. We got to the hotel in DeLand about 4:45 a.m. and jumped in the sack for a couple of hours sleep.

On Wednesday I made it up and out in time to get in to see the tail-end of basketball practice again. Following practice, I sat down with Casey Alexander to talk about the coming season, his players, his staff, his philosophies, and just about anything else that relates to his program.

I'll have more to tell you about Hatters hoops in the coming days but I know I like their mantra for the 2011-12 season because it works for any enterprise. The slogan is "Together is Better" and that is the way they want their players and their program to think and act. Everything is about being together.

I had another meeting with our AD Jeff Altier before lunch in order to introduce him to Joan. They hit it off right away because they have a common interest in science fiction.

After a quick trip to see a possible place to rent (please, someone take mercy on me!) we had some Puerto Rican food for lunch. After spending a couple of hours in the office, we left about 4 p.m. for the seven hour ride back to Troy.

Now, it is almost 4 p.m. (central) and it is time for me to go to say my final goodbyes to the folks here at Troy. They have been my friends and my family for almost eight years, and I am going to miss them dearly.

But I am also looking forward to meeting many more members of the Hatter family in the coming days and weeks. I just hope that it doesn't take long for me to feel about the Stetson family the way I feel about the Troy family.

If what I have seen and experienced so far is any indication, I am sure it will not take long at all.

Tomorrow, I'll be back in my truck for the ride to DeLand.

If you are into Facebook or Twitter, make sure to look me up to say hello and follow me @RHazel_SID.

Welcome to Adventures in Hatterland

It has been quite a week. From Lafayette, La., back to Troy, Ala., down to DeLand, Fla., and then back to Troy, I have been burning up the roads.

Before I get too involved with all of that, let me introduce myself. My name is Ricky Hazel, and I am the new Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications at Stetson University. Officially, I'll be taking over there in the coming weeks but, in the meantime, I am wrapping up my tenure of more than seven years at Troy University.

What I am hoping to do with this blog is to share my experiences as I make the move from Troy to Stetson, and to share my day-to-day activities as I hit the ground in DeLand. Since everything that I will do when I get there will be new for me, I thought it might be of interest to both my new Hatters family, as well as my many friends in Troy.

I will tell you that the decision to leave Troy was not an easy one. My wife Joan and I have made many great friends here, friends we hope will remain close to us for the rest of our lives.

The toughest thing for me was telling Trojans head football coach Larry Blakeney that I was leaving. Coach Blakeney is like a father to almost everyone involved in the Troy football family, and Joan and I are no exception. He and his wife Janice adopted us from the moment we arrived in Troy and my seven-plus seasons working with him have been some of the best of my career.

Winning five consecutive conference titles and going to five bowl games in seven years is a remarkable run and I will certainly miss the relationship we have.

Obviously there is no way for me to name everyone who has been special to me at Troy, so I won't even try.

Thursday was a tough day because I had a meeting with all of my student workers to let them know I was leaving. While Coach Blakeney is like a father to me, these kids become a part of my family as well. They are all special to me in their own way.

If haven't even had the chance to speak with many of the student-athletes yet. People always ask me about whether or not Joan and I have kids. I always tell them that I have more than 400, and get 100 new ones every year.

While I will be leaving behind my Troy family, I am blessed to be joining the Stetson family. During our visit to DeLand earlier this week, Joan and I were welcomed with open arms by everyone we came in contact with.

The excitement level for Stetson athletics is obviously off the charts. The Hatters have the defending Atlantic Sun Champion women's basketball team, a new and exciting coach for men's basketball, legendary coaches in baseball and softball and success in virtually every program.

The future is so bright at Stetson, and the people there were so genuinely excited about having Joan and I join their family, that making the decision to move to DeLand was, in the end, an easy one.

Tomorrow will be my final home football game at Troy. It will be Coach Blakeney's 250th game as the Trojans' head coach and, I might add, the 250th game as head trainer for Chuck Ash. It will be a tough challenge to beat a ULM team that handled the Trojans pretty easily last year, but I am confident that Troy will put another win on the board.

I started at Troy in 2004, with my first game at Marshall, a place where I worked for four years. My first home game with the Trojans was the next week, a thrilling victory over No. 19 Missouri. It has been quite a ride at Troy.

The football ride will take a short hiatus, but will continue in 2013 when the Hatters take the field for the first time under coach Roger Hughes. Between now and then it will be exciting to see how Coach Hughes builds the Stetson program from the ground up.

I am looking forward to being a part of that building process as my Adventures in Hatterland begin.