Ryan Center

You know… I REALLY wanted to love the Ryan Center. I’m a quick ride from the URI campus. I wanted to check out a URI basketball game from time to time. Get my Rhody on.
But almost $ 30 for basically nosebleed level seats for a URI vs. University of Richmond (as in Richmond, VA — a school you probably never heard of)!!! $ 30 for college basketball tickets in South County??! We’re not talking Duke or North Carolina or Kentucky basketball. We’re talking about the Rhody Rams who haven’t had a big time player since Lamar Odom of Kardashian fame.
And terrible sight lines from above mentioned nose bleeds.
Only redeeming quality of the night was they had a little bar section that had a cool view of the court and had a small but decent selection of beers.
Hey URI — want to see a packed house for Rams games on the reg? stop charging an arm and a leg for tickets so locals can come on a whim and root the team on.

I really love this venue and I wish they would try to get more big name acts to the Ryan Center. There’s plenty of parking, and whether coming or going from the event they do an excellent job directing traffic.
I think the downside is that there isn’t any alcohol served at the Ryan Center (just the Alumni Lounge for basketball games, but you need to be a paying member to gain access). I’m not sure if the no alcohol policy is because URI is a dry campus, but I think it would really help the Ryan Center get big name musicians and performers.
Seating and facilities are great, and everything is kept clean. Staff is great. Can’t wait until URI Men’s Basketball Season starts!

I’ve been to a few events at the Ryan Center over the past couple of years and I have to say it’s not a bad venue at all. I’ve seen a handful of comedy shows as part of URI’s parent weekend festivities and recently got to attend a URI basketball game when the company I work for was a game sponsor.
For the game we got to sit in a luxury box, which was definitely a treat. Can’t say that I saw more than a few minutes of the actual game, as the event was definitely a social one. For the comedy shows, we sat on the floor and we have always had decent seats. Honestly, the place is of such a size that I don’t think there would be a bad seat in the house given they set it up nicely.
We didn’t partake of any of the concessions during the comedy shows. For the game in the box, we had to pre-​order food from URI catering services and we ordered a bunch of pizzas, which, to be honest, were sub-​par. We did have access to «adult beverages» in the box, which are not served to the general public.
The Ryan Center is easy to get to and there’s lots of nearby parking.
Would I go back this venue? Most definitely yes for a comedy show.. . not so sure for a basketball game, mainly because I’m not that into URI basketball. If we were back in the luxury box, though, I’d probably not hesitate to go again for a game.