By Mathew Starner

Last weekend marked the
last basketball games in Mac’s 83 year old gym. Despite a couple
losses, players were able to add their own fond memories of their
home court, affectionately known as “The Cage.”
“I’ll miss the
actual playing arena; it was intimate and holds a lot of great
memories. However, if they want, I’ll pick up a sledge hammer and
help knock the place down. It’ll be great to see a brand new place
in a few years.”

Brad Liddell ’07

“I for one loved ‘The
Cage’. It was small and old but the atmosphere was great! There
could be no more than 50 people in there watching a game but if those
50 people started to get loud, it got real loud. Saturday’s game was
a great example of how fun it could be to play and watch a game with
so many fans there. I can only hope that that type of support will
transfer to the ‘New Cage’”

Ryan Palmer ’08

“It’s really a shame
that this gym is coming down, and not only because we will have to
play all our home games at Cretin next year. This gym is all around
one of the best in the Conference. The floor is soft and has
superior bounce to most every other gym in our league. Its size is
perfect for MIAC competition, particularly for the size of our school
and our typical home game fan support. Macalester could definitely
use an upgrade to some of its athletic facilities, but relative to
the other MIAC schools, ‘The Cage’ was a superior gym and will be
missed.”

Tom Conboy ’08