Williams Arena Court: A New Look For a New Year

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Ignatius L Hoops

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New look is not getting rave reviews on some other sites. And, it's a new look - brighter for sure which might even help on tv.

As folks might recall, one summer during the Borton years, the entire floor was replaced and you could buy pieces of the old floor.

The floor doesn't win or lose games, as we all know. It is the players that win the games.

The raised floor is still something that some teams "hate" when they come in to the Barn, but they get use to it quickly if you talk to visiting teams.
 

http://www.startribune.com/williams...rn-look-for-gophers-2018-19-season/490282701/

More info on the makeover:

Why the changes?

Sanding down the floor and re-finishing the surface was primarily a decision driven by maintenance needs. After years of events (the Barn is utilized for much more than just Gopher men's and women's basketball) the damage the floor has taken from hosting all these events was becoming increasingly visible. It is generally necessary to sand a floor every 7-10 years depending on usage and upkeep, and it was time. From a maintenance and appearance standpoint, the best thing to do was to remove everything, including the six-foot maroon border, and clean up all the additional lines that needed to be added/removed from the surface since it had last been painted.

Floor design

Our Creative Services and Facilities teams worked closely on the design. They wanted to keep it simple, with more of a classic look that highlighted "The Barn" nickname.

As we were moving through this process, the idea came up to make the playing surface look and mimic old barn wood. It would require a lot of technical assistance from our partners to determine how to achieve this look, but agreed that this was the look we wanted. That, along with a final design featuring the script version of "The Barn," helped celebrate the arena's famous moniker.

Part of the design also highlights the classic feel of the facility. I believe the new floor is the first in Williams Arena since the 1960s to feature thin lines marking the court's boundaries.
 

I like the old darker floor. This is albino-ish in comparison. We'll get used to it especially if they win all the home games. Thank goodness they kept the raised flooring.


This place is magical when you are winning.
 

Not a fan of the new look, but I'll wait to see it in person before I pass final judgment. If the team wins, I might not care if the floor has zebra stripes or leopard spots. One thing I liked about the old look, was the thought that it went well with the maroon and gold school colors. In the scheme of things, however, it's all somewhat irrelevant.
 



Look on the brighter side - broadcast video will look better with the lighter floor. If you watch videos of some of the old games, they look dark and harsh at times.
 

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