Until I saw ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois‘ new design of the McKale Center basketball court, I thought the two most impressive courts in Power 4 basketball were Louisville and Kansas.
Louisville has a large red and white Cardinal dunking the basketball at midcourt, with iconic Louisville coach Denny Crum‘s signature nearby. At Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Kansas, a massive Jayhawk — red, blue and yellow — dominates midcourt. No explanation necessary. KU’s historic basketball success flows through the Jayhawk.
I contend that ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s new court, videos of which were made public last week, climbs into the Top 3 in college hoops. The once-oversized A at midcourt is no longer too much. Too blah. The magic to the design approved by Reed-Francois is the sunset and cactus logo that now gets instant attention at mid-court. It’s not ostentatious like Oregon’s “Deep In The Woods†fir trees at Matthew Knight Arena and it’s not too busy, as is the Memphis Tigers’ four massive tiger claws that dominate the middle of the FedExForum court. It looks like someone spilled a lot of paint ...
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A look at the redesigned basketball court at McKale Center on Tuesday.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s new brand is neither too busy nor over the top. It represents the school’s basketball history, a Lute Olson-era logo that also speaks for Tucson’s unique topography.
Look at it this way: If a TV viewer in, say, Indiana, turned on a random basketball game and got an ASU game at Desert Financial Arena, he would see an oversized pitchfork dominating the court. But unless you closely follow college sports, you would probably say “What is that thing on the court? Where is that?†Enormous, exaggerated pitchforks are not easily identified. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ has a brand. ASU has a pitchfork.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ isn’t the only college basketball arena to feature a mountain design on the court. The Colorado Buffaloes recently added the outline of the Rocky Mountains underneath a Buffalo and CU logo. It is good, but not distinctive. UTEP has a mountain design on Don Haskins court, but a giant “UTEP†with a pick-axe dominates the scene.
Two more basketball courts belong in the conversation with Kansas, Louisville and ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥: At St. John’s, an outline of the Statue of Liberty and New York City skyline, along with former coach Lou Carnesecca‘s signature, is first class. And Washington, a football school, did well with the redesign of Alaska Airlines Arena, outlining the Seattle skyline, featuring the Space Needle. Alas, the Huskies’ basketball history is not commensurate with an elite court design.
