Project Detail

Echoes Unique Octagonal Shape of Bramlage.

Although basketball practice is more than six weeks away, excitement for the new season is in full swing with the introduction of a newly-designed and refurbished basketball court at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Robbins All-Star Plus floor, which was originally purchased and installed in 2004, received a new court design to incorporate the athletics department's new branding effort, while it was completely overhauled to replace broken pine boards and locking clamps that are used to hold the 290 (6x8) panels together.

"We are pleased with the new design of the court," said then athletics director John Currie. "Our staff worked through several concepts, and with input from both basketball staffs, we were able to unanimously create something that our fans will enjoy for years to come. I want to thank Dave Smoller, Ron Cook, Casey Scott and Scott Garrett, among others, for all their hard work and dedication on this project."

The floor was sanded down to bare wood and new graphics and court design were painted to include not only the new design, but also new NCAA rule changes. The men's and women's basketball teams will now use the same 3-point distance (20 feet, 9 inches), while the men have added a restricted-area arc under each rim.

The design centers on a purple octagon shape that surrounds the floor with a lone purple Powercat at center court. The shape echoes the unique octagonal design of the building. The "K-State" word mark is prominently found at the top of center court and again under both baskets with the athletics website (www.kstatesports.com) and the new university mark alternating at both ends of the baseline. Bramlage Coliseum is written at the bottom of center court directly opposite the "K-State" word mark. The floor maintains its purple lanes, but there is now a darker stain to mark each 3-point line. The Big 12 logo is displayed within each 3-point arc.

The design was a collaboration of several athletics department staff members led by Dave Smoller (director of creative services), Ron Cook (graphics designer), Scott Garrett (assistant athletics director for ticketing, fan experience and sales) and Casey Scott (associate athletics director/athletics operations). Both Smoller and Cook submitted between 10-12 court designs for review. After gaining input from the men's and women's basketball coaching staffs, elements from different designs were incorporated into the finished product.

The refurbishment was a necessity after seven years of use. The floor is typically removed an average of six times a year to accommodate various university and public events. It is common for gaps between the boards to occur over time, as the hardware and mechanisms that hold the floor together start to loosen.

The refurbishment was done at a cost of $39,000. The project, which was done at Robbins Sports' factory in Appleton, Wis., took about four weeks to complete with the floor being removed on July 22 and returned on August 28.