George Washington’s new basketball floor features famous D.C. monuments
In the three years since Oregon launched the trend of jazzing up basketball floors with creative designs, there have been plenty of hits and misses.
Long Beach State's palm trees? A smash hit. Florida International's beach towel-themed court? A tacky miss. Towson's pale orange tiger stripes? Ehhh, not bad. And Cal State Bakerfield's dark blue floor? Yikes.
George Washington is the latest school to enhance its floor with a design, and credit the Colonials for getting it right. The school announced Monday the floor of the Charles E. Smith Center will include silhouette images of The White House, the Capitol building and the Washington Monument, a subtle yet distinctive design that sends the message to fans and recruits they're watching a Washington D.C. program.
"Unveiling this spectacular new floor design today further emphasizes our campus setting in the heart of D.C.," George Washington athletic director Patrick Nero in a press release. "When people around the world are watching our games, we want them to immediately recognize and understand the university’s unique setting in the middle of the action in this world-class city."
The other unique touch to the floor is the "#RaiseHigh" hashtag behind one of the baselines where the university's name would typically be. The slogan, originally coined during the 2011-12 basketball season, has developed into a campus-wide rallying cry featured on T-shirts and billboards.
Since George Washington's court isn't as gaudy as other new designs have been, it likely won't get the same nation-wide publicity Oregon or FIU did. No matter, though. The classy court design will be a source of pride for years to come.
(Thanks, D.C. Sports Bog)
