Court unveils updated logo

David Wicker

An employee of Praters Hardwood Flooring and Supply sands down the old Centennial Center court in preparation for the upgrades. According to Sports Information Director Al Weston, the new court is projected to be completed this weekend. The changes feature new basketball lines for the women’s team and lines for use by the volleyball team.

Centennial Center prepares refurbished floor for basketball and volleyball teams 

This basketball season, Centennial Center will have a fresh new look. The Department of Athletics is working on a completely updated basketball court. The new floor will feature the updated logo with the words “Georgia College,” the shortened name of the school.

One of the reasons behind the updates is to keep current with Georgia College’s logo.

“We wanted to be current with our brand,” explains head of the Department of Athletics, Wendell Staton. “Our moniker is Georgia College, so we want to get that back out there.”

The former court was imprinted with Georgia College & State University, as opposed to the more current Georgia College. An updated version of the bobcat mascot will be at the center of the floor.

“You’ll notice that the dominant theme of this will be the logo,” Staton said. “The brand is the whole thing. We want our alumni and our students to identify with that brand over and over.”

The estimated cost for all of the updates will be around $30,000.

“I think the court will definitely bring a lot of enthusiasm for the team because we have a new team this year,” women’s basketball player Enisha Donley said. “It’s going to be a great experience to have a new court and a new team.”

In addition to creating a new look, the new basketball lines will also have a practical purpose.

The 3-point line for women was moved back because of a rule change, but the old line stillwas never removed from the floor.

“Everybody was kind of like ‘I don’t know which one (to use),’ so there would be a foot on the line or something like that.” Donley said. “Now we’ll have regulation courts. We’ll have the new charge line, so it’s going to be great.”

Although the changes will certainly have an impact on the morale of the team, it will have an effect on the crowd as well.

“I think it will impact with the fans the most,” men’s basketball team player Ryan Lively said. “I’m just excited because I’ve been here for a while and the new court will get us excited, but I think the fans the most because it’s a new attraction.”

The new court will help GC’s reputation in its division, according to Lively.

“I definitely think it was a positive (change),” Lively said. “We’re one of the biggest stadiums in the conference and I think it (the logo change) will upgrade it to one of the best stadiums in the conference.”

The court will be used for volleyball and basketball, so changes were also made to accommodate these sports. Volleyball markings will be painted on the floor, and anchors for the poles will be installed. Although volleyball games won’t start until the Fall of 2013, the new team will need a place to train.

The updates to Centennial Center are well underway, are projected to be completed this weekend.

Posted by Ally Maisano on Sep 6 2012. Filed under Lead stories, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.