There is an alarming and annoying trend in college basketball that has cropped up over the last few years.
And quite frankly, it needs to stop.
Once a place where amateur athletes would take to a standard hardwood court, schools have now begun painting their courts like a freak-show graffiti contest—and everyone is trying to get in on the act.
From elite teams to mid-majors, no team is safe from the gigantic logos at half-court, two-tone lanes and three point lines, oddball caricatures, a scribbled coach’s signature, and many other strange depictions.
While I’m not trying to suggest the painted courts are ruining the “sanctity of the game,” I do think it makes the NCAA look a bit more commercial and wannabe NBA—more about entertainment and less about the game itself.
Clearly there are several culprits across the nation, but here are the three most glaring eyesores from my perspective...
Oklahoma State
Oh, where to begin with the Cowboys.
To begin, the free-throw lane is a two-tone of orange fading into black, like something out of a “Pimp My Basketball Court” Halloween Special. The 9,000 font “Eddie Sutton Court” signature is just plain silly—and a tad on the NASCAR side. Making the signature doubly weird is that Sutton is now coaching another team.
The cherry on top, however, is the cartoon cowboy firing a handgun near the bottom of the court.
Overall, the court is a conglomeration of everything tacky.
Valparaiso
Valparaiso doesn’t have the crazy factor Oklahoma State has, but their midcourt alone is enough to make someone puke.
At the center is an all-caps “VALPO” screaming at you—and behind the words is an enormous cartoon and very duck-footed soldier with his hands balled up for a fistfight. Oddly enough, the etched “VALPO” and the armored “Crusader” are not in traditional Valparaiso colors. The Crusader is a brown and pale yellow—not to mention the red feather in his cap. Seriously, the guy has a red feather.
Meanwhile, the players’ jerseys are black and gold. The whole scene is very strange—like a Nickelodeon-set kind of strange.
Colorado State
One word: ridiculous.
This is probably the most difficult court for ADD players and fans to remain focused while visiting.
On both sides of the court, from the baseline out well past the three-point line, a giant ram’s head is etched with disconnected lines. It’s a bit like traffic lines in circular motions. Players inexplicably pull up from 37 feet out due to the confusion.
Watching a game on HD is an instant headache.
I am sure there are several other violators out there. Chime in, please, with other teams who have committed the graffiti court sin…
12 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Smith J. Howard about 1 year ago
Good point, Tim—I was just recently noticing stuff like this. I understand trying to "awe" recruits by making the facilities and court look as NBA-like as possible. But some are a little far-fetched in my opinon. But hey, if they want to keep doing it...go ahead.
The primary problem, though are the ads. Anyone notice the bowl games that had HUGE adds on each 25-yard line? Not only were they on each 25-yard line...but they were on each SIDE of the 25-yard line. That's 4 total giant ads placed smack-dab in the middle of a football game, plus the giant one in the middle of the 50.
Wanna do billboards? Okay. Want to place those mini barrier ads on the non-team filled portion of the sidelines? Go ahead. But sticking this stuff in the endzone, on the field, on basketball courts, and everywhere else is a little crazy. The annoying ads are where I have a huge problem. I'm off my soapbox now.
Pretty good read Tim...
-R.H.
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Cody Blubaugh about 1 year ago
One thing I wanna complain about are the decals put on the courts........I've seen on countless occasions players feet slipping out from underneath them. It's a torn ACL,MCL,whateverCL waiting to happen. If those decals come in contact with any bit of moisture, it's like players are on ice when they step on them. Either put them off the court, or actually paint them on the hardwood......but then it just adds to the already cluttered courts as you eluded to Tim.
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Tori Willis about 1 year ago
HAHAH great! I read an article last season from an ESPN columnist (Simmons? not sure now who it was) but he went across the country and rated the best and worst courts. I remember Texas A&M scored high points for the worst category. If I come across that article again, I'll send it over.
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Jeremy Mason about 1 year ago
Totally disagree. Some courts may be a little over the top, but most of them look really proffesionally done. The art on the courts adds to the school spirit and even home-court advantages. Personally I think Oklahoma State's court looks really nice. Just my opinion.
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Tim Pollock about 1 year ago
Even Eddie hates it: http://www.uscho.com/images/uwire/2006/27697_sutton.jpg
I guess it's all about personal opinion. To me, OSU's court looks about as professional as Cherokee Parks' tattoos.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
heeres the site with the good and bad courts....http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2747864
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Tim Pollock about 1 year ago
Good find.
Boise St's court is filthy.
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Tim Pollock about 1 year ago
Good find.
Boise St's court is filthy.
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John McClory about 1 year ago
If fancy paint is the worst aspect of college ball, then they are light years ahead of the NBA.
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Matthew Lofton about 1 year ago
I was at Colorado State for a women's game this past year, so I will defend them a bit (Although I agree with the premise of this article. I dislike Kansas' oversized logo).
CSU's logo kind of blends in to the court. It can be tough for people who watch at home but court level, you do not notice it very much. I think it is sweet.
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David Boduch about 1 year ago
I've heard the Kansas Jayhawks are looking to enlarge the already massive dirty bird that currently takes up three quarters of their court.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
As a native of Valpo, I feel it's my duty to point out that the yellow and brown are the correct colors. The jerseys are the part that doesn't make sense.
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