University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Made
Oct 04, 2019 | Men's Basketball
New basketball court's eye-catching design brought to life by Tigers for Tigers
More than 18,000 Memphis Tigers basketball fanatics packed the FedExForum on Thursday night for their first look at one of the most anticipated teams in school history.
The team itself — highlighted by its freshmen that comprise the No. 1 2019 recruiting class in the country — wasn't the only thing captivating the audience.
The Tigers' new court, which the team will play on all season inside FedExForum, instantly grabbed the sold-out crowd's attention. From the blue stain to the Tiger stripes on the baseline, sideline and in the lane, it's a court that will be noticed nationally, just as head coach Penny Hardaway's team will be, throughout the 2019-20 season.
The beauty of this court isn't just in its flashy, unique design. It goes beyond that when considering what it took to bring it to reality. For seemingly everyone involved in the process, working on this project was an unforgettable opportunity to leave their mark on a school and team they love.
Every step in the process went through Hardaway. His stamp of approval came with an emphasis on bringing attention to Memphis, and creating a potential recruiting boost for the program he once starred for as a player.
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Through the direction of Hardaway and the athletic department, UofM senior graphic designer for athletics Cat Knowles put together more than 100 potential designs for the new court.
Knowles is a December 2017 UofM graduate. She'd been a graphic design intern in the External Relations division while in school. A few months after earning her degree, she was given the chance to join the department full-time.
What she didn't know initially was she'd end up working exclusively with athletics. Describing herself as "very much an art student," Knowles was unsure at first how she'd adjust to the world of athletics.
"I was a little intimidated," Knowles said. "I was thinking, 'Oh no, are you sure you want me to do this?' I actually quickly found out that it's right up my alley. Most of my job is finding ways to make the athletes and the programs look cool. That gives me a lot of freedom, which I really like."
Less than a year into the job, Knowles was tasked with conceptualizing Hardaway's vision for a new court. It was certainly not something she'd ever envisioned herself doing, but nonetheless a challenge she had fun working through.
"For me, growing up in Memphis and going from a design student at the UofM to now being responsible for helping put together such a unique court for the basketball program is huge," Knowles said. "I'm so grateful that I got to do it. It's a really proud moment for my professional career, and it's wild that the things I'm creating have such an impact on Memphis fans and the teams."
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The UofM partnered with Memphis-based Sports Floors Inc. to bring Knowles' approved design to life.
The company manages at least 400 different gym floors in a given year, working with anyone from a Boys and Girls Club to the Memphis Grizzlies. They've done work across 10 states, including the current primary court for LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and a handful of other Division I schools.
An opportunity to complete a court for the Memphis Tigers gave Sports Floors a different kind of satisfaction than any project the company had done previously.
"This is the icing on the cake," said Sports Floors owner Bruce Gleneck, who founded the company in 1994. "This is the floor we've been wanting to do for so long."
Gleneck attended the UofM for three years in the early 1980s. He left for a job opportunity he couldn't turn down but still considers himself a senior, even at 60 years old, with plans to complete his degree when time will allow it.
"I've always been connected to the University since I've been here," Gleneck said. "My heart is very close to it. We all support it, and we always have."
That's no understatement from Gleneck. Nearly his entire staff has a deep-seated connection to the UofM, and Tigers basketball in particular.
Adam Exelbierd oversees sales and marketing at Sports Floors. His mom was an academic advisor for the Tigers' 1973 national runner-up team. He grew up around Larry Finch and Dexter Reed.
"I was in the locker room hanging out with Penny when I was 8 or 9 years old," Exelbierd said. "The only overnight camp my mom ever let me go to was the Larry Finch basketball camp to sleep at the dorms for a week. My dog's name is Finch. My ties are deep. Being able to work on this particular court is much more than just a part of the job."
Project facilitator Jason Edwards is a lifelong Memphis fan. He has many fond memories of his dad, a former usher at the Liberty Bowl for UofM football games, taking him to games at the Mid-South Coliseum and the Pyramid.
"It's a pride thing for me to say I've been a part of this," Edwards said. "My whole life has been Memphis sports. To have an opportunity to say I was a part of this … I would've done it for free if I had to just because I'm so proud."
The Sports Floors staff includes several others who are UofM graduates, Tiger basketball supporters and even parents with children now at the University. So many, in fact, the work they've done on this court has been cause for much celebration.
There were high-fives up and down the hallways when Sports Floors officially received the honor of working on this project. Gleneck even ordered a limousine and T-shirts for his staff and their spouses to attend Memphis Madness.
"If it would've been just a normal Tiger logo with the same old stuff, we still would've been excited," Gleneck said. "But when we get to do something different that challenges us, we love it. And to have it be the Memphis Tigers, that just means so much more to us."
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Sports Floors artists and UofM grad Paul Clements lead the way in the painting of the court. Clements was involved with deciding what would be possible during the decision stages, and spent a little more than two weeks on the paint job.
There are no set hours on his end of the deal. He works as long it takes to complete each step in the process, waits for each layer to dry, then resumes with the next detailed step.
"There's a lot of paint, re-tape, paint, re-tape again while doing some touch-ups as needed," Clements said. "It's a very detailed, dedicated process where every little thing is important."
Clements paints an average of 40 courts per year. He's done so many since joining Sports Floors as a contractor in 2006 few of them stand out anymore. He even finds it difficult to watch basketball these days as he's more invested in analyzing the floor.
For the most part, every completed job quickly becomes "just another court" in his mind. This one, though, is undoubtedly far more than that.
"This is a portfolio piece for me," Clements said. "It's always great to do something local, especially with where I went to school.
"It's also the first time I've stained a blue court. Most of them are either stained tan or white. This will be a new and very unique look. When people see this, they'll remember it."
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The serious conversations about creating a court this unique began in February, and the court was completed in June. It remained stowed away, tucked in a closet inside FedExForum until Memphis Madness.
Thursday night was just the beginning of the limelight for this piece of Memphis Tigers basketball. It'll be on display during nationally televised games, regularly seen on every sports highlight show and spread widely across social media as the Tigers' talent is primed to be a must-see attraction.
What's truly great about this court are the people who made it happen. Everyone who had in hand the process cared immensely. This was far more than simply fulfilling the requirements of a job.
This was about pride and creating something special that is truly Memphis made.
