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After 25 years, the Don Haskins Center has a new floor for the 2013-14 basketball season as well as for the 2014 Conference USA Basketball Tournament.
UTEP joins the list of schools that have changed the layout of their basketball floor such as Nebraska, Florida International and George Washington.
“I really love it,” said women’s basketball head coach Keitha Adams. “It’s exciting to see it. I love the floor and it looks great.”
The 12,000-seat Don Haskins Center presents a new look to the fans and players in what promises to be exciting seasons for both men’s and women’s basketball.
The floor sports the symbolic Miner pick on both sides of the court. It represents both squads and presents a noticeable, yet subtle image. The baselines and sidelines out of bounds are done with a new Miners’ orange color that packages the whole basketball court together.
The Miners have gained a lot of positive feedback from numerous media sports outlets. One of those outlets was CBSSports.com college basketball writer Matt Norlander, who commented that the court was “eye-catching” without going overboard.
The feedback has been encouraging all the way around. From sports news outlets to coaches and players, all the talk about the new court has been positive.
“I like it and it’s great to get top play on it,” said senior center Kristine Vitola. “I love the picks on the floor and it looks really nice.”
The new floor replaces a 25-year-old floor that saw many UTEP legends, including Tim Hardaway play during their collegiate career. The floor was installed in a 10-week period and had an estimated cost of $150,000.
The new design comes with some exciting basketball to be played in El Paso. It’s a new season with new players, new jerseys and a new court. The season begins with the women in their season opener on Nov. 8 against Texas Permian Basin. The men play Nov. 9, against Loyola New Orleans.
Luis Barrio may be reached at [email protected].
