Students entering the University Student Recreation Complex will notice some changes made to the facility’s basketball courts. The UREC basketball court floor will now feature a painting of the eye of the tiger in the center of the court. The painting is 12 feet in diameter and took workers three days to complete. Michael Giles, UREC associate director of operations and project management, said the idea for the tiger was a collaborative effort of several individuals on the UREC staff.
“Our concept was to do something different,” Giles said. “We want to evoke pride in the students that use the floor on a daily basis and create a memorable LSU experience for visitors.” According to Trisha Milford-Hoyt, UREC associate director of marketing and membership, the new floor will also create more opportunities to host external tournaments that generate revenue and expose high school students to the University. Funds for the painting were generated by hosting other schools’ graduations. Renovations were also done to replace maroon-colored padding that surrounded the court and maroon paint on the floor. “I think it’s good that they’re making improvements,” said Kevin Dandridge, biological studies freshman. “Now everyone’s going to know us as national champions. We should have our own colors.” Giles said the correlation between the renovations and winning the BCS National Championship game was a lucky coincidence. “It was very fortunate timing, but we’re glad to continue the high spirit that LSU students have right now,” Giles said. “The students and alumni that have seen it already thought it was perfect for the direction we’re going.” Ross Gaudet, biological studies senior, said the renovations bring more spirit to the school. “You have the eye of the tiger, and our colors so you feel more at home,” Gaudet said. Maroon tiles still remain in the UREC bathrooms and locker rooms. According to Giles, removing the maroon tiles would be an expensive project. “We want students to feel pride no matter where they are in the facility, but it is a locker room, so it’s behind the scenes,” Giles said. “If students wanted it changed, we would do it.”
—-Contact Katie Kennedy at [email protected]