By Sean Mulligan
STAFF WRITER
The first part of the Hofstra basketball court design contest has come to an end. Next, administrators will review all submissions and announce finalists for the community to vote on.
The opportunity to create a design for the hardwood arena floor of the soon-to-be-built practice facility was announced in November.
The deadline for the Mack Sports Complex Center’s basketball court design was Dec. 2. Hofstra received many submissions that are still being counted, according to Hofstra’s Associate Director of Athletic Communications, Stephen Gorchov.
“We asked people to put your creative hat on and see what you can come up with,” said Gorchov who added that there were many hand drawn submissions.We even got hand drawn designs from kids with our blue and gold [colors],” said Gorchov.
Seven of the design contenders came from the softball team. One design included their head coach Bill Edwards. Gorchov pointed towards the team’s assistant coach Kate Stake as the likely leader of the handful of entries that came from the Softball team.
Other designs included a NYC skyline embedded within the hardwood of the basketball court created by freshman Jordan Walters.
Gorchov said there was an outpouring of support from the Hofstra community as well as from artists, young and old, outside of the university’s gates.
It should be noted that NCAA regulations do not permit any necessary lines from being obscured, per Rule 1-17.4 in the NCAA rulebook. Many submitted designs do not adhere to this rule.
“We promoted it on our multiple social media accounts,” said Gorchov.
Gorchov also said that Hofstra’s multiple social media efforts were given national attention through shares, likes and retweets.
Two students were split on their awareness towards the social network campaign.
Sophomore music business major Brittany Waunsch is a member of the pep band and has been aware of the contest for weeks.
“I’ve been hearing all about it,” said Waunsch. She also said she was aware of the softball team’s many contributions.
On the other hand, 2012 graduate Caitlin Nespoli had no idea the contest was even happening.
“I don’t know what it looks like, or what it originally looked like,” said Nespoli.
While Nespoli has certainly not been around campus much these days, Waunsch, also a member of Hofstra’s Spirit Support club, is constantly involved with Hofstra’s varsity sports teams.
Edited December 6, 2013.
