Monday, November 8, 2010

New University of Oregon Basketball Court

As you’re well aware, Nike and the University of Oregon go together like ham and burger, thanks in no small part to counting among its alumni both Nike founder Phil Knight as well as vice president for design and special projects Tinker Hatfield. The latter just finished up some of his highest profile work in years, completing the new Oregon Ducks basketball court. The darker brown framing center-court is comprised of a tree design, honoring both the Pacific Northwest’s green image as well as the 1939 Oregon national championship team known as the Tall Firs, while three graphics along the court pay tribute to the three phases of the life (so far) of Pat Kilkenny. Kilkenny is an Oregon donor and former athletic director who is the namesake of the new floor as well as being among the people most responsible for Oregon’s new basketball stadium, Matt Arena, named in honor of Phil Knight’s late son. While the above photo shows a decent picture of the court, there’s another below the cut (enlargeable if you click it, too), and you must check out the videos below for a little more background from Tinker, and logo designer, Todd Van Horne, as well as some much better shots of the floor. The videos are definitely worth watching, as the arena, and especially the floor, are truly an accomplishment in both architecture and design.

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