Big 12 Reveals LED Glass Court for Women's Tournament
A New Era in Basketball: The Big 12 Introduces LED Glass Court
Kansas City, Mo. – As the Big 12 Women’s and Men’s basketball tournaments take place this week and next, the conference is set to unveil a groundbreaking innovation: an LED glass court. This will be the first time such a court has been used in official American competition, with previous appearances only in the NBA All-Star Game and in Europe.
The Big 12 provided a first look at the glass floor to the media on Monday night at T-Mobile Center, just two days before the start of the women's postseason. While the tournaments will mark the debut of the court in official play, men’s and women’s teams have had the opportunity to test it throughout the season.
Testing the Court Throughout the Season
Tyrel Kirkham, the Big 12 Chief Brand and Business Officer, explained that the court is housed in Orlando year-round. This allowed teams like UCF to practice on it during their games against Big 12 schools.
“This court is housed in Orlando year-round, so as our teams played against UCF, we afforded them the opportunity to come in, to practice on the court, to get a taste of it,” said Kirkham.
Christof Babinsky, CEO and creator of ABS Glassfloor, shared insights about the court's benefits during the unveiling. He noted that European athletes who have used the court prefer it over traditional hardwood due to its softer impact on knees and ankles.
“The piece of glass that we’re standing on, there’s two pieces of safety glass. They’re this big each, they’re laminated together with a PVB safety, and they’re around 2.5 times as elastic as a hardwood board used to make traditional basketball courts. And then we put an elastic substructure, because that piece of glass alone will be too elastic for the athlete. Which means that we have very equal elasticity on every point across the court.”
The Three-Layer Design
The court is composed of three layers. The top layer is made of glass, the middle contains LED lights, and the bottom layer is an elastic substructure responsible for the court's give and safety. This innovative design ensures both performance and protection for the athletes.
Advanced Features of the Court
With just the touch of an iPad, the state-of-the-art floor offers a range of features. For the tournament, the court can change the teams represented, flash advertisements, and display player intros. Coaches can draw up plays on it, and the three-point arc glows when a deep shot is made. After a dunk in the paint, the glass "breaks" to create a visual effect. It is also easy to see where it's wet, and it maintains the same 'squeak' of shoes that fans enjoy in a basketball game. Fans can even participate in shooting games, adding an interactive element to the experience.
Official Debut and Upcoming Games
The court will make its official game debut on Wednesday morning, when K-State takes on Cincinnati in the first round of the Big 12 Women’s Tournament at 11:00 a.m. Later that day, KU will face UCF at 8:00 p.m. The men’s teams will play on the same court next week, continuing the legacy of this revolutionary technology in college basketball.
