ECU Unveils New Williams Arena Court Design | Eastern NC Now

Publisher's note: This post appears here courtesy of the news and information section for East Carolina University men's and women's sports.



    Pirate Nation:

    I hope you are as excited as I am about the calendar hitting August. All our student-athletes return to campus next week and the football team has three days of preseason camp under its belt.

    Today is a special day as we unveil the new Williams Arena court design inside Minges Coliseum, the home of the Pirates women's volleyball, women's basketball and men's basketball programs. We are pleased with the final product and hope our fans, students, alumni, faculty and staff will be as well. The project began in early July and was completed on August 2, well ahead of our anticipated schedule.

    The new design includes several notable changes, from the Jolly Roger logo on midcourt, the words EAST CAROLINA written on the middle of the sideline surrounded by the adidas brand pattern, and the word PIRATES on both baselines.

    When we started this project, we began with about 25 different designs. One of the priorities was to make the color of the court lighter and showcase the Jolly Roger logo at midcourt. From a television viewing perspective, this new look will prominently display our primary mark and words EAST CAROLINA for viewers. This new look in Minges is the Pirates' first since the 2014-15 season.

    Several members of our talented staff worked diligently on the new design with Brandon Smith playing the lead role, while Royal Wood out of Greensboro resurfaced and painted the floor.

    We will continue to update other areas of Minges Coliseum with graphics and the Pirate State of Mind logo mark will be seen in various locations. We are also in the early stages of bringing the Kids Zone concept into Minges with the addition of interactive games.

    Our women's volleyball team will begin preseason practice this week and fans can check out the new design on Sept. 13 when Julie Torbett's squad hosts the Pirate Invitational.

    Again, I hope you are pleased with the final product and we look forward to seeing you in Minges next month!

    Go Pirates!

    Jon