Oregon Duck fans were thrilled earlier this year when they found out that the football team was getting a uniform redesign this summer before the team embarks on their new future in the Big Ten Conference.
Basketball fans have a reason to be thrilled now, as well.
Ducks Wire confirmed a report on Thursday morning that the Kilkenny Floor at Matthew Knight Arena has been going through a redesign this past week, with the old “Deep in the Woods” design that was introduced back in 2011 being sanded away. Some fans celebrated this news, while others mourned the loss, as well as the nod to the historic “Tall Firs” Oregon team that won the inaugural NCAA Championship back in 1939.
After speaking with a person close to the project, here’s what I have been able to find so far about the redesign taking place at Matt Knight, and when we can expect the project to be done.
The Matthew Knight Court Vision
Dec, 22, 2012; Eugene, OR, USA; General view of Matthew Knight Arena against the Houston Baptist Huskies. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
The goal of the court redesign is to lighten up the image, ultimately. While things looked bright and relatively pleasing to the eye in person, the television product of games at Matthew Knight Arena often left a lot to be desired, with the dark brown trees darkening the picture.
I am told that the new design will feature a much brighter overall image, with light wood and lighter colors being used.
The Design Timeline (Past)
February 5, 2011; Portland, OR, USA; A general view as the Oregon Ducks huddle on the floor of Matthew Knight Arena during a time out in the second half of the game against the Washington Huskies. Oregon won the game 81-76. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Kilkenny Floor has been around since Matthew Knight Arena opened back in 2011, so it is just short of 15 years old. The talks of a redesign started several years ago, with the design process getting underway and the actual act of replacing the floor being scheduled out earlier this year.
The Design Timeline (Present)
The process of removing the old design started earlier this week at Matthew Knight Arena, with the floor being stripped down and sanded to its blank canvas. The Oregon Ducks social media account posted an image of the blank floor on Thursday.
I am told that this process took about four days, and the next phase of the redesign won’t start for a few weeks, likely sometime in mid-May.
The Design Timeline (Future)
Dec, 8, 2012; Eugene, OR, USA; General view of Matthew Knight Arena before the game. Oregon Ducks against the Idaho State Bengals at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
The next phase of the project will be the longest one. It will include the actual painting of the court design, as well as the stripes, lines, and Big Ten logo as well. After that, the court will need to be sealed and polished.
In all, this phase of the project is scheduled to take as many as four weeks to complete.
Expected Date of Completion
Jul 27, 2014; Eugene, OR, USA; General view of the Matthew Knight arena on the campus of the University of Oregon. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The goal right now is for this project to be wrapped up and completed by early June, at the latest. We don’t know exactly when the University of Oregon will unveil the final product to the public, but the plan is for things to be finished in early Summer.
Tinker Hatfield and Todd Van Horne
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – OCTOBER 13: Tinker Hatfield signs Nike shoes at WIRED25 Festival: WIRED Celebrates 25th Anniversary – Day 1 on October 13, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for WIRED25 )
If there is something artistic and innovative happening at the University of Oregon, you can expect that both Tinker Hatfield and Todd Van Horne are going to have something to do with it. Hatfield is an Oregon alum who has grown famous as a designer largely responsible for the Air Jordan line of sneakers with Nike. He ran track under Bill Bowerman at Oregon and was the designer for the original court at Matthew Knight Arena.
Van Horne is a creative director at Nike and the CEO of Van Horne Brands, a design company that has worked closely with the University of Oregon over the years, having a major part to play in the uniforms and various designs seen across the Oregon campus.
Both men have worked on the design of the new floor going in at Matt Knight.
The Cost
Feb 9, 2020; Eugene, Oregon, USA; A general view of the sneakers worn by Oregon Ducks guard Jaz Shelley (4) during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
When all is said and done, the new floor at Matthew Knight Arena will be among the most expensive college basketball courts in the nation, and somewhere between 3-4 times more expensive than the average basketball court at the NCAA level. The process of redesigning an average basketball court takes approximately 10 days, while this could take upwards of 30.
The reason for this is because of the detail of the design, and the time that it takes to incorporate all of the intricacies.
