New Owl spreads its wings at KSU Convocation Center
by John Bednarowski
sportseditor@mdjonline.com
July 27, 2012 12:15 AM | 2450 views | 0 0 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Kennesaw State’s new athletic logo now stretches its wings across the midcourt line as the makeover of the KSU Convocation Center nears its end.
<BR>Photo special to the MDJ
Kennesaw State’s new athletic logo now stretches its wings across the midcourt line as the makeover of the KSU Convocation Center nears its end.
Photo special to the MDJ
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KENNESAW — Upgrades continue to be made to the KSU Convocation Center, with the hopes of turning the Owls’ home into a destination venue.

The latest change came with a complete makeover of the arena’s playing floor.

CBA Flooring of Lawrenceville completed the project by changing the wood color and paint scheme, as well as adding the new primary Kennesaw State logo to the middle of the court. The new logo —measuring 33.5 feet wide by 23 feet high — nearly stretches from one 3-point line to the other.

Renovating the playing surface, which came at a cost of approximately $40,000, took nearly three weeks to complete and is the latest step in Kennesaw State’s rebranding efforts.

“I hope the student-athletes, alumni, fans and the entire Owl Nation enjoy the new look and are excited for the upcoming year of Owl athletics,” said Katie Egloss, the assistant athletic director for events and championships, in a release.

In addition to the floor, new basketball goals were purchased, and with that, the nearly 7-year-old arena’s makeover is nearly complete.

Kennesaw State athletic director Vaughn Williams said the rebranding project — taking down the old logos across campus and replacing them with the new ones — will likely take upwards of two years, but it was important to complete the Convocation Center first.

Williams said it was all about showing the alumni, students and student-athletes that things are different and are building toward a positive future.

“The athletes are fired up to see some change,” Williams said Wednesday in an interview with the Marietta Daily Journal. “It shows were on the move and how we feel about the prospects at KSU.”

Williams said the next thing that will change in the Convocation Center is to remove the red seats and replace them with either black or gold.

The inside of the Convocation Center has undergone extensive changes since the end of basketball season.

In April, Kennesaw State made a nearly $1 million investment with the installation of new video outlets within the arena. That includes a 30-by-16-foot high-definition video board on the south wall, a 2½-by-90 ribbon on the north wall and new LED scorers’ and media tables from Daktronics.

The 3,360-pound video board will serve as the primary scoreboard, displaying the game clock, scores and statistics. It has picture-in-picture capability that will allow video replays or fan cams.

The ribbon, which will work in conjunction with the video board, can be used as a tool to highlight a player, a sponsor or serve as a way to help get the crowd more involved.

Also included in package from Daktronics are new shot clocks and new clocks in each of the locker rooms that run in sync with the official clock on the Convocation Center floor.

“The addition of the video board, new floor and logo signals Kennesaw State’s commitment to building a home-court advantage for all our sports,” men’s basketball coach Lewis Preston said, also in a release. “The upgrades also signal to our current and future student-athletes that Kennesaw State desires to be the best in the Atlantic Sun Conference.”
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