With the Big 12 Basketball Tournament underway in Kansas City, the men’s players are getting their first exposure to the brand-new LED court that the league rolled out. However, the feedback on the court has been mixed. After Kansas State lost to BYU, we learned that Khamari McGriff was suffering from migraine symptoms during the second half of the game.
Forward Taj Manning told reporters after the game,“It’s slippery. The lights caused Khamari to get a migraine. It’s a bad court. They shouldn’t bring it back. It’s just an eyesore.”
Here’s the full video from GoPowercat‘s Ryan Gilbert.
This is the harshest criticism yet of the court the Big 12’s court, which was announced a couple of weeks ago and marks the first time ASB GlassFloor’s LED court technology will be used for official competition in the United States, representing a significant milestone in the modernization of college athletics.
During his tournament opening press conference on Tuesday, commissioner Brett Yormark acknowledged that “when you innovate you won’t get 100% buy-in.” He also said that he’s getting great feedback on the floor and looking to make adjustments, per Jarom Jordan of BYU.tv.
According to the Big 12, the court will be used to highlight new partnership opportunities, elevate fan engagement and enhance in-game entertainment. During each matchup, visual effects displayed on the court could include:
Immersive animations following key plays and momentsDynamic court designsShot chartsInteractive games for fans during timeouts
As the tournament rolls on, there’s likely to be many more opinions as to what the glass court was like to play on, and we’ll cover it all here on Heartland College Sports.
