What do the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Kentucky Wildcats and Duke Blue Devils have in common with Morehead State's basketball program?
All have floor designs put in place by the Cincinnati Flooring Company.
MSU's revamped floor, dominated by the Eagle mascot Beaker, is still being worked on but Johnson Arena should be ready for use by the beginning of September.
"We got started a little bit later (July 27) than we wanted to," said Brian Hutchinson, MSU's Director of Athletics. "And the humidity, at the beginning of the project, kind of delayed us a little bit."
Hutchinson said the floor hadn't been sanded down all the way to the wood in about nine or 10 years.
The new look, which includes a large "M" at each end of the floor, is the latest move to keep the Eagles' home as attractive as possible. Last year, seating was replaced, the building was painted and the front lobby was remodeled.
"I think (the floor is) probably the most visible thing that we have, and we need to keep it as fresh as we can," Hutchinson said.
The floor design was chosen by MSU fans.
We put a Twitter contest out and we asked our fans to vote on two different designs," said Brad Smith, MSU's assistant athletics director for external affairs. "They chose the one that we've been affectionately calling the Big Bad Eagle. It will basically have the Morehead State 'Beaker' Eagle emblazoned on center court. Just a huge Eagle on center court. It will be great for TV and great for the fans."
All the floor work, at a cost of about $40,000, is being done by the father-son team of Herb and Austin Finley.
"Trying to line up all of the stencils and making the paint look nice, that's the biggest challenge," said the elder Finley.
Fans will get an initial look at the floor in October, when the Eagles host a basketball preview event. MSU's home opener will be in November.
