After two games – both losses – Rupp Arena’s new floor is no more. John Ficks is the global sales manager for Robbins Sports Surfaces, which made the portable maple wood court.
“The floor was somewhat custom. It was not our standard design. After the floor have been used for a couple games. We were not satisfied with how the panels were fitting together. And we chose to, or we recommended, that we remove the floor and replace it as soon as possible.”
Ficks said he doesn’t know if the floor presented safety issues for players, but it might have, so the company chose to remove it. He said university officials will decide if they want to keep the new design, which featured a large map of the state.
“It was received very well and that's a our probably our biggest disappointment, is that the floor looked fantastic, so if they want some changes, we can accommodate that, but otherwise it will be the same new innovative design.
Ficks said he doesn’t know when the new court will be ready to install. Until then, the Wildcats will play on the Robbins-made court they’ve used for more than two decades.
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