Story on new court draft design......here.

....which I think I basically like. Now, if they could just move season ticket holders back to the south side.....

 Let's see, only two of three branches of government depicted, no mention that we are talking about a "University" or that the teams are known as the "Colonials", an ad for a Twatter ad... Still better than the rubber-cum-concrete that was in there through the late 1980's, though.

 I like it.

I think raise high, on the court, is ridiculous. Equivalent to an image of the Trachtenburg hippo. Otherwise, its got an understated elegance to it.

I think it looks great!

 Cool rendering but I wonder how it will look on TV.  Will the images show up clearly?  If they do, it should look good.

 Veering waaaay off topic, but a) the pic is too "big" and makes this thread take too long to load, perhaps we move the discussion of its merits to another threas; and b) why are the "also see" threads about Atilla The -Gate and KH? 

 For our overseas brethern, it should load much faster now.

Merci.

I'd prefer COLONIALS or another George Washington at that end of the court but I understand the marketing effort under way - and at least Raise High comes from our Fight Song!

As a (relatively) recent grad, i think it's a pretty awesome design, and i love the hashtag on the court. I think it easily raises profile and gets ppl talking about gw on twitter - including new recruits. The AD is already pretty engaged on Twitter and this is another way to market/showcase the university as modern and engaged on social media.

Awesome job by Nero and company.

Well, SI has taken note:

http://tracking.si.com/2013/05/20/george-washington-unveils-new-basketball-court/?sct=uk_t2_a3

no hippo mention

 Awesome!   

Looks like another great job by Nero.  So far he seems like an outstanding hire. 

no mention of Colonials is very strange and should be corrected. i agree with NJ Colonial COLONIALS should replace #RaiseHigh on the baseline. a casual fan might think we are the George Washington Monuments based on the new design. it's a marketing ad for prospective students to attend GWU in the nation's capital. incidently you are watching a basketball game. nice job.

Get rid of the "Raise High"  Replace it with "Colonials"  Otherwise, it is great.

Another great job by Nero. Anyone know what something like this costs? 

In terms of cost, it's probably not as bad as one might think. The court gets sanded and repainted every summer, so the only added cost here is the additional detail in the painting. Probably not cheap, but not a whole new court.

Inclusion of "Raise High," whether it stays as a hash tag or not, indicates a long-term commitment to that watchword phrase for GW. That's a good thing for consistency at a school that has previously demonstrated schizophrenic attachment to its logos and marketing. The court will look much better to those of us on the season ticket side since the design will be directed at the TV camera behind us. The rendering suggests that the landmarks will be muted. Hope that's true so it won't be a distraction. School continues to raise its athletic game. Still waiting and hoping to see if supporters follow suit with their butts and their money.

Put COLONIALS in the end zone instead of # Raise High - and then put # Raise High on both sidelines, facing each side of the arena!

I whole wholeheartedlyagree with NJ colonial's last statement! and think its a fair compromise....hope people from the AD are reading!

 I'd rather have a court that gets recognition because they saw it up into $100 tiles to celebrate a national championship - but that's just me.

There is also a hashtag on the proposed design -- "#RaiseHigh" -- which, as the Washington Post's Sarah Kogod notes, could be especially interesting given the NCAA's recent ban of promotional hashtags on football fields. 

Link from ESPN

Our AD is doing a great job, especially with getting the word out about GW!

Nero on Twitter said yesterday that the hashtag is fine and they won't have to worry about the NCAA 

 Hope he reads NJ Colonial's idea to put hashtag on sides of the court.  That makes more sense, with Colonials in the end zone.

Hope A.D. Nero visits gwhoops.com regularly - he should!

I always wonder why he doesn't implement things discussed onthis board ;) 

Let Patrick Nero know how you feel:

Twitter: @GW_AD

Email: nerop@gwu.edu

Snarky Roll Call article griping that the Senate side of the Capitol is negleted in favor of only the House side. Also takes lame potshot at the program. Pretty lame.

 Ha. She is a Duke grad.

"Truth be told, this reporter is a big basketball fan, has actually been to multiple GW basketball games (not suggested to attend a game on Greek Day) and thinks the court is pretty cool." 

(And she was a sports editor for the Duke Cronicle.)

 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/gwu-mixes-basketball-politics-article-1.1350939

Rice Hall could learn from Smith Center about generating positive press for GW!