Over winter break, the basketball court in the Recreational Convocation Center (RCC) was given a fresh new look.

Refurbishing a new floor is usually a long-term process. Gym floors are commonly sanded down to the wood and refinished at a minimum of every six to eight years due to simple wear and tear issues that happen during the year according to Greg Cooper, associate athletic director.

Many Division I schools, whose sport’s programs are significantly larger, refinish their floors every other year.

“We moved up our time line for two reasons,” Cooper said. “As the NCAA basketball rules have changed, we needed to remove some lines and add others to reflect those rule changes. The second factor was to update the logos to match the new identity that we reviled at the beginning of the year.”

The new Topper mascot was introduced at the beginning of the fall semester at Hillfest.

With a limited time to finish the project, from the end of the fall semester to the start of the spring, the project work took about two weeks from Dec. 16 to Dec. 29. The project was paid for by fundraised money.

Reactions toward the new floor were positive. Gabrielle Castillo, member of the Girl’s Club Volleyball Team, believed the courts were a great addition to accompany the new mascots.

“It was nice to start off the new year and season with something new,” she says.

Even those who aren’t on the court like the new change.

“It just looks a lot nicer for prospective students to see when they come visit the campus,” freshman Margot Sweeney said. “I don’t play that many sports, but if I were an athlete, the appearance of the gym will have definitely swayed my decision in colleges, especially if (they’re) playing for the school.”

Cooper says he could not have been more pleased with the final result.

“I think it is not only visually appealing but it also adds a professional look to the building for all potential students who walk through the RCC,” he said.