Chiles Center Floor

So I peaked my head into the Chiles Center when I was on campus for all the soccer games this weekend and I got a double-treat: the guys team was shooting around and the Chiles Center floor has been refinished/painted... and it looks AWESOME.

I wish I could have taken a picture of it... the floor itself was gleaming (it was resanded and finished and looks very, very good) and the new purple looked awesome in the baseline, the keys, and the center circle.

It says "Portland" on one side and "Pilots" on the other, and it has the WCC logo on the tops of each key. It also says "Chiles Center" near each corner, which looks very cool.

But really the center circle was the best part... very retro-looking, but also clean and classic. It was painted purple with a white P logo, and had a ring of white around the outside as well. Seriously, it looks AWESOME and it will really look good on TV.

I've also heard that they are going to paint the outside of the dome an off-white color and paint a 'P' on the side facing Merlo Field.

And not only that, but they are going to paint the inside walls of the Chiles Center (the ones behind the hoops that are white right now) black, which will really make the new floor pop out visually and will help make it look less "high schooly" on TV.

Combine this with the visual and physical improvements made at Merlo Field, and UP's athletic facilities are really starting to look good!!!

I ran into Chiles yesterday, and got to see the Men's team playing full court... it was great to see the new guys finally out there playing; and they were playing pretty hard for a "scrimmage".... Hard to believe that hoops season is right around the corner. The first thing that struck me was the size of Hannibal (he is a tree trunk) and Raivio--I guess I am just used to seeing his shorter brother.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in, though, was the new floor, and I agree that it looks GREAT! The wood itself is lighter than before, and the purple color looks awesome. I like that they added "Chiles Center" in white in the corners near the visitor's bench, and added the new "University of Portland" font/logo in front of the student section & the UP bench. I was a little surprised at the center circle at first, but after looking at it, I agree it looks great with the overall paint job.

Painting those walls behind the baskets black will really set off all the purple (floor, seats) in the arena.

I am soooo excited for this year... I think we finally have a team capable of competing night in and night out. And then there is next year...

I can't wait either... I think there are definitely going to be some growing pains with such an experienced roster (especially down low), but with guys like Ito and Smeulders leading by example, I'm hoping that, as PilotNut said, they will at the very least be competitive and play hard every night.

But more than anything I am excited about the future... I like how we've got smart players with good potential and room for growth. Next year will be a step forward with everyone back except for Watson and two new players (we still have an open scholie), but really two years from now is when it has to happen: everyone on this year's roster will be junior and seniors, plus four new players and minus the dead weight (sorry, but it's true) of Thompson and Carter. Assuming solid development and hopefully some good recruiting classes, the Pilots of 2009-10 (seems far away, but really it's not) are going to be a good team.

But this year is first... can't get too far ahead of ourselves!