Unique is what the administrators were going for on the CSUN campus. Unique is exactly what they got.
Court design has become the thing to do on college campuses across America.
Whether it's a variety of colors, trees, waves, multiple ways to showcase the school's logo, or any other feature that can enhance the product, college administrators have taken it upon themselves to have the court design they see fit for their particular campus.
CSUN upped the ante. The Matadors floor is so unique there's none like it anywhere in the country.
The closest thing you may find to it is at your local park.
What does that mean?
CSUN has taken the blacktop and brought it indoors with The Blacktop at The Matadome.
The Blacktop floor inside the Matadome is unique, it's one-of-a-kind, and it means something different to different people within the program.
"Everyone can relate to basketball and the blacktop," CSUN basketball head coach Reggie Theus said. "Everybody's played on the blacktop before --or some of the guys have played on the blacktop before -- (and) to look at it and understand what it means and from just the street credit when you say 'The Blacktop.' "
Added CSUN women's basketball coach Jason Flowers: "Most of the kids playing these days probably didn't play on the blacktop. We went out and played and you got your knees scuffed up a little bit and you came in and your hands were filthy because the ball was dirty and chain nets. (Today's players have) been playing in the gym their whole life. For me being an older guy The Blacktop has a little different meaning."
For the players inside program currently it provides a sense of pride.
"I thought it was really cool because it's different from what the other schools in our conference has," said CSUN women's guard Cinnamon Lister. "I think it's really unique."
That pride is felt throughout the athletic program from athletic director Dr. Brandon Martin on down and the floor is something to show off.
When recruits come in, regardless of sport, they see The Blacktop at The Matadome.
When prospective students come on visits to the campus, they see The Blacktop at The Matadome.
It's become quite the recruiting tool for athletes and non-athletes, alike.
"You have to have stunts," said CSUN Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Brandon Martin. "You have to be courageous. You have to do things outside of the box and you have to take risks and that's one of the things that we did here.
"It just really set us apart from any other Big West schools from the fan experience to the environment that we have."
The Blacktop, at its core, represents a rebranding on the campus. The name Cal State Northridge has been ditched for CSUN.
New uniforms have been handed out throughout the athletic program to further emphasize that change. There are new locker rooms inside the Matadome for both the men's and women's basketball teams.
The Blacktop, in a sense, is the icing on the cake.
"Anything that you've known about Northridge in the past no longer exists in terms of the way people look at their program," Theus said. "(When) I got here I felt like everybody's attitude was sort of the third wheel mentality and we've been shedding that. We stepped out there and we stepped pretty hard right now in terms of The Blacktop, in terms of rebranding. (There are) a lot of positive things going on. It's really been a lot of fun."
