Feb. 14—BEMIDJI — No one confuses the Sanford Center with Madison Square Garden.
There's a multitude of reasons why, but the simplest one is this: MSG converts from hockey to basketball consistently.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Sanford Center is only home to Bemidji State men's and women's hockey. Outside of the Harlem Globetrotters, the arena has rarely been used for basketball. That was until the 218 Sports Showcase featured Bemidji State, Bemidji High School and other area hoops teams from Thursday to Saturday.
There were some hiccups along the way. The court hadn't been used at the collegiate level since the NCAA moved back the 3-point line in 2019. BSU players pointed that out during practice a day before its first game, so organizers had to use special tape to make a makeshift version of the correct 3-point line.
The scoreboard, meant for hockey, doesn't go up to triple-digits, either. That was a problem when Northome/Kelliher scored 105 points in a win over Duluth Marshall Friday night.
But other than that, the basketball version of the 218 Sports Showcase has been a major hit, according to executive director Ryan Rude. It's the result of years of planning, the idea originating from BHS boys basketball head coach Steve Thompson.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"We had both known that they played basketball in here, but it was a long time ago," Rude said.
"We were trying to figure out how we could make that work. We just wanted to have one big community thing where both the high school and the college could play here."
Everything had to work out perfectly. Not only did BSU men's and women's hockey have to be out of town, but BSU and BHS hoops also had to have home games on the same days.
Everything worked out this year, and the wheels are in motion for a similar event in years to come.
If or when that happens, the Sanford Center will be well seasoned in prepping the arena for basketball. When the Globetrotters came to Bemidji last month, organizers took 12 hours to convert the arena, a process they hadn't done for at least three years. For the 218 Sports Showcase, it only took them six hours.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Pioneer caught up with conversion manager Rodney Anderson last week to go through the step-by-step process on how a made-for-hockey arena prepares for basketball.
It all started Tuesday, Feb. 10, after both BSU men's and women's hockey practices had ended.
After hockey practices conclude, the ice crew spends an hour prepping the ice for being under ice decks, which is used to insulate and cover the ice when used for basketball and other events.
The ice crew does its regular maintenance, including shaving the edges along the boards, before cooling the temperature underneath the ice. Since the arena will be significantly warmer than usual, a colder temp makes sure the ice remains in good condition after the basketball showcase is over.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnderson's crew, consisting of various Sanford Center employees from the camera crew to concession workers, starts laying the ice decks.
"Our ice decking, it's right around 550 pieces," Anderson said. "I generally do the math on how many people that we have and how many pieces there are to move. That's that many less pieces per person."
The process takes about an hour. Ice decking needs to be complete before the crew can move on to glass removal and court installation.
The glass removal group is the first one out.
One person mans a forklift with an attached tool called a
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementpower-grip vacuum lifter,
a suction cup-like tool used to remove glass in hockey rinks. Two people attach and remove the tool from the glass, while one person on a ladder removes glass clips and makes sure the glass is safely removed from the boards.
The group places each plane of glass on special wheeled containers so they can be easily stored.
Maneuvering the forklift can be difficult if the court starts being laid down first, a problem Anderson's crew ran into last month while preparing for the Globetrotters.
While the glass removal team starts near the benches, the rest of the crew removes the plexiglass behind the benches by hand.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"That's the benefit of having those as plexiglass rather than tempered glass," Anderson said. "They're a lot lighter."
Once the glass is removed near the corners of the rink, the court starts being laid down row by row. One group lifts each piece of the court and lays it down, while another group attaches them together, making sure they stay in place.
It's a long process — about three and a half hours — but since the same crew did this process one month ago, it went by much smoother, Anderson said.
After the court is laid down and the glass is removed, the crew splits up to handle some odds and ends.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOne group installs the hoops, making sure they're level and at the right height. Another group raises the netting on both ends of the rink, while another places the media and scorers' tables.
The latter might be the most difficult. Once the tables are in place, power and wiring have to be installed, which can be a difficult endeavor since they're both near center ice.
"We're running wires for the shot clocks, power to the media tables, scorers' tables, the possession arrows," Anderson explained. "All those little things we're taking care of right there towards the end."
The last thing Anderson's crew does is clean the floor thoroughly. By midnight, 90% of the work is finished, a significant improvement from the last time the court was installed.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnderson puts the final touches on the converted arena in the morning. He troubleshooted the shot clocks, added courtside seats and made sure everything looked ready before BSU and BHS arrived for practices.
By Sunday, Feb. 15, Anderson and his crew have to do the process all over again — just in reverse.
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