A palm tree-themed court in the center of the Walter Pyramid has been generating buzz and excitement across the Cal State Long Beach campus and the Internet, but the renovated locker rooms hidden behind the bleachers may be more impressive.
Featuring cabinet- and safe-laden lockers, a film room with leather couches and multiple flat-screen TVs, white boards and even a kitchen, the four remodeled locker rooms are arguably the best athletic facilities on campus. According to men’s basketball head coach Dan Monson, the new facilities will be a main attraction when future recruits visit the University.
“In the five years I’ve been here, we’ve never taken a recruit into the locker room before,” he said. “Now I would venture to say it might be the first stop.”
Funded by a $2 million donation by Glen and Debbie Bickerstaff, the renovations are part of an ongoing process to lift Long Beach State athletics into the elite tier of mid-major schools. The beach-themed court design is a clear effort to give The Beach a national identity – similar to the way Boise State’s blue football field has given the Broncos a defining image.
“When you’re Long Beach State,” Monson said, “and you’re trying to set yourself apart from mid-major schools, I think your schedule needs to be different. The uniforms need to be different, the floor – whatever it can be that makes people talk about you.”
Ever since the 49ers won the Big West title last year, people have been talking.
“Being the only Division I school in America with the word ‘beach’ in it – I think it separates us in being able to utilize that and to play off of that is very important for us,” Monson said.
While the beach identity is important for the university, the quality of the design had to be as close to perfect as possible to avoid turning such a unique idea into a national laughing stock.
According to CSULB assistant design professor John Kleinpeter, the athletic department’s collective effort was a huge success.
“My first impression is that it’s nice work,” he said. “The colors are effective at representing CSULB, and they do so in a way that they don’t compete with the function of the court.”
The design, which features four gold palm trees on a traditional floor with “The Beach” logo placed prominently in the middle, beat out several other designs, including a court with lawn chairs and an all-black court.
The approved design also reads “Walter Pyramid” along the sidelines and displays the athletic department’s official Twitter handle on the opposite side.
“The inclusion of the Twitter address adds another aspect to the venue,” Kleinpeter said. “It allows people to participate in the social network during the games. It’s a smart thing to add.”
The women’s volleyball team had the honor of being the first to practice on the new floor Monday afternoon. It will also be the first to play an official event on the floor this weekend when it hosts the Long Beach State Mizuno Invitational.
“I tripped on one of the palm trees my first time out,” head women’s volleyball coach Brian Gimmillaro joked. “In all seriousness, I think it’s wonderful. It was a great idea and was well -thought out and wellplanned and it looks good. It’s going to look really good on television.”
The floor will get plenty of national attention, as ESPN will be broadcasting three men’s basketball home games. ESPN recently picked up LBSU’s Nov. 16 matchup with North Carolina in addition to home games against UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Fullerton.
None of the renovations would have been possible without the Bickerstaffs. Their donations have also funded the Bickerstaff Academic Center, which helps student-athletes keep their grades up despite investing so much time in their sports.
“We’re really happy that Glen and Debbie Bickerstaff donated the money for it,” Gimmillaro said. “We’ve been good friends for many, many years. I don’t know if any team ever deserves anything like that, but it just shows that community can get involved within a university and make a difference in the experiences of people who represent the university.”