BOISE, Idaho — From the ice rink to the basketball court — Boise's Idaho Central Arena is transforming for the annual Big Sky basketball tournament.
“For us, it takes anywhere from 3 to 5 hours to lay the court,” said Riley Roberts, an operations tech at the Idaho Central Arena.
Early Thursday morning, Idaho News 6 spoke with the arena’s technicians during the detailed transformation.
The work starts overnight. Before crews can install the court, they lay dozens of fiberglass insulation decking on the ice to keep it cool and protected.
“The nice thing about having CP Audio here to help us out is they do decking, they do glass, they do the court, which gives me and my co-workers a good opportunity to kinda do all the auxiliary stuff,” said Roberts.
The seasoned installers have a routine for completing the puzzle of wood pieces. Then arena techs ensure everything is fit for players and fans and of course, that the court is camera-ready.
STARCH MADNESS: Big Sky Basketball in Boise next weekend
“For Big Sky specifically, because it’s a nationally televised tournament, aesthetics are kinda first and foremost," said Roberts.
Also joining us on Good Morning Idaho to talk about ‘Starch Madness’ Big Sky Conference was Deputy Commissioner Dan Satter.
“Starting on Saturday, we’ll have both our women’s and men’s tournaments here run for 5 straight days," Satter said. "So from Saturday to Wednesday there are 18 basketball games played right here on this court and we’ll crown two champions who will go on to March Madness, in their respective genders, in the NCAA’s tournament,” said Satter.
Check out our TV listings for all the games airing on channel 6.2.
