Bluffton University’s 2015-16 school year marked the opening of new basketball courts located outside Hirschy Annex Hall courtesy of Student Senate after a summer of construction.
Sommer Center and Founders Hall are the indoor basketball courts available to students. The new purple courts are the only outdoor courts on campus and the only ones that don’t double for other events.
“Last year there were nights we wanted to play basketball but couldn’t because both Founders Hall and Sommer Center were already being used for other events,” said sophomore Jared Sleutz of Kidron, Ohio. “Other nights the doors to the buildings were already locked.”
The conversion of two of the tennis courts to basketball courts was a personal project of Student Body President Charlie Miller during the 2014-15 school year.
“All six tennis courts that we used to have weren’t being utilized, and we decided that converting two of them to basketball courts plus the addition of lights would result in better usage of the facilities,” Miller said.
No gates close off the courts and no locks are locked at any given time, meaning students are invited to play basketball whenever they please. Lights were also included in the project, making the courts usable during all hours of the night.
“Now the difficulty is finding a time to play when the courts aren’t already being used,” Sleutz said. “Sometimes that means joining in with groups already playing.”
Charlie Miller of Ross, Ohio, is particularly pleased the courts are being so well utilized and building community on Bluffton’s campus.
“The feedback that I’ve received has been overwhelming,” Miller said. “Students seem to be using these courts every day. It’s really nice to see a year’s worth of work and planning be accomplished, especially when it turns out better than expected.”
