LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Just two days before Christmas, UA Little Rock Athletic Director George Lee had a big problem on his hands when he got a call from women’s head basketball coach Joe Foley.
“Joe’s not much for chit-chat so I don’t get calls from Joe on the weekends, so I see Joe Foley’s name pop up and I know something is wrong," Lee said. "He says, 'George we’ve got water all over the court.'"
December's freezing cold weather was the culprit. A fan coil in a unit froze causing a rupture, which resulted in water running downstairs on to the court for several hours.
“When I got [there], I almost joked that we should open up all the doors and build an ice rink in here because there was an inch or two of water on the floor.”
The Trojans were forced to move their conference opener to Simmons Bank Arena but were determined to have Jack Stephens Center ready for their Jan. 4 game against Lindenwood.
“I called our facilities director and told him there is no way we’re ever going to be able to use this court again," he said.
Lee was recommended to a company out of Tennessee called Praters Flooring, which could provide the Trojans a new court in a hurry.
The new court would be arriving from Chattanooga to Little Rock on Jan. 2.
“The concrete is dry and so they unloaded all the pallets, we had a crew come in and show them how to put it together," he said.
The work was done by Jan. 3, which meant the Trojans were back at Jack Stephens Center on the very same court seen my millions on TV before.
“It is kind of a neat thing to have the court that was on the USS Abraham Lincoln for Armed Forces Day last November,” Lee said.
The Trojan men and women teams have each played two games on the new court. They’re both back at home on Jan. 19.