MACOMB, Ill. – For the past month, the playing court inside Western Hall has undergone a renovation. Not only will the court for Leatherneck basketball (and used by other programs) have a new look, thanks to a donation from the family of a Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame member it will carry a new name as well.
 
Athletic Director Tommy Bell announced the Western Hall playing court is now known as the LeRoy A. Ufkes Court, honoring the 1996 Hall of Fame inductee. The Leathernecks received a generous donation by Joan Ufkes and the late LeRoy Ufkes, and the court will be officially dedicated during the 2014-15 basketball season.
 
"Thank you to the Ufkes family for their generous gift to make the basketball court project a reality. The new floor will give our men and women a top level playing surface, and I think our fans will really like the court design," said Bell.
 
LeRoy Ufkes was a long-time contributor to the WIU Athletics Department. A lifelong resident of nearby Carthage, Ufkes and his wife Joan (a 1954 graduate of Western Illinois University) have supported the Leathernecks for more than 25 years.
 
The new look will feature the Anchor/Bulldog logo at midcourt with a dark stained area inside the 3-point arc. Both endlines are shaded in purple with gold Western Illinois lettering across the east end and Leathernecks across the west endline.
 
The court is a product of Horner Sports Flooring. A maple wood floor, the controlled response performance system floor is designed to take the rigors of a heavy-use facility. Trotter Construction is the contractor for the job and Top Performance did the installation.
 
It replaces the parquet floor (similar to the old Boston Gardens), which was in place for the last 21 years. From 1973-93 the Western Hall court consisted of a tartan floor look. The previous court was named thanks to the sponsorship of Waste Management.
 
"On behalf of Leatherneck Athletics, I'd like to thank Waste Management for their continued support. We are excited to welcome them as one of our inaugural partners in our new Elite Corporate sponsorship program," said Bell.
 
All 20 sports programs utilize Western Hall in some capacity, whether for practice, workouts or home events. In addition to being the main location for Leatherneck Athletics, Western Hall also houses numerous physical education activities and all major Bureau of Cultural Affairs events – including concerts, musicals and multi-cultural entertainment for all ages.