NCAA Eyes Safety Issues Surrounding Court Stickers

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The NCAA's Men's and Women's Basketball Rules Committees met earlier this month to discuss, among other things, the potential player safety hazard posed by decals applied to court surfaces. Court stickers promoting sponsors or special events may exhibit a coefficient of friction that differs from the finished hardwood, or may pick up moisture, putting players at risk of slip-and-fall injuries.

Last November, during a game played on board the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, Michigan State forward Branden Dawson appeared to fall and injure himself while crossing a Quicken Loans Carrier Classic logo decal at center court. Dawson finished the game, but that incident, and one like it involving University of Memphis player Chris Crawford less than a week later, drew widespread attention. Having witnessed the Crawford slip up close, officials working the EA Sports/Maui Invitational game between Memphis and Belmont ordered the removal of all court stickers at halftime. "The safety of our student-athletes has to come before anything else," said St. Peter's coach John Dunne, who chairs the men's basketball rules committee. "We're seeing players slip on the non-consistent parts of the floor too many times.

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