On the morning of December 24th, OCU Director of Athletics Corey Bray received a text message no AD wants to receive, especially on Christmas Eve – a pipe had broken in Abe Lemons Arena pouring water all over the arena floor. A short while later, he laid eyes on the floor as many individuals worked feverishly to remove the water.

Unfortunately, there was just too much damage, leading to a complete floor replacement. Fast forward five months later after delays in the process related to a shortage of maple wood, replacement of bleacher parts damaged by the water and a break in the installation process to host OCU commencement ceremonies, Abe Lemons Arena is ready for action!

The new floor features nearly 30,000 square feet of the Action Thrust I gym floor system installed by Baseline Sport Floors. The design pays tribute to the traditional look of the previous floor while incorporating a few enhancements related to the OCU athletics brand. Those design enhancements include:

• Matching the blue paint on the floor to the royal blue that is used in OCU uniforms and logos.
• The star logo at center court now matches the single color royal blue logo used by the university and the athletics department.
• The Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) logo was added in white lettering in the key area at both ends of the court near the basketball free-throw lines.
• "Stars" is painted on one baseline and "Oklahoma City University" on the other baseline (a change from "Oklahoma City University" on both ends).
• "Home of Champions" has been added to the west sideline.
• The NAIA logo is now on the east sideline next to the center court line where basketball players check in (instead of the traditional "X").
• The high school three-point line was removed for a cleaner basketball and volleyball court look. The high school line can still be temporarily painted for hosting high school basketball games at any time.
• The athletics-specific font, including "Abe Lemons Arena" under Coach Lemons' signature, was used for all lettering related to OCU athletics' brand elements.

In December, as the clean-up continued, and the subsequent determination of a complete replacement was made, the hard part came next - finding practice and competition sites. Men's and women's basketball, men's and women's wrestling, competitive cheerleading, competitive dance, STUNT, and women's volleyball were all in need of facilities for training and a myriad of "home" events. Luckily, a number of local universities and school systems graciously partnered in providing court and mat time for each of the teams affected. 

"I would like to thank all of the many schools, businesses and individuals that helped OCU athletics get through the challenges of operating several sports without a home facility – Redlands Community College, Oklahoma Christian University, the University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma Baptist University, Langston University, Moore Public Schools, Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School and the Oklahoma Athletic Center, to name a few," said Bray. 

"The new Abe Lemons Arena floor looks fabulous, and it is ready for sneakers to squeak, balls to bounce, aces to be served, opposing wrestlers to be pinned, human pyramids to be formed and dances to be performed! We look forward to seeing OCU athletics' fans back in the arena next fall supporting our outstanding student-athletes."

The first OCU competition on the new floor will occur when women's volleyball takes on John Brown University at 6 p.m. on September 6.