It was a legendary basketball game at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN, with 20,000 fans hungry for the rematch between No. 16 Tennessee and No. 4 Kentucky. Bandit Lites outfitted the arena with a lighting package fit for a rock show as the Tennessee Volunteers catapulted themselves to a 76-63 victory.
“Emotion is energy in athletics” says Bandit Chair Michael T. Strickland, a UT graduate and ultimate supporter. “The addition of this amazing visual display both before the game and in game contributed to a charged environment in the arena that helped the Vols charge to victory. Sports is entertainment today, and Bandit is happy to participate and take college basketball to the next level!”
Following discussions with UT Athletics’ Associate AD Jimmy Delaney, Bandit Lites’ John Cameron Carter and Alex Becker strove to use lighting to punctuate the bigger, bolder, brighter instants of the game, promoting the energy and gravity of big moments in the match up with Kentucky.
“As site lines are always a top priority for fan experience, we chose to capitalize on the use of compact fixtures with sharp beams to cut through court lighting during team and media timeouts, as well as a pregame light show and the starting lineup,” explained Carter. “Balancing trim heights and viability of added lighting positions played a major role in our ability to light the court and arena effectively.”
Bandit provided 64 additional fixtures include the Robe Pointe, Clay Paky Sharpy and Martin MAC Aura. These were used in conjunction with the arena’s existing Bandit system for the season with VL 3500 Spots and Atomic Strobes hung under the score board, while Sharpys and Coemar Infinity Spots are placed on the catwalk with a MA Lighting grandMA console for control.
“Alex had supplementary time at the desk to work on adding in our additional fixtures to his already extensive cue lists for intros and game looks,” said Carter. “He worked into the early hours of the morning to dial it all in. We also worked in conjunction with Vol Networks’ Brandon Lane to add the arenas ribbon boards into big hits and beat changes in the music during the pregame light show.”
The feedback from the fans was nothing less than electrifying as the deafening roar from the crowd let the players know they were ready for the showdown between rivals. “Every big moment we were able to add on had the fans who weren’t already up and screaming on their feet feeling the moment,” said Carter.
