Well, it wasn't what I expected but life generally doesn't give me what I expected. I am speaking of the new Ragin' Cajuns Basketball court inside the newly renovated Cajundome. 

Gone is the traditional looking basketball court that seemed to work just fine. In its place is a unique basketball court. Sure it's got the same dimensions as the old court but the appearance is different, like one of a kind different.

At first glance, you might not see it, especially from the low angle of our photograph. But if you concentrate you will begin to see the outline of Cypress Trees. Slowly the natural skyline of Cypress Lake will appear like magic. I don't think you can get more local and more South Louisiana than a picture like that.

While many of the people I have spoken to about the design on the court have replied in bewildered tones they all stopped short of saying it was a bad idea. Personally, I think the design is a great idea. I think that basketball court will mean money in the bank for our community.

Let me explain, do you remember the 1997 Humanitarian Bowl? I bet you will after a few hints. It was played in Boise Idaho on a football field that became the focus of a nation on the day after the game was played. That was the coming out party for the blue field.

In an instant, everyone knew there was a blue football field in Boise Idaho. Everyone was yammering about a football field that was different, totally different.

Following the very forgettable contest between Cincinnati and Utah State people were still buzzing about the field.  It gave the stadium and the university a great deal of notoriety. The field was called the Smurf Turf and sure there were jokes made. But in the world of marketing, any publicity is good publicity.

The notoriety of that blue football field put Boise State and their football program on the map. It wasn't too long after that 1997 bowl game that Boise State was suddenly a BCS Buster. A school that wasn't on anyone's radar now had a team that could be a national champion.

Did the field recruit the players? It did not.

It did give the university and its football program some name recognition. That familiarity made it a lot easier to recruit players from around the country because everyone now knew about Boise State and the blue field. They also knew if you played a good game on the blue field you were going to get on TV.

I think the Cypress Lake silhouette will find its way onto Sports Center, YouTube, and a lot of the other social media outlets too. I think this court will give our Cajun basketball program an identity that breaks through the clutter. I would be willing to bet some chirpy ESPN anchor will come up with a clever nickname for the court.

That's when the money will start to flow.

Of course, Coach Marlin and Coach Brodhead will have to do what they do to keep the momentum growing. There is nothing like a winning team to make your new facility shine even brighter.

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