Basketball courts' radical revamp
By Ryan Ng and Aidan Lai
On January 3rd, students returned to school, longing to play in the courts after a long break stuck at home, only to find it completely walled off; its tall standing hoops missing, and its once proud turquoise tiles ripped from their foundations. Although aware that the basketball court was long overdue for maintenance — its crumbling floor and pierced nets having seen better days — students were left in the dark, with few details regarding its makeover.
To discover the justification behind these mysterious changes, we interviewed Samuel Hureau, RCHK’s business manager, who provided detailed insight into the situation.
Take us to the start—why were these changes needed in the first place?
Hureau: The basketball court was in desperate need of a makeover. The court has been part of our school for over 15 years. To put it into perspective, not only had the court eroded in some areas, resulting in lost quality, but the waterproof coating which protected students from slipping on rainy days was also washed away, causing legitimate safety concerns.
We’re all obviously trapped online and haven’t been able to play basketball—what’s new about the court? What can we look forward to when we return to school?
Thanks to design choices made by [Lee Burns, Head of Physical Education at RCHK] and [Nick Sheriff-Smith, RCHK’s Athletic Director], students can expect a fully revamped colour scheme, based on our school colours—yellow and grey. The centre circles have been replaced with the Black Kites logo, and there are two “RCHK”s between the two basketball courts. These decisions have all been made to strengthen the branding of RCHK—guests will see the basketball courts with the RCHK colours, the Black Kites emblem and the two “RCHK”s; compared to the previous design, we think this is much better for the school.
Students may also look forward to our new flexible basketball posts, which not only double netball hoops and volleyball stands - but can be removed to allow for extra space if needed.
Behind all the construction and renovation, what were the logistics involved in this makeover?
Mr Hureau: This renovation, which cost 2.4 million Hong Kong dollars, was subsidised by RAPT for 300 thousand dollars. The project started towards the beginning of the Christmas holiday and lasted six weeks. We had some initial delays, as the materials were trapped in Malaysia due to Covid—fortunately, this did not affect us given our lenient schedule.
Student reactions are mixed. Some had doubts about whether this project was required despite its promised potential, and especially after hearing of its touted 2.4 million price tag.
“When I saw photos of the new court, I had to do a double-take. 2.4 million dollars, and what did it get us? A court splashed with possibly the dullest colours under the sun, guaranteed to make any basketball player lose their spirit from its sheer mundanity,” Leonardo Martinello, a Year 9 student, says. “Maybe these colours looked good on our school uniforms, but they’re certainly the last choice when it comes to basketball court colours.”
“I find the new court to be quite ugly and believe it doesn’t fit the atmosphere of an outdoor court,” another student says. “Compared to the original simple yet joyful turquoise, the new court just screams ‘manufactured’ right into your face.”
Charlie Leung, a Year 9 student, had a different view on the matter. “I completely agree with everyone else; the colours are not as good as before. I don’t think that matters too much, however. It’s just a basketball court, and no matter the colour, we can still play basketball as it is. I also think that the Black Kites logo looks a lot better than the old jump circle, and I feel that the addition of netball hoops can be helpful too.”
Ethan Lo, another student, had a unique view of the situation. “I personally love the new colours—yellow is one of my favourite colours. However, they should’ve incorporated some student feedback in their decision. Almost everyone I know was unaware of the colour scheme, and almost everyone I know hated the colour scheme. Although I prefer this look by a large margin, other people don’t, and I don’t think it was an excellent decision to disregard students' thoughts—the people who use the basketball court every day.”
After this renovation, new improvements to the school will be coming. Students may find excitement in the knowledge that the same people who designed the basketball court will assist in developing the new bathrooms near the primary gym — which Dr Harry Brown described as being “similar to the fancy ones at the IFC building.” Luckily, however, we won’t be seeing any school colours in these bathrooms anytime soon.
The soundproofing on the swimming pool ceiling, which has also grown old and mouldy, will too soon be replaced and renovated.
Photos by Ryan Ng and Aspen Kwan