Chris Thornton loves talking about playing basketball on the most fragile-sounding of surfaces: glass.
Thornton is managing director of the Americas division of , a German company building floors made of fused-together layers of safety glass covering LED panels. The courts are a far more dynamic visual feast, with customized playing lines, logos, colors, animated graphics and advertisements for multiple sports.
In basketball, where wood is still king, Thornton sees growth potential for glass courts 鈥� already showing up in and 鈥� as a tech-driven alternative to the sport's long-running hardwood foundation.
鈥淚 use this analogy a lot: We鈥檙e at the initial stages of the iPhone being launched,鈥� Thornton said. 鈥淲ay back when Apple did that, the design of the hardware has changed, but more importantly the original iPhone was just a phone, a text device and music player. Now you鈥檙e running your entire life and communicating to the world on it. I see this in the same regard.鈥�
But it's glass!
It seems strange at first blush 鈥� big, strong athletes jumping and running across a court of glass while 鈥減ounding the rock鈥� and even diving on the floor. That is a future ASB GlassFloor company envisions, citing technology improvements allowing for a safe and viable surface featuring stunning visuals that can be changed .
Thornton said the glass surface has give and flexibility exceeding that of wood, aided by a spring-action design to the aluminum and steel framing beneath the LED paneling. There's also a ceramic coating with dots etched into the glass, offering grip, and a consistent surface without 鈥渄ead spots鈥� or other quirks that can occur with wood courts.
That combination has the company touting enhanced safety potential for athletes, even in more easily spotting sweat to wipe up.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a stigma about the glass: 鈥極h my gosh, it鈥檚 going to break, it鈥檚 harder, people are going to break the glass, they鈥檙e going to fall through it,鈥欌�� Thornton said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually quite the opposite.鈥�
The visuals are the bigger selling point. Arena managers could easily update a court's look instead of using space storing hardwood stacks for multiple designs and paying for labor to install or update them. Or coaches could set up their own practice regimens with on-court visual cues.
And yes, a team could even opt for a hardwood-panel look in a nod to tradition.
The trade-off? A bigger price tag than a wood counterpart. Thornton didn鈥檛 specify an amount but pointed to potentially selling leases to the courts, saying the company has had 鈥渁dvanced鈥� talks with college teams and leagues.
At Connor Sports, a Michigan-based company that makes the hardwood courts for the men's and women's Final Four, technical director Jason Gasperich referenced that higher cost. He noted that roughly 750 of the 800 courts his company typically builds and sells per year might end up in elementary and high schools 鈥渨here they just don't have the budget for that.鈥�
Still, he also gave a tip of the cap to the technology.
鈥淣onetheless, they're still super interesting, unique,鈥� Gasperich said. 鈥淎nd there's things you can do with digital that you can't do with a traditional wood floor.鈥�
Getting looks
Glass LED courts are already in home arenas for in Germany and Panathinaikos Athens in Greece. They've also been used in events .
In the U.S., marking the ceremonial season start for Wildcats basketball.
鈥淚 love everything about the versatility of this floor,鈥� men鈥檚 coach Mark Pope said in capturing reactions as players tested it out in Rupp Arena.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what I was expecting, but it squeaks like a real basketball court,鈥� women鈥檚 player Cassidy Rowe said in the video. 鈥淚t just functions like a normal basketball court, but it鈥檚 showing our picture, which is crazy.鈥�
The NBA offered a showcase look holding its skills competition, 3-point contest, dunk contest and shooting matchup between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu on one in Indianapolis.
By December, the company had set up a training facility in Orlando allowing . Thornton, who said the NBA has bought a minority stake into the company's Americas division, estimated more than 100 players and coaches have tested it so far.
鈥淎s we integrate with the other data providers in both the NCAA and NBA, we are only going to get better and better with what improving what you can do on an ASB GlassFloor,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he focus now up to today has been getting a surface that is comfortable for the athletes to play on, and we鈥檝e done that."
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AP March Madness: and AP technology coverage:
Aaron Beard, The Associated Press
