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March Madness Ready: A Peak Inside Basketball Locker Rooms

As the excitement of March Madness takes over, we’re taking a closer look at a space that plays a crucial role in every team’s success—the locker room. Modern basketball locker rooms are designed to inspire, motivate, enhance performance, and build team camaraderie. These spaces are just as vital as the court itself, fostering a winning mindset and strengthening team unity.

Basketball players rely on their footwear for performance, and modern locker room designs reflect this by incorporating specialized shoe storage solutions. Unlike other sports where shoulder pads or gloves are stored in basic compartments, basketball lockers often feature dedicated shelving and display areas for sneakers. These built-in displays not only keep shoes organized and easily accessible but also highlight the growing culture of sneaker appreciation in basketball. Many high-end locker rooms include ventilated compartments to help with airflow and odor control, ensuring that players’ gear stays fresh.

Another standout feature in basketball locker rooms is the incorporation of branding, which reinforces team identity and school pride. From custom graphics to personalized player spaces, branding elements create a professional and inspiring atmosphere. A great example is the University of Michigan’s basketball locker room, where the iconic Jumpman (Jordan Brand) logo is prominently displayed. This not only highlights the team’s connection to one of basketball’s most legendary figures but also enhances recruiting appeal and solidifies the program’s elite status.

Branding isn’t the only way basketball locker rooms create a sleek and professional look—design innovations also play a key role. One feature that enhances both cleanliness and visual appeal is the use of pocket doors that conceal lockers when closed. These sliding doors help maintain a polished, clutter-free environment, keeping gear and personal items neatly tucked away. Not only does this contribute to a cleaner aesthetic, but it also allows for a dramatic reveal effect, turning the locker room into a high-impact display when the doors are open.

Hollman’s Essentials Collection offers a locker model tailored to meet the functional needs of basketball players: the Elevate+, designed for efficient gear storage, features multiple shelves and recessed contemporary doors, ensuring a clean and organized appearance.

Ultimately, a well-designed basketball locker room is more than just a storage space—it’s a hub for motivation, preparation, and team bonding. Logos, color schemes, and illuminated displays don’t just add visual appeal; they transform the locker room into a statement of excellence, reinforcing team pride and making it clear that players are part of something bigger than just the game. From custom branding and innovative storage to sleek, functional design, these spaces shape a team’s culture and mindset. As the intensity of March Madness builds, the value of a top-tier locker room becomes undeniable—it’s where pre-game rituals fuel confidence, halftime adjustments spark comebacks, and championship dreams take shape.

Learn more about Hollman’s Athletic Solutions

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EXPLORE ESSENTIALS COLLECTION

The essentials collection consists of Hollman’s most popular configurations, models, and materials curated together to cut lead times, guaranteeing your lockers delivered between 4-6 weeks upon order approval.

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    When a workspace needs to put in overtime, Hollman leverages 40+ years of manufacturing expertise to transform traditional spaces into innovative environments with lockers that add agility.

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      With Hollman’s Smart Lockers each locker can be configured to the needs of every working zone in your building with a variety of configurations, materials, and the security solution that allows you to assign temporary or mixed-used.

        The Modern Locker Room: How Universities are Enhancing the Athlete Experience (and Beyond)

        For many universities, the athletics program represents a prime source of revenue. To take advantage of this, they must be able to attract the best student athletes, along with their supporters. This has driven them to build out high-end athletics complexes designed to deliver top-tier experiences to not just the athletes, but also to their fellow students, friends, family, and sports fans.

        As the war room of the sports world, the locker room is where athletes, coaches, and trainers gather to analyze past performance, strategize for the future, and of course, prepare for game day. Many will recall the collegiate locker room of yore as a dingy, dusty den of stinky socks and sweaty uniforms—but this is a thing of the past.

        Today’s modern locker rooms are evolving into more luxurious accommodations that aim to address the needs and comfort of their occupants. To build team spirit, their bespoke designs showcase team branding, culture, core values, and history. For player well-being, they include things like ventilated lockers and moisture-resistant materials. And, their integrated tech tools help coaches and teams devise the tactics that will make them win. 

        Digital signage is contributing to this VIP experience in a number of ways. As a central source of communications, it’s being used to:

        • View, study, and analyze past plays
        • Communicate strategies
        • Deliver live updates on game day
        • Showcase and celebrate the achievements of individual athletes and the entire team
        • Display game and practice schedules, directories, and other key info
        • Greet visiting teams with welcome messaging and digital name plates
        • Highlight outstanding achievements on a digital wall of fame

        All of this is transforming the modern locker room into a hub of team building and motivation—a welcoming workplace that serves as a competitive advantage for universities; and for their athletes, helps to cultivate and nurture the winner’s mindset.

        Colleges that use one set of locker rooms for multiple teams can leverage digital signage to deliver personalized, branded communications targeted at who will be using the space at any given time. For example, on Friday night the content may be football-focused, while on Sunday morning it may be all about soccer. This gives all student athletes the same VIP experience, and sends the message that they are respected as the pros that many of them will become in the not-so-distant future.

        Outside of the locker room, colleges and universities are using digital signage to extend the fan experience beyond the game itself. For Michigan State University’s Frances Cleaves Family Center, Carousel Digital Signage collaborated with Red Dot Digital Media and BrightSign to create an interactive experience for friends and family of the Spartan basketball team. Dubbed the “Wall of Fame,” two 75-inch Newline touch displays let visitors access information on past and present Spartans. At the University of Massachusetts Football Performance Center, home of the Minutemen, a Carousel Digital Signage-powered interactive kiosk allows fans to look up player and coach bios, statistics, major player and team accomplishments—and even trivia on the bands and mascots that have supported the Minutemen throughout their history.

        As universities continue to enhance the experience they offer to both athletes and fans, they’re increasingly relying on digital signage. With Carousel, these institutions can easily develop and distribute dynamic, branded, and targeted messaging for everyone who participates in collegiate sports activities. When done right, this helps to foster a winner’s mindset among everyone—and who doesn’t want to think like a winner?

        Author: Carolyn Heinze

        Visit our website at Hollman.com

        Discover Hollman Lockers

        EXPLORE ESSENTIALS COLLECTION

        The essentials collection consists of Hollman’s most popular configurations, models, and materials curated together to cut lead times, guaranteeing your lockers delivered between 4-6 weeks upon order approval.

          Hollman Workspace Lockers

          EXPLORE WORKSPACES

          When a workspace needs to put in overtime, Hollman leverages 40+ years of manufacturing expertise to transform traditional spaces into innovative environments with lockers that add agility.

            DISCOVER SMART LOCKERS

            With Hollman’s Smart Lockers each locker can be configured to the needs of every working zone in your building with a variety of configurations, materials, and the security solution that allows you to assign temporary or mixed-used.

              Project Insight: Wake Forest University Men and Women’s Basketball

              Wake Forest University’s Men and Women Basketball unveiled their newly constructed clubhouses with upgraded locker rooms by Hollman, Inc.

              Wake Forest University unveiled their newly constructed Chris Paul Family Men’s Basketball and Dr. Caryl Guth Women’s Basketball Clubhouses this past September. The new Clubhouses’ expansions include upgraded locker rooms that are more than double their current club spaces. One of the primary goals of their clubhouse expansion was to create a locker room that was not only attractive to recruits but a more inclusive environment for current players.

              Wake Forest University is no stranger to Hollman Lockers; already renovating multiple locker rooms through us. Wake Forest’s Associate Athletic Director, Craig Zakrzewski, and University Planning and Construction Sr. Project Manager, Jill Perry, visited Hollman’s headquarters in Irving, TX. The group included Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce’s President, Ken McDaniel, and Vannoy & Sons Construction Company, Inc.’s General Contractor, Jon-Michael Broyles.

              Their visitation included a manufacturing tour and a review of the mock-ups for the Men and Women’s future lockers with our athletics team. By doing this, Wake Forest could see Hollman’s full manufacturing capabilities as well as discover concepts that were later added to their design. With this hands-on approach, the members could get a vision of what the locker room could be and work with our experts to make changes, adaptations, and additions to ensure the lockers fulfill student-athlete needs.

              The lockers are comprised of primarily black Nanolam and Solid Surface materials with the Acrylic Pocket Doors that are back painted with the school’s “Demon Deacon” and “Wake Forest” verbiage displayed across the lockers as added team spirit. The teams did not mess around when it came to customization pieces that truly lit up the room – literally. The lockers include RGB LED lighting displayed throughout the locker including continuous toe-kick lighting underneath the locker and backlit acrylic shelves that can be seen when the locker interior is exposed. 

              The Men and Women’s lockers include 43’ inch commercial cloud-based displays above each locker, ideal for player personalization and team graphics. Behind the concealing doors, players can find interior hanging space that includes a ventilation slot to drop down drying time, three shelves for easy access storage, a lockable shelf accented with gold felt liner and a wireless charging station. 

              The key difference between the two locker rooms is the lower section of the locker where the soft-closing cleat drawer is placed. It was determined that the men’s team required more space in the drawer for storage while the women’s team opted for a seating option. The women’s locker includes integrated seating with marine-grade vinyl cushions; the drawer is conveniently located underneath and can be accessed through the cushion. 

              With the clubhouses complete, the student-athletes are fully equipped for their upcoming season and through Hollman’s design efforts, both teams have a locker room that is made for lasting impressions and team celebrations. 

              Project Details

              Explore Athletics

              When you want to make an impression on high-performing athletes and top recruits, start with the locker room. Hollman creates custom space built on your team’s history, culture and core values.

                Discover Nanolam

                For a high-performance anti-microbial solution look no further than our nanolam lockers. The velvety smooth surface also resists fingerprints, smudges, and streaks, and keeps mold and bacteria from growing. In fact, it reduces the incidence of staph bacteria by 99.79 percent.

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                    Project Insights: Michigan State University Munn Ice Arena

                    Munn Ice Arena renovations give Spartan Hockey a world-class arena with the help of Hollman Lockers

                    Home of Michigan State University’s Spartan Hockey team, Munn Ice Arena, has completed its largest renovation to date. After breaking ground in 2019, the renovation was halted due to the pandemic, now four years later, the hockey facility has gotten its much needed facelift. 

                    When it came to the locker room renovations for the Spartans, one of the primary drives of the restoration was to create a space for the players to bond and to promote fellowship. Not only was space within the locker room necessary, but the lockers themselves needed to handle the large and heavy equipment involved with hockey.

                    Hollman came into the picture, presenting a locker that was designed for MSU based on current player habits and needs. Having the locker room located in an ice arena, it was important to ensure the lockers were durable against the environment. The main component of the lockers were created with black Phenolic, a notoriously durable and water-resistant material; while the integrated benches were made with marine-grade vinyl cushions constructed to withstand water. Using these products will guarantee the lockers stay pristine even with heavy use. 

                    Along with durability, the lockers were strategically designed to shelf and hang the necessary pieces of gear without overloading the unit. In general, hockey requires a lot of gear for protective purposes, meaning the design needed to be able to categorize a large volume. 

                    Each locker includes three tiers of shelving made to hold helmets, all pads, gloves, and personal items. Below each integrated seat is a lift-up piece for additional storage. One of the unique features of the model is the face-mounted custom skate hooks placed on the lower portion of the locker, designed to keep skates obscured and localized in front of the lower ventilation system to help reduce dry time and bacterial growth. 

                    “The thought process to have a changing area where each guy has their own space to put their stuff in so we can keep our locker room orderly, and that’s one thing we talked about as a group. Its super important to us to be a steward of that space…we can say thank you but I think the way you take care of it is the best way to show you appreciate it so that place is going be spotless”, Adam Nightingale, MSU Hockey Head Coach.

                    Renovations to Munn Ice Arena were completed this past September, just in time for the Spartan’s regular season. With the facility’s upgrades and the help of Hollman, alums and players are sure to be proud for years to come. 

                    Locker Details:

                    • Black Phenolic material
                    • Marine Grade Vinyl Cushions
                    • Aluminum Magnetic Radius Trim
                    • Solid Surface bench edge
                    • Face mounted skate hooks
                    • Solid Surface hooks
                    • Lift up radius bench
                    • LED lighting

                    Sources: Lansing State Journal, The State News

                    Project Details

                    Explore Athletics

                    When you want to make an impression on high-performing athletes and top recruits, start with the locker room. Hollman creates custom space built on your team’s history, culture and core values.

                      Discover Phenolic

                      Hollman phenolic lockers are built to withstand wet environments, heavy use, and tough conditions. The waterproof and moisture repellent qualities of phenolic material make it the ideal choice for wet and humid settings.

                        Check Out Our Gallery

                        To see what sets Hollman above the rest, check out our latest projects!

                          Cincinnati Enquirer Exclusive: University of Cincinnati unveils new game day football locker room

                          The University of Cincinnati is gearing up for the 2022 football season and for its upcoming move to the Big 12 Conference.

                          The university on Wednesday unveiled its newly renovated game day football locker room, a part of the school’s first wave of facility upgrades ahead of its July 1, 2023, move from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 Conference.

                          “This was such an important piece for our football program,” UC Director of Athletics John Cunningham said. “It’s a reflection of where our football program currently is, which is a top-20 program in the country. This is the type of facility that we need to compete Day 1 in the Big 12.”

                          The newly renovated locker room, located inside the Richard E. Lindner Center on UC’s main campus, features an additional 2,000 square feet of space, a new sound system, a fuel station and nutrition bar, and a hype tunnel that leads to Nippert Stadium.

                          The $4 million face-lift also includes an enhanced ventilation system, 120 custom lockers with each player’s name and number, and graphics and images that highlight many of the standout performers from last season’s team that reached the College Football Playoff.

                          The project, which also included a renovation of the Bob Goin football team room, was paid for entirely by the university’s Day One Ready Campaign, a $100 million fundraising effort.

                          Skanska USA served as the construction manager for the renovation. Skanska senior project engineer Zack Tobler, who played basketball for the Bearcats from 2013-17, oversaw much of the project. Tobler, whose father, Matt, owns a construction company, followed in his father’s footsteps after graduating from UC with an accounting degree.

                          “I’ve been in the student-athletes’ shoes, so I know what they’re going through,” Tobler said. “I like to be able to give back to them in any way I can. It’s not as much monetary right now, but time and everything. So, I think it was really cool for me to be able to try to give back at least a little bit to them.”

                          Luke Fickell and the two-time defending AAC champion Bearcats will officially christen their new game day space when they host Kennesaw State on Sept. 10. Cincinnati, which is ranked No. 23 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, opens its 2022 season Sept. 3 at No. 19 Arkansas.

                          Source: Cincinnati Enquirer

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