Westmoore's new gym has a classic feel

If you're looking for a high school basketball game in a classic, throwback atmosphere, go no further than Westmoore High School, where the Jaguars and Lady Jaguars are playing their second season inside their new facility.

Although my first experience at the venue didn’t feature a maniacal crowd or a fiery student section cheering on their beloved Jaguars, it did feature the look of what a classic high school gym should look like.

First off, the gym is shaped like a box. Literally, you feel like you’re in a box. The stands, foldout chairs striped in red and black like an NBA playoff game, range from the floor almost straight up to the roof.  Two square windows mirror another pair on the north and south walls. There is also a mirroring pair of windows on the east wall. Painted in between the windows on the north and south sides is Westmoore’s classic “W” logo, red with a black jaguar outstretched through the emblem. The stands are steep, making for an extremely loud atmosphere at a big game.

A section of seats sits just behind the basket on the east end of the court as well. Advertisements and banners scripting “Go Jags” or “Go Westmoore” cover the wall above the stands much like the school’s championship banners on the opposite end.

Westmoore’s wall of banners is located behind the basket on the west end. The banners are red with black letters and trim, 83 of them total, listing the numerous state championships the school’s teams have won since 1988. Some schools hang banners, but I feel that’s for the pros. It’s a small thing, but it really makes the accomplishments stick out when the banners are hung on a wall, side-by-side and stacked. It’s just a nice feature, small town or big.


Under the banners is a large, blue, Oklahoma City Thunder training camp banner from the scrimmage Westmoore hosted during the summer. It’s a banner the school surely hangs with pride. Hopefully the Thunder continues to scrimmage at other schools  across the state. It really is a nice touch for both the organization and the community.

Westmoore’s court is a plain, lightly colored finish with almost no stain features. It features the red, “W” logo at mid-court and “Jags” is scripted in black near the north sideline, in between the three-point line and the center-circle. “Lady Jags” is scripted just above the sidelines in front of the visitor’s bench on the southwest side. The lanes are painted red and the lines are painted black across the floor. The volleyball lines are red in the middle of the floor while the referees’ lanes are black all around the court with “Westmoore” cut out of the baseline lane beneath each basket.

As far as court designs, I've seen better. Although I do like how Westmoore didn't overdo things, like stamping sponsors or court names on the floor. Once again, it has a classic feel to it. The only way they could have gone even more traditional is to eliminate the lane color and the logo at mid-court.

It’s a classic gym, unlike some of the monstrosities Oklahoma high schools are building these days. Gone are the old-school bleacher rises, replaced by two-level stands featuring more comfortable foldout chairs. Banners now hang from rafters rather than posted on a school's wall. Scoreboards now read brand names rather than team names.

The atmosphere at  high school basketball games is changing, featuring more of a pro-style, high-profile look with Nike, Under Armor and Adidas stamped on every inch of everything. There are advertisement commercials being played on PA systems during timeous instead of music selected by the home team.

For some, it's advancement. For others, its too much of a new-school feel mixed into an old-school sport. It's too much of a professional atmosphere mixed into a kid's game. Westmoore didn't go that route. They kept it classic with their new arena and it would be fine by me to see other schools follow suit.